To ask what changes you've made that have changed your life?

[Fishface77]

I'm starting to have breakfast from tomorrow.
I'm usually late up and running around but I'm going to get up half an hour before the kids and am hoping this will help with my energy and mood in the mornings.

But I could do with some inspiration from my mumsnet family!

Exercising regularly has made a huge difference to how well I feel. I get less back pain, sleep better and generally feel happier.

Getting my dog totally changed my life. We've had him 8 years and getting out in the fresh air everyday and meeting people, along with lots of doggy cuddles has gone along way to cure my depression.

Giving up drinking in the week 2 years ago made a big difference to how well I sleep and how much better I feel the next day.

I love the idea of batch cooking. I know this will sound a bit stupid but do you all have massive freezers? I just don't see how I could atore it all.

Stickafork that's made me laugh so much!!!

Realising that the severely critical voice in my head wasn't my friend. She was a bitch. Learning to listen to my kinder self.

Started listening to radio 2 rather than radio 4 in the morning. Blood pressure lower as no longer shouting at John humphries.

Got a cleaner.

Stopped drinking in the week.

Stopped bothering trying to eat breakfast. I just don’t like it.

Got a cleaner. I love her like I love my children.

For me I have started to treat people the way they treat me. I'm a really lovely person which isn't always great especially when it isn't reciprocal. So I am now only lovely to those that are lovely to me, my main reason for this is that my DH's family are fucking horrible nasty people, I now have minimal contact and am as arsey to them as they are to me, it's quite amazing how offended they get especially when I point out that it's the exact way they treat me. It's such a weight lifted to let their vileness wash over me and stand up for myself, it's taken 9 years but I've done it! It's been a bizarre situation as I don't normally let anyone treat me badly but they literally drive me into the ground!

I badly need to get organised and seriously declutter, you cannot clean mess and I want a lovely, clean, organised home. We're currently having work done too (taking walls down, new kitchen etc) so it's the perfect time to do it.

Moved hundreds of miles to be closer to family - best decision ever, wish we'd done it years ago.

I try to express myself instead of suppressing my feelings and getting angry.

For me, living a boring life is the best for my mental and physical health. So, some of the 'boring' things I've been doing lately are:

-drinking lots of water, I carry a water bottle round with me (and don't care whether this looks a bit childish!)
-eat very regularly, so breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks so my blood sugar is stable
-wash my hands a lot, especially in winter, I get far fewer colds now
-get at least 7 hours sleep a night (most nights, no staying up watching films/reading til 2am)
-one cup of tea a day and no more caffeine, helps with sleep (see above), don't drink anyway
-take medications on time with a chart so I don't forget, same with vitamins

It sounds like a really dull life, but I find if all this is taken care of, I function a lot better. If I start missing meals, or forgetting to take my medicine, or not drinking enough in the day, I get headaches, feel worse mood-wise, am less resilient. It's the opposite of spontaneous in some ways but I don't care, I know what works for me and instability doesn't!

great thread!! definitely decluttering.

got counselling for some deep-seated issues, it helped when I thought nothing would.

Realise that rome isn't built in a day and focus on small progress, one step at a time, rather than being overwhelmed by the big picture.

Stopped bothering with my in-laws - they were horrible.
Stopped smoking ten years ago.
Only doing what I want to.
Downsizing my house and moving to central London - I love it.

Batch cooking wine: fish pie I would cook the parts and construct the pie but not bake it til I actually wanted to eat it. Same for pasta bakes and shepherds pie. Soup is easy to batch cook as well. Risotto and paella both freeze ok too as well as pasta sauces etc.

What I don't know is how you freeze a roast dinner?! I am keen to be enlightened!

I need to exercise more and clean and tidy more - I'm better at the last two now than I was but still never gonna win prizes!

I changed my not so DH 😤for a really lovely DH 💕

Getting a personal trainer, getting a cleaner. I spend less money on ‘things’ and more on a decent quality of life. Worth it to me.

Oh, and spray tans. A spray tan will change anyone’s life.

See now in my head I've got visions of having loads of plates in my freezer with roast dinner.
Meat, potatoes, veg, Yorkers, stuffing...Christmas game changer?
Imagine! What would you like? Beef, turkey, pork, lamb, gammon, veggie option? And pulling the appropriate plate out of the freezer!

Going vegan gave me more energy at 40 than I had at 20.

Listening to podcasts rather than mindless radio. Rich Roll is a favourite.

Going for long walks by myself. I thought I didn't have time, but I make the time twice a week before work and love it.

Saying no more often. I used to be awkward about this, but asked a friend who was good at it to teach me her ways. She did. Now I can do it too. Very freeing. Still working on the guilt-factor, but I'm getting there!

NOT having breakfast has changed my life. Well, slight exaggeration, but it has made a difference.

I attempt to fast for at least 16 hours. I find it really easy, I have lost a stone to get me down into the 9s for the first time ages (I am a smudge under 5'8), my blood pressure which was ok but higher than it had been, is really low again, my cholesterol has lowered as has my blood sugar and my resting heart rate has come down too.

sortingmyself 24 portions of lasagne? Sounds like heaven!
My life change should be to move into sorting's house.

Starting going to bed earlier...stopped staying awake late for 'alone" time then barely functioning the next day.

Joining a mindulness course. Amongst other things it help recognise my internal 'bitch' (as mentioned above). I am much kinder to myself most of the time and it makes a big difference.

Getting a dog. If all else fails hug the dog. She is my shadow! Makes me exercise / get fresh air.

I am mid declutter/ebaying but finding it hard going.

Would love to lose weight though.

Need

Walking away from an EA cheating xp, I feel like the old me is coming back and I'm feeling more confident each day. Also spending a year having CBT, I no longer beat myself up about things and think it helped with my ex too as it made me see that I deserved better.

My next goals are to get my house organised, do more exercise and live in the present.

Batch cooking not so much, but I do freeze leftovers, great to have something easy in the freezer.

Using a budgeting app, for the first time I know exactly how much money, where's it's going and what I've spent it on. I think it's saved me thousands over the year.

Oooo Emily how did you get organised? I love the idea of doing a bit at a time.... I always try to do too much at once and fail all of it

Money. I started off writing out debts, tjen income and outgoings and cleared all my debts off. Then started saving.

House. I did a romantic at a time. Got rid of things that I no longer likes or things I had bought but had no actual use for. Everything left now has a space. Clothes for example, I got rid of anything I hadn't worn in the past year. I was left with not many clothes but actually wore more as I was combining more items to get an outfit rather than the same clothes. All my shoes are in boxes (not individual. All sandals are in one box, trainers in one, high heels/wedges in another etc.

And when i do housework, I set the timer on my phone for 30 mins in each room. I do upstairs on a Monday and Downstairs on a Wednesday and a general tidy on a Saturday morning.

There's lots of other little things too, such as I buy birthday cards for the year in January, I keep lists of what I buy people for presents so I don't duplicate, try to meal plan.

And I find a weekly wipeable planner on the front of the fridge a godsend

Cutting out "fairweather" friends.

I now have two people (apart from dp) who I really consider friends, but they are two of the best people I have ever had the pleasure and the privilege to know. They are supportive, understanding, funny, kind, warm, generous, all of the things a really good friend should be.

There is so much less drama, and I know that when they invite me to spend time with them it's because they want my company, not to make up numbers or make them look good.

In fact now, after cutting out quite a few people in my life, almost everyone I know personally says 'i love you' to me, and I say it to them, and it's meant sincerely both ways.

My mental health has never been better. quel surprise