How to Feel Better

"How to Feel Better" was a title suggested in the HubPages' questions/requests section; but, of course, answering a question like, "how can one feel better" would require more clarification on the question at hand. There are just to many ways in which a person can feel less-than-great to be able to offer a simple answer to such a question. The following 30 tips are an attempt to answer the "how-to-feel-better" question in a general way:

What a person can do in order to feel better depends largely on why s/he needs to feel better in the first place. Without addressing the numerous causes of not feeling well, there are some basic steps that can help anyone feel a little better.

1. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep isn't just something that makes people feel bad. Its something that can contribute to health problems and even premature aging. Getting enough sleep is something everyone needs to do but few people seem to be able to manage it.

2. Eat properly. We can get away with not eating properly every once in a while, but if it becomes a regular habit it will take its toll on how we feel. Not eating properly won't just make a person feel bad. It can (and most likely will) lead to health problems.

3. Losing weight is something else that will make a person feel better. Eating properly, of course, can help with this.

4. Get more exercise. The benefits of sufficient exercise continue to be discovered by those doing the research. Finding the kind of exercise that is right for you is important. Simple walking and stretching can be effective exercise for who can't participate in more strenuous kinds of exercise.

5. Get fresh air and sunshine. Finding a way to get outdoors for even a short time each day can help a person feel better. Sunlight provides us with the all-important Vitamin D, but its natural light can make a world of difference in the mood of a person who spends too much time under artificial lights. Fresh air is always a good thing to get, and being outdoors even offers different and more natural sounds than we hear indoors. When you can't be out open windows whenever weather permits it.

6. Reduce computer monitor use. The light from the computer monitor can affect the pineal gland, which, in turn, can affect mood, health, and the immune system. While eliminating use of the monitor is not possible for most people, most could - if they try - reduce some of the time spent looking at the screen.

7. Get organized. It feels better to be organized. It makes functioning easier, and it makes one's immediate surroundings look less chaotic.

8. Do everything early and get to where you're going early. Running late all time takes its toll. Its more stressful and generally not pleasant for anyone involved. Procrastinating makes life more stressful than it needs to be and leads to a number of problems that would otherwise not have arisen. Figure out how to manage time and shift from being someone who is always late to someone who is always early.

9. Listen to music that makes you feel good.That doesn't mean just keeping the car radio on at all times. Making it a point to find 20 minutes at the end of a day to just sit and blast your favorite music through the headset can be extremely therapeutic. It is now known that some music (soothing - not rock) can actually lower blood pressure. Blood pressure aside, listening to music that makes you feel good can actually help change your mood or help you relax.

10. Laugh at least twice a day. Whether its just finding the humor in life or finding something like a tv sitcom that will make you laugh, make it a point to laugh. Laughing isn't just fun. It actually alters brain chemicals. While laughing a couple of times a day won't change all your woes it will give your brain and body a rest from the stress that those woes cause. Laughing with another person helps relationships as well.

11. Use aroma therapy. Aroma therapy doesn't have to involve an expensive machine and someone else's idea of a helpful scent. Pick up a potpourri burner at a local store and find tarts or potpourri in a scent that makes you feel really good. Turn on the scent with morning coffee, afternoon tea, or night-time television. It doesn't matter. Just find a scent that makes you feel great and fill the room with it a couple of times a day.

12. Find intellectual challenge. Everyone needs intellectual challenge. That doesn't mean joing the Brain-Teaser-of-the-Month club. Intellectual challenge comes when we read anything that makes us think, have a good conversation with someone, or watch a thought-provoking television program. If you enjoy brain teasers or crossword puzzles, have at it. Writing, finding online discussions, or just trying to figure out solutions to problems are all good ways to find intellectual challenge.

13. Socialize. While there isn't always a lot of time for socializing, making it a point to socialize at least a little helps people feel better. Life doesn't have to big one, big, party. A regular breakfast date, a weekly coffee date, or an occasional movie can help a person feel a little better. Talking to online acquaintenances can help provide a little more socializing when "real life" socializing is limited. A weekly or bi-weekly telephone call to a friend or family member can offer a chance to have a nice conversation. If you have a pet talk to your pet. (You don't have to tell him about your financial woes, but a little chat about how you're taking out the trash and how you'll be back in a minute can help you both feel a little less isolated.)

14. Write. Writing can serve a number of purposes. The person who is angry can often "write the anger back to manageable". Some people enjoy dabbling in writing poetry. Writing lists makes a lot of people feel better. Writing an essay or a personal letter may be what some people prefer. What you write depends on the situation and your mood, but writing usually makes anyone who does it feel a little better.

15. Keep on top of your health and dental care. Get medical and dental check-ups as often as is suggested for your age and health. Keeping on top of your health and dental care isn't just good for you health, and doesn't just assure you'll catch problems early, it also helps a person feel more in control of life.

16. Take good care of your hair, nails, and skin.It always feels better to have a good haircut. If you can't get a manicure and pedicure do at-home versions of these. Use moisturizers or other skin care products to help keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.

17. Regularly do something for someone else. It is human nature that we often feel our best when we are doing something for someone else. Regardless of our time and financial resources, there are always ways to do something for someone else in this world. Making ourselves feel better is not supposed to the be the reason we do things for others, but it does happen that when we do for others we find ourselves feeling happier.

18. If you have children spend time with each one, one at a time. Spending a few hours with one child at a time can feel like such special time it isn't just good for the child. Its good for the parent too. Its also good for the relationship, so everyone feels better.

19. If you have children spend time with all of them together, doing something that involves a lot of pleasant talking and laughing. People who have children (and the children) benefit from spending really nice time together with all of the children at once. Again, its good for all involved and helps strengthen relationships, so that dealing with more challenging situations can be a little easier.

20. If you have a spouse make time for just the two of you. Marriages need that, and adults need a little time away from all the child-centered activities and talk.

21. Find at least a little time for just you, alone. Everyone needs a little time alone, no matter how much they love their family. Take yourself out for coffee or lunch. Go to the library for a little while and browse the books. If browsing the computer store or auto parts store is your idea of "me time" do that. Just a little time alone every so often goes a long way.

22. Join something that interests you. The world is full of organizations and clubs to join. Whether its books, photography, tennis, or computers; joining one or more clubs or organizations can make life a little more interesting and fun.

23. Wear clothes that make you feel attractive. Man or woman, people always feel better when they feel their most attractive. Know what clothes make you feel your most attractive and buy only clothes that do.

24. Limit television. While watching the occasional good program can offer some good entertainment, too much television will make anyone feel bad. Have whole parts of each day when the television is not on, and be selective about which programs you will watch. Aiming to find good balance in one's choice of programs can also make a person feel better than, say, watching nothing but all the versions of Law and Order and then the re-runs of the same show.

25. Break down tasks into smaller, simpler, tasks if getting things done is a challenge for you these days. When we aren't feeling our best or have too much to do we can feel overwhelmed when we think about what needs to be done. Getting out from under feeling overwhelmed can be a challenge but can be done. Rather than thinking about all the work that needs to be done, break it into individual jobs. Then break up the individual jobs into small parts, and do one, small, thing at a time. If you have to take a break after doing that one, small, thing take the break and think about the next small thing you need to do. As you see progress you will begin to feel better and more motivated.

26. Make it a point to keep fresh flowers on the table. Regardless of what is or isn't going on in life, having a nice table with fresh flowers as a centerpiece can make a person feel just a little better. A clean tablecloth or cheerful place-mats make things that much nicer. If you have a lot of worrying to do its always better to do it at a nice table with flowers on it. If you're having tea and honey for that bad cold you've got, again, its nicer when there are fresh flowers nearby.

27. Take a break from worrying. When there is worrying to do try to manage it, but also try to take breaks from it completely. If worrying can be productive and lead to problem solving then it needs to be done, but decide to go on a short-term "mental vacation" and refuse to worry for at least a few hours. When the worrying is about a problem you cannot solve today decide not to worry about it today either. Even when worrying is absolutely unavoidable and well founded make yourself take a break from it for at least an hour here or there.

28. Have a hobby or other recreational pursuit. It doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't even have to be a "well established" hobby (like knitting, stamp collecting, or woodworking). If you have no interest in hobbies or sports find something else that will get your mind off stress and just provide some relief from it. Go online and find a site that offers something that catches your interest. (I know a grown woman who occasionally indulges in a doll-making site, where she designs cartoon-doll princesses, their hair-dos, and their gowns.)

29. Eat tuna salad. Tuna has been found to actually help improve moods. It may not be a low-cal meal, but tuna salad sandwiches with salt have been known to make more than one person feel a little better. If you can't stand the thought of tuna salad have some dark chocolate.

30. Appreciate everything and everyone you have in life, and your life, itself. People who appreciate what they have in life are happier than people who don't.