To ask what changed your life dramatically for the better?

[youneeQuorn]

Did you find something that just changed life for you?

Be it yoga, meditation, religion, medication, therapy, a new hobby - that sort of thing

This is going to sound rather shallow, but getting my teeth done was f*cking great. I was a whole new woman.

Love - for DP, and then for DC
There have also been other things that aren't so dramatic - improvement in health, having work I like.
And then there are all the much littler things - seeing a good film, a sunny day, a nice holiday and so on.
So there are the big things but really it all adds ups.

Meeting DH when I was 18

My 4 kids

Having money

Pokemon Go

Falling in love (I can't have him but just getting to exchange words with him most days brightened my life)
Passing my driving test
Quitting gambling

Ok, has to be becoming a mum. It was unplanned and I was not in the right place, but it all worked out. Best day ever! Now it's a decade in and we are a family of five. Never known real love until then.

Very simple- meeting my dh at 39.

Therapy.
Religion .

Going nc with my mother

Giving up a stressful job.
Prozac.
Singing.
DH being supportive of all of the above.

Becoming a nicer person. A couple of years ago, I decided to try the following:

If you think something positive about someone, tell them.
If you think something negative about someone, keep it to yourself and mentally throw it away.

I've given lots of compliments and resisted making pointless bitchy remarks, and my life has been so much lovelier ever since.

You look fabulous today, by the way!

Going to university.

Leaving teaching, writing a book and selling it, allowing me to give a huge 'fuck you' to the people who were trying to destroy me (who then promptly got fired. Oh dear, what a shame.)

Faith in Jesus
Well timed counselling (previously had little success - realised you have to be ready.)
Stopping drinking.

A 2-year episode of ulcerative colitis (now under control) where the good days felt like being 50% my usual self and the bad days felt like walking through treacle, in pain, topped off with the fear of having an accident.

This illness changed my life because now every day that I feel ok/healthy I really notice and feel grateful for that. It's hard to explain it without sounding like a bit of a prat, but it really has made me happier in the long run because of my appreciation of being able to enjoy life with good health.

Conquering a 20-year phobia of driving. 20 years after passing my test I could finally get in the car and drive wherever I wanted without a second thought or any anxiety. I NEVER thought that would happen and the freedom it has given me is wonderful.

Venlafaxine. Sorry, Citalopram fans, it just didn't do it for me!

Husband leaving. Horrible at the time, thought my world had ended, but now I'm happier than I was when I was with him.

Bodyglide- chub rub used to make my life hell. But it's been baking hot this week, and I've been able to wear dresses without shorts underneath, and my favourite denim shorts, without any problems at all!!

Getting a vibrator. Before that I'd had plenty of sex but never had an orgasm, and had genuinely started to think my body just wasn't capable of it. now if only I could find a way to have one without it

Oh, I second Bodyglide! Fab stuff.

Prozac. After my whole life of seeing anxiety as a natural state, I actually now live my life calm (most of the time) and happy. Life-changing.

My dog. 💗

Redecorating our house 2 years ago but most particularly our bedroom and bathroom. I just love having somewhere relaxing to be.

Going free lance

My bloke and the children we have together

My vegetable garden

The dog

Running

Giving up work while my children are all tiny and needy. It has reduced severe stress in our household massively. It's reduced money too but it is worth it for the increase in happiness for the whole family. I will return in a year or so but now this is massively helpful.

Also, regular swimming. It's helped me to get fitter and is also very thereputic

Leaving my job
Leaving an abusive man
Meeting husband
Having kids
Living !

Leaving a job that I hated due to a bullying boss was the happiest day of my life. Unfortunately it was career suicide and I've never had such a 'good' job again, and after ten years I still earn considerably less than I did then. But I no longer live life in a state of utter despair, so I can't ever regret it.

Mumsnet has helped me a lot too

Having my two children.
University and getting out of my poorer free school meal type childhood

Learning that I was at risk of redundancy in a truly awful company I'd worked at for so long that I had no understanding of how abnormal and unfair their employment practices were, although I felt uncomfortable with them as I'd moved into a management role. It enabled me to offer the company a suggestion where I kept the nicer elements of my role part time and worked freelance offering other skills I had to them and other similar companies as a consultant.

They were terrible for bullying staff members to do things that weren't part of their job for no extra pay or other benefits and the first time they tried this on me after my change of contract, I got such a buzz from sending them a quote for the work at my consultant rate.

The change in my mood enabled me to focus on my personal life and I met DH, married and had DS in the few years after that. I'd never have been able to cope with living with someone else whilst writing full time there. Whilst pregnant with DS I had CBT for needle phobia and that also had a surprisingly far reaching effect on many areas of my life.