What is a cheap/ simple/ uncomplicated habit (or thing) that you started following (or bought) that dramatically changed your life for the better...

[Bookbooks]

That's it really.
Same if you had the same effect with abandoning a habit or a thing.
Looking for inspiration.

@MyFaceIsAnAONB

But I have so much on my to do list and my life is in my phone!! School apps, dr, dentist, lists, shopping

I have currently take on lots of big new habits - gluten free, dairy free, 5:30am walk (exhausting not invigorating at the mo but the birdsong is insane and morning sunlight meant to be amazing for you), LED mask, skincare etc. But all involve effort.

Maybe cut down - the 5.30 am walk sounds amazing but it sounds an awful lot,especially with a 1 ,5 and 7 year old!!!
Maybe try writing lists and putting them on the fridge door ?
Good luck .

putting out my clothes every night for the following morning, getting up in the morning, showering and dressing isn't something to think about anymore!

Eating meat after several decades of being vegetarian. I feel much better

@ThereIbledit - so glad it worked for you. There's obviously something in those movements that eases the muscles causing the pain.

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Lie to yourself. I always promise myself that all I have to do is one set, or 5 or 10 minutes or whatever. Just a bit, and if I don't feel like carrying on, I can stop. I never do though, I always keep going, because as soon as I start I feel better. I get a bit of an adrenaline rush or something and it spurs me on.
But I give myself that 'out' of if I'm not feeling it today then stop, at least I tried, something is better than nothing etc.

Brilliant advice @Farmageddon ,and applicable to lots of tasks.

Thanks @vdbfamily - I think we'll be getting a new sofa in the next year or two and I will bear that in mind. I have an long term issue with my hips that's OK at the moment, but I'm 45 and it's likely to become more painful/stiff in the next 10 years so I think we should aim for a higher sofa (and/or one that has higher armrests) so it will work better for me in the long run.

Lovely thread bookbooks and great suggestions/recommendations from posters.
I have added to my watchlist so I don't lose you.

Me too! I started doing them as I read they’re very good for the brain. I had no idea I’d become so addicted to them. I’ve always got one on the go. I get mine from charity shops too as they’re quite expensive new to do on a regular basis. I get quite a thrill finding a good one in a charity shop. 😁

Regular meditation.

I started during the lockdown. It helps me deal with stress and reduces my chronic pain.

I just listen to a short YouTube guided meditation video and try to do it everyday.

Also going vegetarian has massively improved my health.

Basically anything I can do to help me manage a longterm health condition :)

What app is this @krustykrabpizza? I need to do this!!

Should be framed and hung in every home.

I stand on one foot, and then the other, whilst I clean my teeth so twice a day. When I first started I couldn't do it without holding on. Noe I'm quite good and can do it with my eyes shut which is harder.

Apparently it helps you be more stable as you age (I'm in my 60s).

I read about this idea in a newspaper

@iloveeverykindofcat
15 mins of strength work on my core every day. I really need to do this .Can you recommend exercises ?Will I have to lie on the floor to do them ?

Learning how to sew, as in well enough to make garments. I only wish I'd kept it a secret as people can be really cheeky with requests.

For example they'll say that a professional asked them £X to do something, that it's so expensive and can't I just do it for them. I explain that it will take X amount of hours and will cost ££ in materials and the professional price is very reasonable reasonable.

@Krustykrabpizza

Yes please can I also have this app!

A 15m walk mid morning wfh. Stick the kettle on before I go, do a brisk circuit of the park whatever the weather. Massively improves my focus the rest of the morning.

@Changedmynameforthis55 Where did you buy your jar scraper? This kind of easy-life idea is right up my street (unlike running).

I have two vacuum cleaners, one upstairs and one downstairs. That makes my life easier as I don't have to lug a vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs.

Using my house like it my home, rather than an investment to sell on. I have reclaimed the spare room, which was only really used for a few weeks each year, as a craft room. I have painted rooms in colours I like, rather than colours I thought may appeal to a buyer. I am getting rid of unused objects and junk, especially if they have negative memories attached to them, and I have stopped accepting items people try to pass on to me. It is still a process, but I had rented and moved so many times during my life that I don’t think I knew how to properly live in and enjoy my own home.

Also, after reading a thread like this a few years ago, I make my bed as soon as I get up each morning. It makes me feel more organised and I am less likely to climb back in once it is made.

Yoga everyday - either in the morning or before bed. It’s really helped my back and neck and MH.

Sometimes sleeping on the floor, again, helps my back enormously.

Going through my clothes when I get the urge to splurge, usually it’s because I’m
behind on washing and I actually have loads of stuff to wear.

Vitamins!

Brilliant thread. I am reading so many of these thinking: Oh yeah, I keep meaning to do/try that.

People who make the bed as soon as they get up-aren't you meant to air it for a while-much more hygienic.

I don't drink tea or coffee but have a hot lemon & honey every morning to re hydrate, so I juice 2 bags of lemons & freeze in ice cube trays, so is easy to make each morning.

Another vote for yoga but a so-far unmentioned reason - great orgasms! An unintended bonus.

Stopping drinking made me feel so healthy.

And as someone with chronically cold feet, my electric blanket is the best.

Not particularly cheap or simple, but getting a dog is one of the best things I've done too. Mentally and physically. I'm fitter than I've been in ages, able to control my weight easier than before, and getting out into nature with my boy helps clear my head. I feel my shoulders lift.

He's just such a happy and loving dog that you can't help but smile when you're around him.

This.
Also analysing my anxiety. My father was constantly anxious about absolutely everything. My mother is a psychopath and expresses no emotion ,good or bad about anything, ever. I think she secretly enjoyed his distress.It's easy to grow up thinking everything is the end of the world. 99% of it isn't. If I am stressing about something now I say to myself ' what is realistically the worst thing thst will happen' and if its nothing much at all then I just let things proceed. The world hasn't ended so far.