- Light a candle. Notice the flicker of the flame.
- Open a window.
- Breathe in fresh air.
- Watch the trees sway in the breeze.
- Record last night’s dreams in a journal.
- Dance to a song from your teenage years.
- Belt out showtunes in the shower.
- Burn some incense. Observe the smoke bend and flow.
- Listen to spa music.
- Write a love letter to yourself.
- Lay on the ground, close your eyes, feel the weight of gravity.
- Before going to bed, step out your front door, count seven stars.
- Forgive someone from your past.
- Forgive yourself.
- Smile while reading this sentence.
- Dim a lightbulb.
- Lie still under a pile of cozy blankets.
- Wear your favourite colour on Mondays.
- Bake a cake from scratch.
- Call your best friend and ask what they admire about you.
- Call a friend and tell them what you admire about them.
- Lean back and let the universe take over. If only for one day.
- Notice the colour blue in every room you walk into today.
- Turn off technology for eight hours straight on the fifteenth of every month.
- Write your name using your non-dominant hand.
- Drive home a different way from work.
- Take a bath in Epson salts.
- Organize a drawer.
- Put your right hand on your heart and your left hand on your belly.
- Stretch your arms up.
- Watch the sunrise.
- Hug a tree and count to ten.
- Watch your favourite movie.
- Count your blessings.
- Count your blessings twice.
- Call up an old friend.
- Turn off the news.
- Read a book.
- Doodle on a sketch pad.
- Pray.
- Laugh with young kids.
- Stroll down a street you have never been on.
- Notice the colour red in the room that you are in.
- Celebrate today as if it were your first.
- Honour tonight as if it were your last.
- Play euchre with old friends.
- Go for a long drive to nowhere.
- Jump on a swing in a nearby park. Enjoy the feeling of weightlessness.
- Walk around the block. Twice.
- Be here now. Let love in.
Dr. Andrea Dinardo is a psychology professor and keynote speaker with expertise in stress, resilience, and mental health. Visit DrAndreaDinardo.com to learn more about her speaking services and leadership programs.