If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly aspiring to have your productive and have your shit together, but somehow it never really works out like that. You wake up for a full day of lectures, do all your jobs, congratulate yourself by going to the pub… and then spend the whole of the next day in bed wearing last nights make up.
You could try and desperately try to recreate the Pintrest pages you have pinned, but you would also need to take out a small mortgage to do so. So here’s 11 low maintenance ways for you to improve your lifestyle..
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Buy yourself some flowers at the market
Now that it’s spring, I’m obsessed with buying flowers and putting them in my room. They add a bit of colour to the dingy, cream, student-house walls, and they smell lush. My favourites are daffodils, and you can buy them at the market for about £1
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Put up some fairy lights
The first thing that I did when I moved in was put up my fairy lights. Primark sells metres and metres of them for dirt cheap, and they make your room look super cosy. They’re defo an investment – £12 of fairy lights has last me two years so far. There’s nothing like watching TV in bed and drinking Yorkshire Tea with your fairy lights on.
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Start walking places
I’m one of the laziest people going – with the metro at the end of my road the temptation to have half an hour extra in bed is just all too strong. However recently the weather has been getting better and better, and I’ve decided to seize this opportunity to try and walk into uni. And, surprise surprise, I actually feel so much better for it. The walk in wakes me up, cheers me up and I feel loads healthier. Plus, it’s helping me shift those few extra pounds that I still haven’t lost from Freshers’.
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Go to the market and buy some fresh veg
Back at it with the market. I’ve only just recently discovered it and I would SO recommend. I go with a plan of what I’m going to eat for the next couple of weeks, and normally end up buying it all for under £20. I feel better because I’ve spent less and I know that it’s good stuff.. still doesn’t stop me from buying a Tesco meal deal every so often though.
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Find something you love doing and do it
It took me an age to find what I really love to do and stick at it.. I enjoyed music, I enjoyed reading, I enjoyed sport… but doing a journalism degree and all the extra bits that come with it is perfect for me. There’s nothing better than wanting to do something ALL THE TIME. Try and test everything until you find the one for you, whether its cooking, playing an instrument or painting. EMBRACE IT.
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Make your bed
It may sound silly, but it does actually work. When I’m not in a mad rush to get out of the house, I always try to make my bed. It makes you feel like you’ve achieved something before you’ve even left the house and it feels so good to get home to a clean room.
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Take a social media break
I’m still working on this one. I’m addicted to my phone and every spare minute I have I find myself checking Facebook or Instagram. However recently I’ve tried to take half an hour out of my day (normally in the evening) to read my new Stacey Dooley book and listen to some music. It relaxes me, makes me feel so much better and just gives me a bit of space.
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Make lists
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something so relaxing about making lists. Sometimes I even add things on that I’ve already done, just so I can cross them off. Make one at the beginning of every day and wait for that massive sense of achievement when you complete them all. Then award yourself by going to the pub
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Get into a routine
I am the biggest fan of a lie in ever, and my housemates always take the piss out of me because it’s unusual for me to be up before midday. However this semester I have three 9ams in a row (normal for some, very abnormal for me). Last year I physically couldn’t get out of bed for them, but this year I have stepped up my game a bit. If you get into a routine of getting up in the morning and being productive, you get a real sense of achievement.
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Have a shower before you go to bed
For some people it may wake you up, but when I’m sleepy nothing relaxes me more. I can’t go to sleep if I feel dirty, so taking all my make up off and scrubbing my body with something that smells nice ensures that I get a 10/10 sleep.
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When you wake up, make a cup of coffee and drink it outside
Sounds odd, but this actually makes a difference. As soon as you wake up, before you have a shower or get ready, make yourself a cup of coffee and drink it outside. I like to sit on our back doorstep – the fresh air wakes me up and it gets me out of the house and into the quietness of the street. Also, if you’re lucky and get up early enough, you can see the sunrise.