7 Small Changes To Try This Week

One step at a time.

Tim Lane/ BuzzFeed

1. If you have 3 minutes: Make your bed

Becky Barnicoat / BuzzFeed

Just do it. Even if you get right back in afterwards.

2. If you have 5 minutes: Read this piece about anxiety.

Maggy van Eijk

In this piece, 14 people with anxiety reveal what they were feeling behind the scenes:

"Often anxiety is illustrated by a grey-lit portrait of someone clutching their head in their hands or biting away at their fingernails with a nervous look on their face. In reality, a lot of people with an anxiety disorder look perfectly natural on the outside while dealing with their symptoms."

3. If you have 10 minutes: Dress like you mean it.

Instagram: @lifeofyablon

Whenever I'm down, or feeling unsure of myself, I dress like the best version of me. Lipstick, a giant silk shirt, tight jeans and high heeled boots. Sometimes faking it on the outside helps you feel a little better on the inside.

4. If you have 15 minutes: Solve a small problem.

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This week, while trying to figure out the solution to a larger problem (anxiety about an upcoming party I'm hosting, my life is very exciting) I solved a small one instead. My outside bins were driving me mad (they are so big and block the windows), so I moved some wood to create a little bin hutch (I told you, my life is very exciting). It was so satisfying to solve one small problem that the solution to the bigger one came to me shortly after.

5. If you have 20 minutes: Have a bath.

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I'm not usually the biggest fan of baths, but in this cold and frosty weather there's nothing better. Especially if you have an audiobook (there are loads of free ones on Spotify and Youtube), a bath pillow (you can just roll up a towel) and a candle of course.

If you've got the money, the upgraded version of this is the "Tales of Bath" at the Lush spa. I had a press preview of the treatment a while ago and it was legit magical. You get a custom bath bomb, your own private candle-lit bath and TWO types of massage. It's available in London, Liverpool, Leeds, Poole, Edinburgh and Bath at the moment.

6. If you have 30 minutes: Try a new hobby.

Sophie Gadd

"A few months ago I read a book called A Year Of Living Danishly, which talks about why Danes are the happiest people on earth. One chapter explains that the average Dane is a member of 2.8 clubs, and how this helps people feel happier with their lives.

"When I read this I realised I hadn't done anything remotely hobbylike since school, or learned how to do anything new that wasn't directly related to my career. I always loved Design Technology , so I found a very cheap woodworking class at my local college, and managed to persuade my girlfriend to join me.

"At first I wasn't very good, the tools were unfamiliar and heavy and I felt like I couldn't remember how to do anything. But that was ok. Over the next few sessions I got better, I started remembering which chisel was for which task and my little projects began to take shape. It really did make me happy, and every week we looked forward to going to class together, and talked excitedly about what we were working on. I really enjoyed the feeling of spending a couple of hours totally absorbed in solving problems, not looking at a screen or thinking about the other stresses of life. After 10 weeks I am now the proud owner of a spice rack and an (almost finished) little box which I made myself. Next term I think we're going to try pottery!" – Sophie Gadd

7. If you have 30 seconds: Read this tweet.

Lindsay Martin @lindsaymartin15

My mom just RUINED my dog and she literally said "he wanted to keep it long on the top" I am devastated

07:59 PM - 19 Nov 2016

This is a weekly series! Got a self-care tip you'd like to suggest? Let me know in the comments or tweet me