7 Tiny Changes To Try This Week

    One step at a time.

    Ailbhe Malone
    by Ailbhe Malone

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    Rebecca Hendin / Thinkstock / BuzzFeed

    1. Upgrade your shower to make your mornings better.

    Maritsa Patrinos/ BuzzFeed

    I really dislike getting up in the mornings, so I trick myself into getting out of bed with the promise of a ~ fancy ~ shower. Here's what I like to use:

    Lush's shower smoothies are really nice, £5. And shower oil from L'Occitane is good for sensitive skin, £18. I also love this Aromatherapy Associates one which is admittedly expensive, but it lasts for ages. You can buy a smaller version here for £8.

    If you're not into smellies, splash out and play your tunes with a bluetooth shower speaker, £10.

    And if you've got cash to spare, here are 27 Ways To Up Your Shower Game.

    2. Claim back half an hour for yourself each day.

    Flo Perry / BuzzFeed UK

    "I have made a little change to my day which has massively improved my happiness. I leave for work half an hour earlier, and get off the tube a stop before mine. The walk between the station and the office, which takes about 20 minutes, has been totally transformative. I get a chance to stretch my legs, breathe in some fresh-ish air (this is central London after all). I try not to rush, and just take my time.

    "Being a kind of Disney-character trapped in dystopian urban London, the walk also gives me a chance to indulge in things I enjoy like marvelling at the wonder of trees (srsly, London has some really majestic plane trees), listening to the few remaining birds in the city, and occasionally enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face.

    "I'm not good at weaving exercise into my working day, so this is a way for me to get some steps in and hopefully reverse some of the hideous side-effects of my sedentary desk-bound lifestyle.

    "ALSO one of the things that contributes most to my stress and misery is being late. Before I shook-up my commute, I was at the mercy of the trains, often 15 minutes late for work because a tube was stuck in a tunnel. There is nothing like half-jogging on morning-stiff legs, with your rucksack bashing into your sides, sweating profusely, and panicking that you are going to be bollocked at work, for totally ruining a day. With half an hour extra to play with, I'm always on time, and feel so calmer as a result. – Becky Barnicoat

    3. And take control of your own time.

    Zoe Burnett / BuzzFeed

    "I'm a tidsoptimist: someone who is always optimistic about how much time I have to prepare for something or get somewhere so I underestimate and I'm often late.

    "Whatever the minimum time to do a task or make a journey is, I always assume that's how long it will take and don't factor in the possibility of unexpected events or setbacks. I'm also quite good at losing track of time - staying in the shower too long, which then doesn't give me enough time to get ready before I have to leave the house, that sort of thing. It was adding to my stress levels loads as I actually really hate being late, and never mean to be!

    "To help, I've started planning journeys in advance and now always look up the time it'll take to get to a destination on google, I then set loads of alarms on my phone the night before: one for when I need to get up, one for when I need to get into the shower, another for when I have to be out out of the shower (I take my phone out of the bathroom and put it by the sink), one for when I really need to be finished drying my hair etc. another one five minutes before I have to leave, and finally a deadline alarm for when I have to be out of the door.

    "It doesn't take as long as you'd think and it's definitely helped a lot. There's also an app called Right On Time I've used to practice my punctuality, I enter all the tasks I have to do on any given day and I get awards and achievements if I do them at the right time. – Hilary Mitchell

    4. Try to perfect the recipe for your favourite meal.

    Lauren Zaser/ BuzzFeed

    Make like The Guardian's Felicity Cloake and figure out the best way to make your dream dish.

    Or if you're not a cook, perfect your order from your favourite take-away place. Even if your favourite meal is Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, why not figure out which bowl offers the perfect milk to crunch ratio? Spend time adding to your enjoyment of the meal, what ever it is.

    5. Find a new podcast, or listen to an audiobook.

    Rebecca Hendin / BuzzFeed

    If you're feeling down about the fact that you never seem to have time to read, then try out an audiobook, says Laura Silver.

    "I listen to audiobooks when I'm walking around or on the tube (good for if you're too tired for actual reading) and so I'm getting through double the amount of books I usually would and learning about stuff during dead time.

    "Sometimes you're too tired to read and a podcast has the same kind of unwinding, focussing effect while you sit and drink a cup of herbal tea or something in bed. I recommend the Bon Appetit podcast with a cup of Pukka nighttime tea."

    Here are some good places to start:

    22 Podcasts That You Should Be Subscribing To In 2016

    14 British Podcasts You Need To Start Listening To

    6. Try a new sporting activity.

    7. Read these wise words.

    Ruby Tandoh @rubytandoh

    all food is real food pleasure isn't guilty you can't 'eat clean' health isn't virtue sugar isn't evil you are not what you eat 🍦🍎🍔🍕🍉🍗🍒🍟🍳🍍🍫🍪

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