When setting goals and ambitions in life, people often focus on material things like getting a high-paying job, buying a car, owning a house and lot, or purchasing luxury furniture and apparel. Although it’s not wrong to want these things, some of you mistakenly think that having them alone will help improve your life. But the thing is, the quality of your life is not measured by how many possessions or property you own.
As defined by American Psychological Association, quality of life means the extent to which a person gets satisfaction in life. Enhancing the quality of your life is more than getting all your material needs. Instead, it also includes improving your physical well-being, emotional and mental wellness, cultivating better interpersonal relationships, exercising your rights, and participating in your community.
Paying attention to these factors can improve your quality of life, leading to better health outcomes, relationships, happiness, and overall life satisfaction. However, achieving a good quality of life isn’t an established concept. Just as everyone defines success differently, improving quality of life can be done differently for each person depending on their needs or priorities.
How Can You Improve Your Quality Of Life?
But whatever your particular needs and priorities are, if you’re here in this article, you’re probably looking for ways to enhance the quality of your life. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to achieve that. Remember, regardless of what kind of life you envision, the important part is that you enjoy living it every single day.
To help you begin and achieve your ideal life, here are a few ways you can significantly improve the quality of your life.
1. Seek Help for Your Mental Health Issues
Improving your quality of life should start from within. It’s hard to enjoy or appreciate the things you have when you’re struggling mentally, emotionally, or psychologically. So, if you think you’re constantly feeling stressed, anxious, or frustrated in your day-to-day life, perhaps it’s ideal to seek professional help. Therapy centers like https://jacksonhousecares.com/about-us/locations/santa-paula/ or other mental health facilities can help address all your mental health needs.
Remember, therapy isn’t only for people with depression or other mental health disorders. Therapy can also provide a safe environment to discuss your mental or emotional struggles. Your therapist will help you identify any factors that keep you stuck and hinder you from improving your life.
At the same time, they’ll structure a unique treatment plan to improve your quality of life and promote better mental health. Once you’ve chosen your mental health facility, you can discuss your preferred therapy setup with your therapist, whether you want individual counseling or group therapy sessions.
2. Learn To Smile Even When Struggling
When dealing with problems and stressful situations, the last thing you probably want to do is smile. But did you know that choosing to smile in the middle of all the negatives can significantly change how you feel? A study suggests that smiling can send a strong impulse to your brain, urging it to release neuropeptides (hormones that fight off stress) and alter your neurochemistry. It means that even if you fake or force a smile, you can reduce your stress levels and boost your mood.
So, the next time you’re in a negative or stressful situation in life, learn to smile and let its magic turn your bad day into a positive one. When this becomes a habit, you’ll soon find it easier and more manageable to welcome all the challenges life throws at you.
3. Practice Gratitude And Gratefulness
Some people get so caught up with what they’re missing in their lives that they forget to be grateful for everything they already have. A lack of gratitude can adversely affect your life and mindset. You’ll spend all your mental energy overthinking about the things you don’t have and possibly feeling envy of people who have what you want to have.
To practice or train yourself to be more grateful, start by enumerating 3 to 5 things you’re thankful for each day. Do this in the mornings after waking up, and you can write them down. You can create a gratitude journal and put it on your bedside so it’s the first thing you do instead of scrolling through your phone.
Then, you can write down things like food, a stable job, a house, or anything you’re happy to have. Over time, when this becomes habitual, you’ll soon notice how much easier it is to see the best things in life and realize how amazing and blessed your life is.
4. Find Meaning in Your Work
Too often, many people’s leading causes of stress are their jobs. Perhaps you’re dealing with overloaded piles of work or your boss constantly asks you to work overtime. Unfortunately, when you let the stress of your job overcome you, it can lead to burnout and, eventually, affect your attitude toward your work. You also might soon become resentful or ungrateful of your job, boss, or colleagues, affecting your morale, productivity levels, and overall quality of life.
So, allow yourself to go back or reminisce about the days you wanted your current job so badly. Now that you’re blessed to have the job you dreamed of having, it’s time to dig deeper and find meaning in your work. For instance, if your workplace feels uninspiring, touch it up with some plants, potted flowers, or family pictures to make your work environment more positive.
Furthermore, instead of stressing about your job responsibilities, divert your attention to your boss or colleagues and promote workplace positivity. For example, have positive conversations with your co-workers during lunch breaks about topics outside of work. You can also find meaning in your job by helping your co-workers excel in their jobs. Most importantly, don’t forget to recognize and celebrate your professional improvements.
On the other hand, if the job itself doesn’t give you happiness anymore, consider changing your career. Find a job that aligns with your current skills or professional goals. Working for a job you’re deeply passionate about will make working and living your life more enjoyable and meaningful.
5. Strive To Learn Something New
If you can, strive to learn something new and allow yourself to grow. Acquiring new knowledge or skills can give you a sense of accomplishment or pride in yourself. Furthermore, it is also believed that learning something new can make a person happier as it helps build confidence and self-efficacy.
So, sign up for some online classes about a foreign language you’ve longed to learn for a long time. Or, if you’ve always wanted to play a particular instrument, go online, watch video tutorials, and learn to play it. If you’re into history and the prominent people in the past, read some books or browse online. Learning new things can make you a well-rounded, well-informed, and happier individual.
6. Keep Moving
When it comes to physical health, some of you would automatically assume it’s solely about maintaining a healthy diet or exercising. Although partially true, those are just some aspects of a healthy and active lifestyle. When you say living a healthy and active lifestyle, it means you choose to keep moving and incorporating movements regardless of what you’re doing.
For example, when choosing between the elevator and the stairs, choose the stairs and allow yourself to get some free exercise from them. When grabbing your daily cup of coffee, you can walk or bike to the coffee shop instead of driving. If you’re working in an office, do some stretches every hour or find a reason to walk around the office to avoid being seated for long periods. These small choices to keep yourself moving can help promote your physical health, leading to better moods and quality of life.
7. Get Enough Rest
It’s essential to let your mind and body have enough time to rest and recharge. A restful and high-quality sleep every night plays a crucial role in achieving a healthy and happy quality of life. According to research, getting adequate sleep can improve your mood, health, and brain performance and help you live longer and happier.
If you have some unfinished tasks at work, sleep early so you can wake up early and continue them the next day. If you’re struggling to get some sleep, build a bedtime routine to make sleeping easier and faster. Additionally, make some effort to improve your bedroom and make it more sleep-conducive.
8. Transform And Organize Your House
Generally, you spend a lot of time in your house. It’s where you reunite with your family after being away for a while for your errands and other commitments. It’s also where you relax and unwind after a long work day. However, it’s hard to relax or even enjoy staying at home when your house is cluttered. Remember, a cluttered living space can equal a cluttered mind and life.
As much as possible, make time to declutter and organize your house. Transforming your home can make a massive difference to your quality of life. Don’t worry; a house transformation doesn’t necessarily mean costly renovations. Even something as simple as getting rid of clutter, vacuuming the carpets, and switching your pillowcases or bed sheets can make your house a comfortable and warm place to live in.
You can also open the windows more often to let the natural light seep in and add more positive energy to your home. Most importantly, teach everyone in the household to adapt to healthy cleaning habits like making the bed every morning, washing the dishes after every meal, or taking out the trash every evening. When everyone’s helping keep the house organized and clean, everyone can also enjoy a tidy and more organized quality of life.
9. Cultivate And Nurture Healthy Relationships
Your relationships can significantly affect your mental health and overall quality of life. Spending time maintaining healthy relationships with the right people can improve your psychological well-being and increase happiness or life satisfaction. Meanwhile, maintaining relationships with the wrong people can create a toxic environment for you, leading to stress and more conflict. For example, hanging out with your ‘so-called’ friends who love to gossip can negatively impact your mind and life.
So, if you feel that some people are not doing any good in your life, disconnect from unhealthy relationships with them. Then, redirect your energy to the right people in your life and focus on maintaining and nurturing healthy relationships with them. Surrounding yourself with people that help you grow and succeed is what you need to improve the quality of your life.
10. Make Time For Your Hobbies Or Leisure
Your life isn’t supposed to be spent on your job alone. It’s also best to make time for leisure or to do your hobbies. You’re only doing yourself a huge disservice when you don’t give yourself a chance to unwind and have some fun.
According to research, leisure activities can provide opportunities to meet your needs and life values. Making time for leisure can promote positive emotions and help you acquire more knowledge or skills, eventually improving your quality of life. So, instead of using your extra time to scroll through your phone, you may use it to do something more productive, such as your leisurely hobbies. Allow yourself to indulge in pleasurable activities and watch your mood and productivity levels improve.
11. Spend Time With Nature
Sometimes, you become so busy with your mundane tasks and responsibilities that it’s easy to forget and disconnect from the natural world. Thus, few people realize the benefits of being frequently in touch with nature. So, if you’ve been feeling disconnected from yourself lately and you’re feeling a poor quality of life, try to step outdoors and spend time with nature. Visit the nearest park, take off your shoes, and feel the green grass under your feet.
During your day off, you can take a hike in the woods and look for the most breathtaking scenery you can find there. Immersing yourself in nature can benefit both your physical and mental well-being. It can boost your moods, alleviate stress, and give you a relaxing break from the modern world.
12. Find Ways To Help Others
Improving your quality of life isn’t always about working on yourself. Doing things for others can also help improve your outlook on life. Thus, if you have the opportunity to help others, you may do so. For example, you can declutter your house and donate all your excess items to charity. Or, if you have spare time, use it to volunteer for any cause that matters to you.
Regardless of how big or small you help others, do it. Helping others will not only make you feel good, but it will also promote a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose, leading to a better quality of life.
Takeaway Message
Improving your quality of life is a lifetime, ongoing process. It doesn’t happen overnight and requires you to do things that help you develop the discipline to achieve that goal. Fortunately, these things are very feasible and only need your willingness to adopt them into your lifestyle. Now that you know a few ways to do it, it’s time to put them into practice to create the best life for you.
