A Change Would Do You Good

Ten Tips For A Fresh Start 




All of us go through a point in time where all we really need is to start over. It varies from moving to a city where no one knows your name to getting a haircut. No matter where you are on the spectrum we have all been there. You are not alone! Sometimes the hardest thing about starting over is actually starting. Where do you begin? How soon will you feel different? Here are some tips on where to start and things that can lead you to the new beginning you are looking for.

1. Hair cut/color: The first things I always want to do when I need a change is to go to my nearest hair salon and cut my hair. This has always been a pattern in my life. You can track many of the major changes I've gone through by seeing when I changed my hair. Sometimes its because I just broke up with someone and needed to cleanse myself of the bad energy that was there in the end. Other times I just needed to make a personal change, to be seen and to see myself differently. The quickest way to do that is with a physical change so its visible. I will admit that there have been times I regretted my decision to cut my hair but whether I got bangs, cut off eight inches, or went blond I achieved what I was aiming to. I changed.

2. New wardrobe: This is another thing you can change physically that will help you feel different on the inside as well. A new wardrobe can be life changing, it gives you control over how others perceive you in a world that you don't have much control over. If changing your style seems like a scary or daunting task, and you are baffled on where to start, then I would recommend choosing a celebrity or a person in your life whose style inspires you. I am not recommending just completely stealing the way someone dresses, after all that isn't reinventing yourself, that’s just being someone else. You have to make it your own look. Just take pieces or elements of a look you admire and go from there.

3. Spring clean: A great way to feel like you have a clean slate is to actually clean the environment around you. Go through all of your clothes and things. Donate the items you haven't used in the last two months, the odds are you aren't going to ever use them if you haven't used them in that time anyways. Actually clean as well. Sweep, mop, dust, and vacuum. Clean the restroom. The kitchen. Make everything around you spotless and organized and you will suddenly have cleared your mind, so you can start fresh. You won't have to worry about all the chores you should be doing while you are out at the park with your dog. Instead, you can be in the moment.

4. Wake up early: Start your day. Don't sleep until two because you can and then feel groggy because you slept too much. Find a routine, a schedule where you go to bed (instead of watching Netflix all night) so that you can get up in the morning. It doesn't have to be at 6 in the morning but 8 or 9 is early enough that you can still buy breakfast at What-A-Burger after you've taken the full amount of time you need to start the day, ya know? It's always a bummer when you wake up and all you want is a honey butter chicken biscuit and you look at the clock and its 1045. Breakfast stops being served at 11 and there is no way you're going to make it. Get up at an hour where if you wanted breakfast out, you could get it! Waking up early, having time for some coffee, a bit of TV or reading and being able to take your time while you get ready will do wonders for your day. Not having to be rushed makes your day start on a positive note and be much more relaxed.

5. Vacation: This doesn't have to be a big to-do or anything; it could be as simple as going to visit a family member over the weekend. Just get yourself out of your everyday environment and routine, shake things up! This will get your mind off of the things you don’t want to take with you on your journey to a new you. Plus you can just relax and feel rejuvenated when you return.

6. Do something good for others: Volunteer your time. There is nothing that can make you feel happier, if you're down, than making someone else feel good. Give a little, or give a lot and you'll be amazed at how good it can make your day. Seeing someone else smile because you were willing to take the time to help him or her is an amazing gift to give.

7. Evaluate who should be in your life: You know that friend everyone has? That toxic one that just pulls and pulls and pulls your positive energy out of you and gives nothing back? We all have them and for an unknown reason most of us are willing to love them more than we love ourselves. These are the people we should be taking out of our life and instead most of us cater to them. You should always be surrounded by as much love and support as you put out there. And you don't want to be putting the negative energy that this friend makes you have into the world. There is already enough coming from them, why should you let them cause you to contribute. You want to put positive energy into the universe so that someone else can be influenced to be happy and so that you don't get the negativity later on down the road when karma comes into play.

8. Change your diet: I am certainly not trying to sell a diet plan or even "lifestyle change" like everyone else out there on the Internet. I am not overly into healthy eating, there are plenty of days when I have something that is bad for me but there are also so many days where I eat something green, or some fruit with my meal and it makes me feel so much lighter. Maybe you could at least try to balance the bad and good moments. My mother always told me while I was growing up "everything in moderation" and I really feel like this is a great motto for everything in your life. Don't over do it. Anything can be bad for your life if you have too much of it. At the same time don't under do it. This could be just as bad for you in the long run. Find a happy medium and this will really help you feel better physically. You’ll also just feel more fulfilled because you are getting the things you crave, but you're also balancing it with the things you need.

9. Get active/out doors: Did you know that if you would just step outside and let the sun hit your face when you first get up that your whole mood for the day will be better? Now this is all due to the chemistry in your brain and the different hormones it can produce, take a basic psychology course and you can learn the same thing. Your brain actually has a light sensor that tells it to produce serotonin, which will make you happier. Your eyes also tell your brain to make less melatonin when the sun hits them, which will make you less tired. The sun is a wonderful thing, as is nature and I feel like we should all be spending more time there. Most of my best days are spent outdoors. Now the active part can be taken as mildly or extremely as you'd like to take it. I think that getting outside and just walking all day is really all you need. Or go to a museum and walk around. The point is to stay off the couch. I mean if you need to go to the store then that can count! You are walking around right? That is more active than sitting at home and watching TV right? There ya go. Now if that doesn't feel like enough for you then maybe you could get some friends together and find a local dance place to take some classes a few times a week/month. That is a fun and social way to get moving. Or if you are more motivated by being alone then start to train for a 5k, remember that tip about helping other people? Sign up for a 5k for an organization you really believe in and start to train for it. This gives you a time limit but not an extreme goal. I'm not telling you to train for a marathon, this could be an eventual goal, but don't think tomorrow you need to run 26.2 miles. That isn't the way it works. There are so many options for being active you can join a gym, maybe find one that offers free classes like yoga or spinning. The group factor could be a great thing to get you started and keep you motivated. If you want to be outdoors while you are active go hiking, swim, go paddle boarding (you'll be using so many more muscles than you think you will), find a tennis court near by and drag some friends out for doubles, even your running can be outside. There are endless options for this step but the combination of moving around and getting that sun on your face will do wonders for your happiness.

10. Just breathe: Things always change in time. Even if you feel like where you are in your life right now isn’t where you want to be, things will always keep moving forward, there is no pause button. Breathe and work calmly toward the fresh start you are craving. Stress and anxiety about wanting things to be different will only add to your disappointment with the way things are. Positivity is key, and just staying calm will help you keep it.

These tips can all be ignored, all followed, or somewhere in-between. I am in no way an expert on starting over or on you. Everyone is different and certainly not everyone needs these tips but coming from personal experience I have found myself in this position more than once in my twenty-one years and a little guidance is always welcome. Even if you aren’t looking for a complete reinvention it is still fun to change things up every once and a while. Life is a constant experience of change. It moves forward and we just try to keep up the best we can. Sometimes we get caught up and left behind and when that happens we are always given the gift of a new day and new opportunities. That’s what’s so wonderful about time, if you let it, it can make everything better.