Here’s your list of eleven things you can choose from to today to start feeling better immediately. Why eleven? Because if Spinal Tap taught us anything, it’s that things must go to eleven!
These are designed to focus on your body, but honestly, they’re each going to lead to feeling better holistically, so you can’t go wrong.
Enough messing around, let’s get into it:
1. Stretch your body every day.
Yum. I try to do yoga every day. I say try because I live by the 80/20 rule and know that every day is unrealistic. I encourage you to do the same. On the days that I do get my yoga in I wonder why I ever miss a day.
Now, you don’t have to do yoga. Find your own way to stretch your body, even it’s simply a good morning stretch. YouTube is full of great videos with stretching routines from a few minutes to an hour or so. Pick your poison.
2. Switch cleaning products to non-toxic.
I began this because I no longer wanted to take in the toxins through my skin or breathe them when I cleaned. If you choose to go this route, give yourself time to do research. Know that you might kiss a bunch of product frogs before finding your princes. There are a lot of products out there and not all are created equal.
I like using grove.co for my products as I can get them on subscription so I don’t have to search store to store for what I need. I also make some of my own cleaning products, especially my all-purpose cleaner with vinegar, lemon essential oil, and water.
3. Focus on strengthening your core.
If there’s an area of your body, you’re going to work on strengthening I recommend your core. Why? Because it’s the thing that holds you together. As someone who has dealt with back pain for most of my adult life, I can tell you that a strong core is vital to back health, and you need it as you get older.
Also, for any women who are planning on having children a strong core prior to pregnancy can help during and after!
4. Switch your cosmetics, hair care, and skincare over to “clean” products.
If you’re thinking about changing your cleaning products that touch your skin, you might as well go all in and change the stuff you purposely put on your body! Again, take your time to do your research and know that you may end up pitching the stuff you buy that doesn’t work for you.
When I made the switch, I found my skin and hair appeared significantly healthier. The time, energy, and, yes, money, has been worth it, because, as L’Oréal (which I would never wear any more) says, “I’m worth it!”
5. Slow down and be present.
This one is request from your nervous system. We think of slowing down as a mental break, but your nervous system isn’t just related to your brain. It runs through your entire body. When you’re stressed your heart beats more rapidly and your blood pressure goes up. Your muscles tense and your breathing quickens.
Taking moments to be present, notice where you are, what’s around you, and take some slow breaths gives your body the time it needs to re-regulate.
6. Take a walk.
While focusing on your core is the number one muscle strengthening I recommend, the number one general exercise I recommend is going for a simple walk. Start where you need to and build slowly from there. I’ve worked with clients who start with five minutes a day and have built to five miles a day over time.
BONUS: The next exercise I recommend is a plank, but everyone groans at me when I say that! Seriously. Planks target practically every muscle you have. Start at five seconds a day if you need to. Build in one second increments. You are stronger than you think.
7. Give someone a full minute hug every day.
I love a good long hug. One where you breath with the other person. Try it. Wrap your arms around your favorite person and, instead of the usually two-second grip and run, hold and melt with each other. It’s divine, and another thing that settles your nervous system.
8. Laugh!
They say laugher is the best medicine. Well, think about it. How do you feel after you’ve been with people you’ve been laughing with, versus when you’ve been grumping around all day? It isn’t only mental, it’s physical, too. Laughter has been shown to increase oxygen and endorphin, reduce physical pain, boost the immune system, and protect the heart.
It’s time for a funny movie night!
9. Wake up on time.
I’m assuming you already know stress is bad. Hitting the snooze button seems like a good idea at the time, but it makes for a stressful morning. Your alarm goes off, you whack your alarm a few times and the next thing you know you’re scrambling to get out the door with a granola bar jammed in your mouth swearing you’ll get up on time tomorrow.
Is today finally tomorrow? Give yourself the gift of that “extra” time, which is actually the real time you originally allotted for the morning. Get up calmly, get dressed, do the things, and drive to work at a reasonable speed with a heartrate that doesn’t freak out your Apple Watch.
10. Cleanse the energy of your home.
Yup, we just passed the “woo” barrier. Your body is deeply connected to your home. You sleep, eat, hopefully, laugh, and generally, live life in your home. All of the chi, prana, mana or whatever word you use for energy flows through your home, flows through you, and vice versa.
So put out some bowls of sea salt, burn some sage or palo santo, ring some chimes or bowls, shake some reeds, sing some songs, do a dance, I care not what form it takes, but spend a little of your own energy on the space you live in.
11. Wash your face.
And this is where I leave you, washing your face. It’s the one thing, no matter what else falls by the wayside, that I refuse to let go. Rid yourself of the sweat and oil that has seeped out of your pores and the grime from the air that’s attached to it as you’ve toiled away through the day.
Whether you do it in the morning, the evening, or both (even better!) take a few moments to yourself to wash your face, perhaps go crazy now and then and do a face mask (I do one about three times a week and freak my husband out), then dab on a face serum and a nice moisturizer. In the words of Donna and Tom of Parks and Rec “Treat yo self!”
The Takeaway
You don’t have to change all of your habits all at once, and you don’t have to decide that all of the things listed here are even something you’d do. All you have to do is be inspired to think about one small thing you could do to take better care of yourself starting today.
What are you waiting for? Get started!
Ditch Your Sh*t: Decluttering Your Mindset to Declutter Your Home available for pre-sale now and shipping October 7, 2025.