What are the simple things that made a true difference to your quality of life?

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For me it is terribly pedestrian.

Hot soapy shower before bed. Getting into bed all clean and warm makes me feel so good.

Peppermint tea before bed- same

Getting up at 5.30 am and having a quiet cup of coffee and reading a book before everyone else gets up at 6.

Realising that our school mums were bitches from hell and I didn't actually want to spend time with them.

Before that I had been upset at being left out.

It was a revelation.

I’m not an animals person at all, but this sounds beyond idyllic - your serenity really comes across!

Cannabis , makes everything better. Put the kids to bed this evening, had a little smoke then did some gardening. Perfect

Really???

No arguments about loading/unloading the dishwasher??? (For me this is the nearest I get to wanting a divorce ... the sheer rage I feel when I open the dishwasher and see how DH has stacked it) 🤣🤣🤣

Getting divorced.

What kind of industry/ function are you in?

Dipping/swimming in the sea with friends as often as I can
Being my own boss
Having a cleaner
Fairy lights in the summer garden make me smile

My paper to do list notepad
Skyr yogurt
Cottage cheese
They reduced my cravings.
Decaf Eng Bfast tea before bed.
Clean, newly washed sheets
ALEXA
Smart switches
Books
RadioX London - I listen to Chris Moyles when I am feeling low. I know he is not popular on mumsnet. But I love the relationship between the tea and there nonsense chit chats.
Listening to birds
I wish I had dogs, I used to have before and know they make your life so much better.

Peppermint tea
Hugs from dc
Running

• Investing in a PIVOT home gym bed that converts into a power rack so I have easy access to a rack at home and friends/family can still stay over
• HRT
• Regular massages and facials
• Thermage
• Lists
• my bed linen and thick, fluffy bath sheets
• my tea collection
• bone broth

How do you get sleeping tablets? They would make such a difference for me too

Would you mind telling me what dosage your taking & what brand?

I have tried in the past but didn't find it helped. Happy to try again, if I can use the exact same thing someone is taking & finding helpful!!

(well aware everyone is different & they still might not help me, but it's somewhere to start!!)

Have you tried Nytol one a night (or the Boots equivalent, Sleepeaze)? They're antihistamines but actually work better for me than the various sleeping pills I've been prescribed over the years (chronic insomnia) and are just OTC

does the GP give you sleeping tablets? Mine said they wouldn’t and I would literally kill for a decent nights sleep:)

Look at all the people asking about sleeping tablets at 2am!

See my post above - I found Nytol better than Xanax, Zopiclone and a couple of others I've tried and can't recall their names (I had private medical care through my work and they were far more liberal in prescribing so I've tried a few!)

🤣

First thing I ever remember making my life better was having my own room. When my sister moved out I was so happy. Whole room to myself, I legitimately thought I was living in luxury.

Second one was an ice machine on the fridge. Actually started drinking water, enough water. Finally I was hydrated!

Third was black out curtains! I used to work in a bar so I was getting home in the early hours some days, once I got the black out curtains my life got better and I was less of a bitch because I was getting proper sleep.

Honourable mentions - getting a good curly hair routine, teeth whitening, heated drying rack, quitting smoking - quitting smoking sucked but it was worth it.

Sleeping on superb quality mattress and bedding

snuggled with my first born in our bed before the whole house wakes up

mini fridge for the bottles upstairs for newborns night feeds

coffee it really is life changing

not using drink at a wind down every night it was the odd 1 or 2 glasses of wine per night but made my mood low and brain foggy the following day

having the garden landscaped and done its been like an extra room in our house for the the kids/friends and family

It works on batteries 😀.

Nice cup of proper coffee on a morning.

A good skin care routine.

Clean and tidy home helps me feel better and more in control but this doesn’t happen every day.

Going to the gym three times a week which is a new habit for me in my late 50’s makes me feel stronger and healthier mentally and physically.

Having read the book let them I am trying to use this approach and it is very helpful to me.

Meal planning and batch cooking is good for me I eat better and healthier and feel like Wonder Woman.

Catching up with good friends putting the world to rights and having a good laugh. Finally realising I don’t need a big circle a small circle is enough.

Audio books, exercise, hot showers, coffee, voice noting my sister.

Love this post by the way!

In answers to PPs’ questions about sleeping tablets: yes, mine are prescribed by my GP, on the advice of my menopause specialist dr, when adjustments to my HRT did not relieve my insomnia.
I am on mirtazapine, actually an antidepressant, but prescribed “off label “, ie not for the purpose for which it was originally developed, but for its side effects. In a low dose ( I’m on 7.5mg at night) it causes drowsiness and relieves sleeplessness.
I’ve been on it for a month now and honestly feel better than I have for years.

Can you explain what difference you see? I've just found I am low on vitamin D.

Yeah, we did have some teething problems around this initially, but DW has now been banned from loading the dishwasher designated me as the official dishwasher loader 🤣. I suspect I might be the victim of strategic incompetence 🤔.