Five Simple Things You Can Do to Have a Better Day

Let's face it. Sometimes we find ourselves in a full-blown "everything sucks" funk.

We get moody, short-tempered, and vaguely irritated by everything. We have overblown reactions to minor frustrations. We snap at people who don't deserve it, lay on the horn in traffic, or eat something "comforting" that we immediately regret. And the funk lingers — sometimes for hours, sometimes days, sometimes much longer.

Beyond just feeling bad, staying in a negative state actually has real consequences for your health. Chronic negativity triggers chronic stress, which disrupts your hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals responsible for happiness, and suppresses your immune system. It makes you less resilient when real challenges hit — because a persistently negative mind is easier to break down.

And here's the thing about negativity that I find most poignant: it turns us inward. We stop noticing what's around us. The beauty that exists in ordinary moments — the light through a window, the smell of coffee, a stranger's smile — becomes invisible. We miss so much when we're lost in a bad mood.

The good news? You don't need a major life overhaul to start shifting this. You just need a few small habits.

Here are five things I encourage my clients — and myself — to do regularly:

1. Be kind to someone. It is part of the human spirit to feel good when we help others. Volunteer, mentor, give blood, walk dogs at your local shelter, bring someone a meal. Or simply hold a door, offer a genuine compliment, or really listen to someone who needs to be heard. Offering love to people and animals who need it has a way of filling you back up too.

2. Practice gratitude — starting in the shower. There is always something to be grateful for, even when it's hard to see. Here's a small practice: tomorrow morning in the shower, notice it. Notice that you can adjust the temperature to exactly how you like it. Notice the smell of your shampoo, the warmth of the water, the clean fluffy towel waiting for you. Whisper "thank you" for that. So many people don't get any of it. Starting your day with that awareness — even for thirty seconds — changes something.

3. Say something nice to yourself. I get out of the shower and look in the mirror and tell myself I look great. Sometimes I make myself laugh doing it. But I do it — and it works. The most important words you will ever hear are the ones you say to yourself. Be generous with them.

4. Breathe — actually breathe. Here's something I tell my clients who want to quit smoking: the reason cigarettes feel relaxing isn't the nicotine. It's because smoking is the only time most people take a real deep breath all day. You can have that relaxation response anytime, without the cigarette. Inhale slowly and think peace. Exhale slowly and think release. Do it three times. Notice what shifts.

5. Focus on what matters — and let the small stuff go. What you focus on grows. If you want to feel better, redirect your attention toward what you do well, the people who love you, the beauty that's quietly present around you all the time. Look for something beautiful every chance you get. It sounds simple because it is — and it works.