1 day Ago By BuzzFeed
Life can become really difficult when we're not feeling our best. Yet sometimes, we don't really know how to make our lives better. So when Reddit user CookieNegative9860 asked : "What improved your quality of life so much, you wish you did it sooner?" over seven thousand people shared their habits and tricks, so I thought it would be helpful to share what they said below.
1. "In my early twenties, I learned it was okay to say 'I don't know' instead of pretending I knew what someone was talking about. People are excited to share what they know.
It's such a simple thing that led to a lot of professional and social growth for me." — spintiff "The other best thing to learn is to not shame someone for not knowing something and being willing to teach them. The narcissistic trend in workplaces these days is to hoard information so that you can be seen as the smartest person in the room while everyone is trying to keep up.
" — WaterlooMall 2. "Quitting that toxic job." — businessperson10 "Former teacher here.
I didn’t realize what clinical burnout looked like until I quit teaching and looked in the mirror. I feel like I left such a purposeful profession as a life-saving measure. Not taking care of yourself for a job isn’t worth it.
I’m happier now. I miss the kids." — Brookefemale 3.
"I am a software developer, so I spend over eight hours a day looking at a screen. I started having severe 'tiredness/depression,' and this lasted a couple of years. No matter how much sleep I got, it didn't help.
I became irritable and eventually started having headaches. I thought it was sinus headaches because it felt similar. Then I had severe migraines.
I went to the doctor and everything came back normal. Eventually, I found out that it could be eye strain. I started resting my eyes every 30 minutes, focusing on something around 20 feet away.
If I am using my phone, I use it at a reasonable distance away. A few days later, all of my symptoms disappeared." — Plenty-Telephone7152 "This comment needs more upvotes.
I'm a software engineering student, and I had massive problems with headaches from studying, and taking 30-second breaks every 20 minutes completely fixed it. I use a Chrome extension now to remind me because I forget otherwise. It really has been life-changing.
" — Hopeful_Nectarine_27 "Please share that Chrome extension name." — Hot-Helicopter640 " eyeCare — Protect your vision." — Hopeful_Nectarine_27 4.
"Being intentional about where my mind is going and whether it's constructive or not." — ajaec1 "Can you expand a bit on this? I feel like I dwell on negative thoughts too much and just don't know how to redirect." — Ok-Procedure807 "What's helped me when I catch myself doing this is to turn whatever I'm negative about into a thankfulness exercise.
Eg: 'Goddamn traffic, does no one know how to drive?' To 'I'm not in a rush, and it's a beautiful day. I'm thankful this person is not turning right after stopping at a red light when they can and should for slowing me down and letting me appreciate the sun.' Not always easy, and I don't always succeed.
It's practice, though, and I'm getting better at it. It helps adjust my perspective to something that at least feels less shitty." — Cool-Bodybuilder7966 5.
"Blackout curtains." — Fancy-Jellyfish-1787 "I was shocked when I found out these were a regular thing for some of the Europeans. These just come with the house for them.
" — CoolGuyBabz 6. "Understanding that working with someone smarter than you is a privilege and an opportunity to learn and hone your own skills, not a threat." — Stunning-Calendar-10 "If you’re the smartest person in the room, you want to spend some time in other rooms.
" — SenseiRaheem 7. "Moving out of my hometown. I never felt like where I was from was home.
I was never comfortable. Kept hitting hurdles trying to come up and be better. But once I left, my entire life trajectory changed for the better.
" — Big-Intention8500 8. "Replacing my Amazon Basics office chair with something that actually offers lumbar support." — searchatlas-fidan Related: If Your Poop Looks Like This, It's Time To See A Doctor 9.
"Quit smoking." — AdHeavy2829 "I just realized that I think this summer will mark 10 years for me to. Had my first and only panic attack and couldn't breathe, didn't know what it was, drove myself to the hospital, but smoked a cigarette on the way.
I realized during that cigarette the absurdity of what I was doing. That, combined with knowing how horrible the feeling is to not be able to breathe, was enough to get me to quit. Started running that week, and running is probably what helped me most to stay quit.
The times I have been tempted, I always think about how I won't be able to run well, and it has been enough to resist." — PathOfTheAncients 10. "It sounds cliche, but diet and exercise.
Doesn’t have to even be extreme. Just eat more fruits and vegetables and try to do something active every day." — Any_Mud8881 11.
"Buying a dishwasher...
I don't know a single person who enjoys doing dishes, but I had no clue just how much I would enjoy having one. Takes ~ five minutes of my time to load the thing, and it does the dishes for me, while I watch TV/game lol." — Active-Piano-5858 "I can so relate to this! I spent the last six years washing dishes by hand.
This year, I moved into an apartment with a dishwasher — it gave me a real appreciation for this little appliance that I took for granted in my misspent youth!" — PoppyHamentaschen 12. "Taking vitamin D every day. Literally changed my life.
" — Maximum_Structure860 "For anyone considering this, it’s not an overnight thing. It took a solid three months for me to even notice a difference, and it wasn’t a 'Oh, wow, I feel great.' It was waking up one morning and just being able to get out of bed without thinking about it, having just a little better sleep without trying, having just a little more energy that gave me the strength to do the other things that made me feel better, and one day, I just noticed I felt so much better.
It went from being under a wet, heavy blanket to just a heavy blanket to just a blanket. If you also start taking fish oil or an omega 3 pill, PSA, it can mess with your dreams, gave me nightmares at first, and I had to switch to taking it in the morning." — ontheroadtv "This absolutely.
It took time, but I went from thinking I had narcolepsy to one day realizing I could make it through a day without taking a nap." — Maximum_Structure860 Related: 19 Wholesome Posts I Found On The Internet This Week That Are So Urgently Needed Right Now 13. "Bidet.
I'm honestly annoyed that I lived this long without one." — Volasko "Yep! So disappointing. I went 40 years without it.
I recently spent a week out of town for work and missed it 'sorely.'" — Snibbitz 14. "Breaking up with my ex.
.. I wish I did it back in 2023.
" — AetherEcho_01 "I stayed with my ex for nearly four years, but I saw the first red flag about three months in. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had loved myself enough to leave right then." — lady_stardust_ 15.
"Not drinking alcohol. Stopped at 44, should have stopped at 24..
." — BadToTheTrombone 16. "Getting diagnosed and medicated.
Sometimes you can't just bootstrap yourself into a happy, productive person." — pineapple_juice_love "Yep. I suffered for sooo much longer than I needed to because I kept thinking, 'I'll feel better if I just.
.. exercise more.
.. eat better.
.. take this supplement.
.. take that vitamin.
.. get more sleep.
.. read this self-help book,' and on and on.
If I had just filled in that blank with 'get into therapy and get onto an appropriate medication,' I could have saved myself so many dark days." — Groundbreaking_Bad 17. "Got into mushroom cultivation; these oysters and champignons really make me a lot happier about life in general.
" — Troubled_Rat 18. "I didn’t delete my accounts, but I removed social media apps from my phone, and I started to ignore most political 'news.' I’m so much happier and productive.
" — Steady_Hand907 "I do a regular social media and news detox. It’s definitely better for your mental health." — sniksniksnek 19.
"When my kid comes home from school, I put my phone in a drawer and do not touch it again until he is asleep in bed." — Salt-Lab-6067 20. "High water pressure.
" — taytorbug1010 "I went into a rental viewing and even asked to test the shower pressure out to see the water pressure because the last place I lived in was so weak, and the bathroom was huge with no heater, so it was torture having showers in the winter. I felt odd asking, but the landlord completely understood." — Training-Spray-9123 21.
"I stopped being scared of failing at my hobbies or finding the learning process too difficult. I just say 'fuck it' and jump in. It’s art at the end of the day, so however it turns out is how it turns out.
I dreamed for years of experimenting with making music, but was always intimidated by expensive setups and a tedious learning process. About a year ago, I slowly started teaching myself modular synthesis, and when I’m creating, I feel so free and happy." — LkPlcd 22.
"Quitting pot, I realized it made me be okay with being mediocre and not taking much action; it’s a dopamine game throughout, trying to chase one high after the other. Not only that, I realized the effect it had on my mood, energy levels, and sleep. I noticed a day and night difference after I stopped using it.
The 'cons' may seem small but thats the fucked up part, because they’re so small you don’t think of them much, but overtime in the long run it builds up to some hefty damage without you realizing it. I’m still someone who smokes occasionally, but making it an everyday habit is a no-go for me at this point." — Accomplished-Fig3462 23.
"Learning how to cook like a chef. I went to a community college culinary program, and it was hands down the most useful investment of my time. I won't work in restaurants, not my cup of tea, but being able to think and cook like a chef has been a very net positive skill.
" — rings1674 24. "Working on my gut health." — HumorPsychological60 "For real.
A few years ago, I developed a really awful 'problem' in the escape hatch, and after trying everything to fix it (laxatives, creams, etc.), I started drinking kombucha. The 'problem' began to get better immediately.
But it wasn’t just that issue that got better; it was everything digestive-related, which, of course, makes your entire outlook on life better. Now, I make sure to have some kind of active probiotic every day. It’s really amazing.
" — sniksniksnek 25. "Volunteering: meet people with the same interests and values as you, be in the community making it better, feel good about yourself, learn new skills for free. Honestly, there is no downside.
Everyone should do it, especially if you're bored, lonely, or having any sort of existential dread." — lindsayturtle Now, we want to hear from you: tell us what has greatly improved your quality of life in the anonymous Google form or the comments below. Also in Goodful: 19 Wholesome Posts I Saw This Week That Were So Cute, They Legitimately Put Me In A Happier Mood Also in Goodful: "It's Killing Them": Doctors, Nurses, And Medical Professionals Are Sharing The "Harmless" Habits That, Well, Aren't So Harmless.
