15 simple ways to upgrade your day
written by Jasmine Irven
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved simplicity. I’m continuously intrigued with concepts like minimalism and hate clutter, I rarely wear colour, instead opting for a wardrobe full of muted neutral tones, and I’d much rather my self-care rituals and routines are ones I can stick to daily, rather than having a long list of complicated or multi-step practises that offer no flexibility.
I think that I’m largely intrigued by these concepts because I simply love and aspire to continually create feelings of comfort + ease in my life. When there’s too much going on in my life or too much to do, I can easily become overwhelmed.
These values have led to the creation of this blog, and general concepts I advocate for including slowing down, and finding simple ways to improve your health and wellness, rather than completely re-hauling your life. Simple changes have the ability to completely change your life, but do so in a way that is sustainable rather than overwhelming, and in a way that allows you to be intentional about the way(s) you’re changing.
And so, this blog is a compilation of a few simple ways you can begin to upgrade your life. Implement 1-2 of these, or brainstorm your own list, and note how you feel after you start creating these simple shifts!
set an intention
Intention setting is the practise of leaning into a feeling or value that you wish to cultivate more in your life. Maybe it’s love, compassion, focus, trust, curiosity, etc.
Whatever comes to mind, trust that it’s important. Then, begin to look at how you can put your energy towards those feelings throughout your day.
Check-in with your intuition daily and ask yourself: where do I want to put my energy today? Are there any areas of lack in my life currently? How can I nourish these more?
Then, at the end of the day, consider journaling or briefly reflecting on where your energy was spent that day, and if you cultivated the intention the way you envisioned (don’t look back with judgement and criticism if things didn’t go as planned, rather, look back with awareness and knowledge of how you can do more moving forward).
And just know, you may need to cultivate an intention beyond that specific day. Maybe the same feeling continues to come up day after day. Know that that’s completely normal and okay.
daily calendaring
While I’m all for flexibility, I also recognize the importance of setting specific goals and prioritizing tasks that will get you closer to your highest self.
We all have dreams, but if we aren’t taking daily intention action towards them, it’s unlikely they’ll really happen for us.
Spend some time getting clear on the goals that are most important to you, and then break these goals down into more tangible steps. Each day, try to take 1-3 steps or schedule in 1-3 tasks that will help you to make progress (however small it may seem) towards a couple of your most important goals.
Spending a few minutes each day, or at least each week reviewing your calendar can allow you to see where you’re spending your time and therefore allows for reflection, intentional adjustments + subsequent improvements.
add lemon to your water
We all know we need to stay hydrated throughout the day, but so often we don’t consume enough liquid! Adding a few wedges of lemon to your water can give you and your body a refreshing boost, no matter what time of day.
In addition to lemon being a great mid-day reset, there are lots of studies on the potential health benefits of adding lemon to your water, being a natural cleaner it might help to provide some natural flushing of toxins, and may even help to give us a boost of energy.
time to yourself
Give yourself time alone to just be. To reconnect with yourself in whatever way feels right. I absolutely love my me-time so for me most days this looks like my meditation practise, sipping my morning coffee while reading, and a walk + podcast later in the afternoon.
If you’re at a different stage in your life (i.e. have a family or kids), or are more extroverted, this may not be as feasible and/or comfortable for you, but I truly believe everyone can benefit from more time alone. Get comfortable just being with yourself, finding happiness within, and getting clear on the things that you love to do, without worrying about external influence.
create space
Creating space in this list means giving yourself breathing room throughout your day.
Instead of booking yourself back-to-back with appointments and to-dos, allow some buffer time. So often we put too much on our schedules, and then when life inevitably happens and things come up (we get sick, an appointment runs late, a last minute meeting is scheduled), we feel like we’re failing when we can’t keep up.
Instead, take into account that things will come up or that things will go wrong, or that other things will go longer than planned. Rather than curating a perfect schedule, curate one that allows for life.
And, if things all do go as planned, you have extra time to yourself, or extra time to check off things on tomorrow’s to-do list.
taking breaks to check in with yourself
How often do we go through our days without checking in with ourselves? Our days are often filled with stress, unnecessary consumption + subsequent comparison (thanks social media), endless to-do lists, and other people’s priorities.
It’s “normal” to get to the end of the day feeling exhausted, sore (likely thanks to sitting at a desk all day), and feeling like you didn’t accomplish anything, or at least anything significant.
Instead, set reminders in your phone reminding yourself to check-in: roll your shoulders back, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, drink some water, get up and move around, ask yourself “what is it I need at this moment?”
stretch
Stretching is an amazing way to connect with and increase awareness of your body, feel into any areas of tension and release them, help with any pain and/or injuries (as well as preventing new ones), and just overall helping you to feel good.
Take note of how you feel before and after this practise and you will be amazed at the differences!
I’ve loved implementing a stretching practise into my morning routine, but it can be also beneficial to do throughout the day if you’re often sitting at a desk, and/or before bed to unwind and relax into slumber.
develop a spiritual practise
Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, having a spiritual practise can be extremely beneficial in upgrading your day + life. Spirituality means connecting with a greater purpose, having faith in something bigger than yourself, and leaning into your intuition.
As such, it’s universal, and can be accessed in a variety of ways that reflect this idea of going inward and connecting to this source energy.
Meditate. Try breathwork. Journal. Go on a walk and connect with nature. Whatever allows you to tune into your intuition and tune out the external world.
shower
I’ve been using showers lately not only as a way to cleanse physically, but as a way to cleanse energetically. So, what I mean by that is if I’ve been feeling off, or had a long day I like to take a shower to shift this energy into something more positive.
Time spent in the shower is time you can spend really connecting with yourself and your thoughts and feelings without input or distraction from others, and with a little more intention you can upgrade this cleansing process just a little bit more: washing the stress from the day away, reflecting and reviewing the day with open awareness, and moving forward renewed and refreshed.
For an extra upgrade, try an essential oil shower.
reset with a hot drink
Whenever I’m feeling stuck or stagnant, I like to encourage myself to take a break and do something simple like preparing tea.
Often when we have too much to do or things aren’t going as planned, we force ourselves to keep pushing, keep trying, and get self critical, wondering why things aren’t flowing.
Really, it’s times like this that we need a pause most; recognizing the power of taking a break to be still, breathe - knowing it’s not about giving up it’s just about giving yourself that little recharge, or reset, and then coming back to whatever it is with renewed energy.
A simple way to do this is to make a cup of tea or coffee. This ritual symbolizes a break or pause, and creates a new energy or tone moving forward. I
also love that there are so many benefits from tea depending on where you need help: feeling bloated or gassy? Try lemon ginger tea. For a little extra focus or boost of caffeine try a green tea or matcha green tea. Need a mood boost? Peppermint tea might be helpful.
This is another opportunity throughout your day for you to look inward at what you need in the moment. To pause, reset, and move forward with more intention.
give a compliment
I’ve been taking a course by Yale about the Science of Well-being, and it’s quite clear the benefit of simple practises like giving a compliment.
Studies continue to prove the immense benefits of social connection on happiness levels, and show us that we should be seeking out more opportunities to do simple acts of kindness.
Research shows that even just thinking about acts of kindness we’ve done can help boost our happiness levels! So, smile, give a compliment, or strike up a conversation with a stranger.
10 minute tidy
Taking 10 minutes to do a quick tidy or some decluttering is a simple way to transform your energetic space and improve your mood.
Be honest with yourself when going through items: does this item serve me and my space? Does it serve a purpose or make me happy? If you could go back, would this item be something you would buy again?
Clean your space not only to rid yourself of things that no longer serve you, but to make space and time for the things that do.
light a candle
Candles are a simple way to bring more light and warmth to your space. They are helpful for setting the mood and intention of the day or evening, and the scent can help evoke a certain feeling, allowing you to upgrade your space a little bit more.
Not just any candle will do though! Ensure the candle is sustainably sourced and is made from natural ingredients to avoid toxins entering the air as you burn it.
listen to music
Just listening to music you love and music that makes you happy is an incredible way to reduce stress and let go; especially if it’s music you can let yourself sing and dance to!
Give yourself a few minutes to sway or sing along to your favourite music, and use this time as a way to raise your vibration.
use lavender essential oil to relax at night
After a long day I need a space that brings me back down to earth and helps me unwind. Having a signature scent I associate with feelings of warmth + relaxation makes it so whenever I smell it I immediately feel at peace + at home.
Using essential oils like lavender which is known for its relaxing and calming effects either in a DIY pillow or room spray, or in a diffuser is an amazing way to naturally induce sleep, which is so important for our health, wellness, rejuvenation and energy levels the next day.
final thoughts
Though these may require a small amount of effort up front, my hope is that by implementing some of these practises you’re able to feel better, get more done, have more energy, be more intentional, and ultimately are able to experience more ease in your life.
What are your favourite ways to upgrade your day? Share them below so we can all be inspired.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
