This is how October becomes the best month of the year
Wait a little longer before diving into your autumn depression, October could very well become your best month so far. The only thing you need to do is weave a few small habits into your daily routine. I tried it out and I must say: these things really work to give your life a positive boost. To see results, it is important to try changes for at least a month, and I can't think of a better time than the beginning of a new month to welcome the following five habits into your life.
Journaling
Were you also such a passionate diary writer back in the day? In my parental home, there are stacks of diaries where I tried to line up all the thoughts racing through my teenage brain. Somewhere in the journey to my adult existence, that habit faded away, but by picking it up again in the form of journaling, I suddenly have a lot more space in my head. Write down things you are grateful for, how your day went, what went well and what could have been better, and collect memories of the day at the bottom of each page. You will see that you learn to cherish your little moments of happiness and that you automatically attract more happy moments to yourself.
Daily affirmations
Okay, I don't mean staring deeply into your own eyes every morning while telling yourself how handsome and intelligent you are. Although: if that works for you, you should definitely keep doing it. I personally prefer listening to affirmations spoken by others and then repeating them in my head. I do this during my morning routine and it gives, besides a nice meditative moment, also a mega positive boost to your morning.
Make an ABC to-do list
Colleague Sophie from Italiamo gave me this amazing tip for those moments when your head is overflowing (which is always the case for me). Making an ABC to-do list gives you an overview of your day at a glance and makes you a lot more productive. Here's how it works: you make three lists that you label A, B, and C. On the A-list, you write down all the things that must be done today (think deadlines, groceries, walking the dog, etc.), on list B you write down things you would like to do but can wait a day (think laundry, calling your sister, or returning a package), and the C-list gets all the things that are fun ideas of yours but have absolutely no priority. For me, this always includes my wildest ideas of the day, like wanting to sign up for a painting course, wanting to make a three-course meal from scratch, or giving my house a makeover. Believe me: this works.
Manage your time wisely
How is it that we have 24 hours in a day and Beyoncé does too? I don't know about you, but I always seem to be chronically short on time. Recently, I discovered that this isn't actually true, but that I just don't know how to manage my time well. Instead of endlessly scrolling on TikTok or staying in bed longer, I now choose a different activity like writing, painting, or reading. This way, I suddenly have time for all sorts of new hobbies without having to give up anything else important. Win-win, if you ask me.
Focus only on things you have control over
Did you know that an emotion actually lasts only 90 seconds? All feelings that remain after that come from the way you deal with those emotions. A realistic timeframe to process emotions is about 15 minutes, after which it's time to pull yourself together. This gives me space to feel what I need to feel, but it also helps you focus on the things you do have control over. At first, this is very difficult to do, but eventually, it flips a switch in your mind that allows you to enjoy everything you do have.
Image: @haileybieber
