What’s something simple that made your life noticeably happier?

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pennypenny22@reddit

Embroidery (other crafts are available.) Any form of creativity is proven to have a big impact on your mood and sense of wellbeing.

Painting, cross stitch, knitting, crochet, tapestry...

(Embroidery is great because it takes up little room, you don't need to make a mess like painting, you can do it while travelling and can put it down at a moment's notice to attend to a child or answer the door. There are some incredible modern patterns out there, Instagram has a big embroidery community, also r/Embroidery for inspiration.)

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Harrry-Otter@reddit

Realising you don’t need a special occasion to drink champagne.

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Soniq268@reddit

And you don’t need a birthday to but birthday cake!

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DaveL16@reddit

“I drink it when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it…unless I'm thirsty”. Lily Bollinger

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AussieHxC@reddit

Get it on subscription too, far better than the swill at the supermarkets

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Perfect_Consequence9@reddit

Everyday above ground is the celebration

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Air_Fryer_666@reddit

Renewing my interest in reading and it replacing screen time in the evenings

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jooniejoon3@reddit

My issue is finding a good enough book to want to read! Do you have any good recommendations?

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Wonderful-Fact5193@reddit

Try John Marrs' books! They are so good!

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MontyDyson@reddit

Orwell. Forget 1984 even he said it was mediocre. Down and Out is amazing. Burmese days is fascinating. I’m still surprised Homage to Catalonia hasn’t been made in to a film for the story alone. His journalism is excellent and incredibly relevant. He writes beautifully, incredibly efficiently and was years ahead of his time.

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theraininspainfallsm@reddit

Down and out in London and Paris is amazing. And Orwell actually went and lived with very little money during the research for this book.

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MontyDyson@reddit

What’s great is he learned ‘Tramping skills’ and used them to smuggle himself out of Spain when he was being hunted by the military.

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Frosty_Leg4438@reddit

So… you’ll be tempted to ignore this, but please don’t…

“Young Adult” fiction.

I was given this tip years ago. Apparently there’s a lot of pressure in mainstream fiction world to write erudite books and not employ common plot devices or obvious twists, which can make mainstream books dull to non frequent readers.

If you market for “young adult” fiction, these informal rules don’t apply and you can be much free-er and more fun with your writing, making a more engaging book.

If you’re into fantasy, long sequels like “The dark magician trilogy” or “Shadowhunters” are all technically for “young adults” but are incredibly fun reads and I’d highly recommend.

For a completely left field book, I LOVED “Taipan”, a long pirate fiction book but based on the founding of hong kong interspersed with real facts.

It’s probably my favourite book (it was written by the guy who wrote “Shogun” (part of an epic series about east Asia), but I personally dodnt think Shogun was as fun a book/suggest you start with Taipan.

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BeeSting113@reddit

Looking at my list, I think my main genres are humour and sci-fi. Here's my favourites, which should keep you going for a couple of weeks.

Historic Fiction:
Bernard Cornwell - his Sharpe series, or the Saxon Stories. Historic fiction with a great sense of humour
Giles Kristian - Camelot, Lancealot & Arthur (Inspired by Bernard Cornwell)
Spike Milligan's war memoirs - very funny reading
Stephen Fry has a series of books on Greek mythology - and he narrates the audiobooks himself. See if your library has a Libby subscription or something similar, but be prepared for a huge waiting list.

Literary Fiction/Misc:
Kazuo Ishiguro (unreliable narrator stories)
Iain Banks (note: Iain M Banks is his sci-fi pen-name)
The Prestige (better than the film!)
Clare Fuller - Bitter Orange, Unsettled Ground
Cloud Atlas (amazing mix of narration styles!)
Hugh Howey: Wool, Shift, Dust - The books the TV show Silo is based on - but don't waste your time waiting 6 years to find out how it ends. Just read the books. They're great.
TJ Klune - In The Lives of Puppets, The House on the Cerulean Sea

Fantasy:
The Witcher series (Great sense of humour, and it's subtly subverting the fantasy genre)
Lord of the Rings
Gormenghast (Anyone remember the TV adaptation?)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anything by Christina Henry for gritty retellings of classic stories - e.g. Lost Boy (Peter Pan retelling)
Terry Pratchett's discworld series - I'm late to the party with this but I'm enjoying it.
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn trilogy - cool metallurgic-based magic

Sci-fi:

The whole SF Masterworks series of publications (the yellow books) - it's top picks of classic sci-fi. I particularly loved Tao Zero by Paol Anderson, if anyone wants a starting point.
James SA Corey: The Expanse series (Leviathan Wakes etc) - epic sci-fi world-building.
Andy Weir - The Martian, Project Hail Mary
Edward Ashton - Mickey 7 and Antimatter Blues. He has other stories too but I've not read them yet.
Martha Wells - the Murderbot Diaries series of books (All Systems Red etc) - very funny sci-fi
Rob Grant - Colony (more funny sci-fi)
Dennis E Taylor: Bobiverse series (We Are Legion, We Are Bob)
Robert Sawyer - Flashforward (completely different to the TV series!), Rollback, etc
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Gothic/horror
Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived In The Castle (gothic genre)
Stephen King: Under The Dome (great character study), The Stand (post-apocalyptic). And many more. I like SK but he is terrible at writing endings. But the first 90% of each story is great.

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phatboi23@reddit

Sci-fi:

Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson

is a good series too, just realised i'm a few books behind! haha

https://www.goodreads.com/series/185650-expeditionary-force

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Introverted-Gazelle@reddit

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah got me out of my reading slump!

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yoyohash23@reddit

Depends what you like! I always thought I was a non-fiction lover but read None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell and discovered a new genre! Been hooked on her books since.

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CuriousPone@reddit

Lisa Jewell is great! One of my favourite authors.

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floralflourish@reddit

Claire Douglas and Freida McFadden also good and similar vibe/genre

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EntrepreneurAway419@reddit

Go to the library, just pick up randoms and start. I like crime fiction, have read about 10 physical books and 8 books this year (in amongst work, kids, life), feel like I' smashing it tbh and has cost about £5

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takhana@reddit

Not trying to find snarky but what did you do to find books before social media existed? I used to spend hours browsing the local library and WHsmiths on a Saturday looking for my next read. And if it wasn’t a good one then meh, no big deal. I think we put so much pressure on ourselves now to always be enjoying things and forget that sometimes the pleasure only comes if you have some discomfort first.

Classics are always a good place to start though, they’re classics for a reason!

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jooniejoon3@reddit

I’m an avid reader and have been for years! I was reading books ever since I can recall.

However, as I’ve grown older and have less time, I don’t want to waste it on books I don’t enjoy. I spend a lot of my childhood in libraries, many of which closed down or don’t offer much of a selection in books, anymore.

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donalmacc@reddit

Honestly - even if the book is crap it’s still better than doomscrolling. I get through 2-3 books a week and just keep on top of fantasy in Goodreads.

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Thomasinarina@reddit

What do you normally like?

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Air_Fryer_666@reddit

Had the same problem, eventually found some old classics that I hadn’t read and then started to stumble across some newer books, A waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm is a great modern version of Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. Pagans by James Alistair Henry took my eye as a new Historical Fantasy. Even managed to read my first Poirot book.

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massie_le@reddit

Atomic Habits 😉

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SlothfulCyclone@reddit

I’ve just started doing this and it’s great. Find myself actually focusing on one thing for a period of time, instead of bouncing between tv and phone.

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Chilly_Piper_83@reddit

You're all so lucky. I absolutely adore reading but my eyes have betrayed me and if I look at a white page now, the massive floaters just obscure the words. I even struggle with a screen, I've tried a kindle too. I can only manage a few minutes. Nothing will ever replace a bloody good book. I really miss reading!!

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Air_Fryer_666@reddit

Have you tried white text on black pages for e-Readers or book apps? If I want to read a few pages in bed that setting really helps me than a bright whiten screen

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Chilly_Piper_83@reddit

Ohh thank you, no I've not tried that! I'll have to give it a go!

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lifetypo10@reddit

Same but I'm currently colouring, I've had a podcast on and just coloured most of today.

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Revolutionary_West56@reddit

Literally the exact thing I was going to say

I can’t believe how much screen before bed was fucking me mentally and physically

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Inevitable-Yard6567@reddit

Absolutely this, since I’ve swapped the nightly doom scrolling for reading I’ve managed to switch off from the day so much easier.

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I_will_never_reply@reddit

Eat a banana or apple etc every day instead of a sugary snack. You'll feel almost instantly that the sugar was dragging you down as much as lifting you up, and so much better for you too of course (and cheaper!!!)

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ThatgirlBella@reddit

Changing my mental diet.

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QuantumWaffle4@reddit

Not replying to messages all day and instantly.

I know this probably annoys other people and I’m probably selfish for it, but I get overwhelmed very easily. I like my own space and that includes over socials/messaging.

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TruthfulRepugnance@reddit

Having someone that is always happy to see you no matter what kind of mood you're in. 🐕

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Ashie2112@reddit

Yep. I have one of those. Happy to see you first very quickly followed by wanting food 🦮

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MojoMomma76@reddit

The reception I got after leaving my little friend alone for a few hours today was literally awesome. Tippy tappy toes, full bum wiggle, helicopter tail, piggy grunts, love my little friend 🐕‍🦺🐾

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Ashie2112@reddit

🩷

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sniffing_dog@reddit

I've introduced weed into my night time routine, I sleep so much better and I wake up feeling refreshed, it's perfect.

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Open_Sentence_@reddit

10 minutes of yoga/stretches in the morning.

Washing the dishes after dinner instead of leaving until the morning.

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patrickb1920@reddit

Cannabis

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MojoMomma76@reddit

My little beast. She’s a flat coated retriever and literally makes my life better in all ways. She cheers me up, enforces a routine, and is always so happy to see me and super at cuddling

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ACharredCell@reddit

Quitting certain social media platforms that were making me miserable.

(Unfortunately, I sometimes cave in and go crawling back to a couple of them.)

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MojoMomma76@reddit

I quit X when Musk bought it and it became swamped with horrible stuff. But I do jump back during a political crisis (it was fun just before Johnson resigned for example)

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precipitant1@reddit

Sauna and running (I don’t own a sauna I use the gym)

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Daft-Count@reddit

This boy

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horrible_goose_@reddit

I was expecting a photo of a pet 😆

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Aisha_777@reddit

sleeping at least 7hrs and realising how lack of sleep impacts my mood and work

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zecrichardson@reddit

Not caring what people think of me

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GrimQuim@reddit

I think you're great.

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that2017vibe@reddit

They said they don't care what you think

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GrimQuim@reddit

I wish someone did.

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Some-Afterthought@reddit

That was definitely a test...

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kalendral_42@reddit

Meal planning, prep/batch cooking - especially using apps like Recipe Keeper or No Waste where I can track what I’ve already got in, makes chores like shopping & cooking so much easier, even just deciding what to have for dinner is way easier

Organising wardrobe by outfit choice/theme - for instance all my ‘work wear’ is organised in one part of the wardrobe based on themes like ‘outfits for interviews’ or ‘outfits for work meals out’, etc

Downloading the Relay UK app so I can make my own phone calls & things (hard of hearing, practically deaf), I just wish more organisations/receptionists/people knew how to respond when they get a Relay call (FYI if you ever get a relay call, the Relay operator will introduce themselves but after that just pretend they aren’t there & direct the conversation to the actual caller, the relay operator is there just to type up what you say so that the caller can read it & respond either by speaking or by typing back to the RO who will then read the response to you. There is no point directing questions, etc to the RO as the only info they have is that someone who is Dead/HoH/mute wanted to call you, it’s also kind of rude as it comes across as if you’re assuming someone with a disability can’t answer for themselves)

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SparklyRainbowAngel@reddit

Thank you for this info.

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clbbcrg@reddit

Staying single

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Vegetable-Program-37@reddit

Not striving for a higher and higher position at work anymore. It rarely benefited my mental health and mainly made other people richer.

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loopylolly356@reddit

Don’t put it down, put it away. Takes the same time but house stays tidier for longer

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Mozambleak@reddit

For me it was getting a dog

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RecipeBorn4674@reddit

💯

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The_Barman@reddit

No Cocaine, more cycling.

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PersimmonTerrible218@reddit

Living every day with as much purpose as possible. Waking up with routine, having less social media in my life, being healthy, moving every day, making small plans and sticking to them, enjoying little moments of joy in nature and occasionally cooking something tragically awful but loving every minute of it

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Particular-Flow2265@reddit

Getting a dog and following the lead of God in all areas of my life.

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UnrivalledPG@reddit

Installing a bum gun / floss / gym and rice cooker

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Icy_Mixture1482@reddit

Wow, seems like one appliance can do a lot of diverse functions.

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ib1104786362@reddit

Unreal 😂

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Icy_Mixture1482@reddit

I wouldn’t be sampling that rice personally.

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MintyMarlfox@reddit

They do say brown rice is healthier

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emimagique@reddit

Antidepressants

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AestheticWitching@reddit

My sleep headphones make me happy every night.

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Routine-Apple7829@reddit

Reaching out to my friends first, rather than waiting for them and then feeling isolated/annoyed with myself.

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IllMarzipan3773@reddit

My pooch. Never had a dog as a kid cos my dad didnt allow it. Got him 2 years after moving out of my parents' home. He is the best, has helped me go through some hard times in my life..always there to cheer me up, never felt alone since I had him. Dont think would had made it without him tbh. He is 13 now. Cant imagine life without him. Love you so much 🐶💟

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Mikey463@reddit

Intermittent Fasting

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Electronic_Wind1855@reddit

Is there a good place to start? I've heard of people doing various diff ones and not sure how I'd know which is right for me. Thanks

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Mikey463@reddit

16 hours is considered the minimum. Work with that and see what time to eat and fast is best for you. People do various ones because it’s all personal.

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GrimQuim@reddit

Just after breakfast then resume just before lunch.

Brought to you from the school of sea food diet jokes.

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Vast-Heron8963@reddit

Spending time on my own

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Ok_Owl_8062@reddit

Big advocate of this.

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rawcane@reddit

Bigger house

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PinkLibraryStamp@reddit

I buy nice candles and quickly manage to tidy and clean a room so I can sit and read in a lovely clean room that smells delicious.

For some reason just having the nice candle as a reward has really helped me keep the house clean!

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Acrobatic_Addition80@reddit

Taking the Game of Thrones Syrio Thorel question to Aria quote "what do we say to the God of Death? - "Not Today"" and applying it to aspects of my life. The most life changing was "What do we say to the God of Anxiety? - "Not Today"". My crippling anxiety fizzled out like a spent fuse. It changed my life, I knew from then on that I had agency over my feelings.

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SuperDinkle406@reddit

Therapy.

I am no longer the cold angry man, I used to be. So much happier, plus easier for everyone else. Sad it took so long to resolve the way it did.

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_Nefarium@reddit

Saying no when I don't want to do something without feeling compelled to make up excuses. Obviously don't avoid doing things! But for example, I really do not get on with clubbing, and I don't drink so although I love spending time in the pub, I'm not going on a crawl playing caretaker.

Otherwise it's been getting back into playing music for myself rather than for performance and without being around those who take it too seriously - I don't play for perfection - I play for me and if playing it 'wrong' makes me happy, then that's what I'll do. It's music after all.

And overall just being myself more without trying to put on a show for people. In some cases - quite literally refusing to put on a show for some people, fuck that producer.

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Electronic_Wind1855@reddit

Meditating daily.

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RedonculousCherry@reddit

Gratitude and putting green dots around my flat to remind myself of 3 positive things. The best ever though was getting a diagnosis of an underlying issue that was causing a domino effect of depression

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Diligent_Craft_1165@reddit

Hopefully you don’t mean free/cheap, but the simplest thing we did that had the most benefit was paying someone to do the jobs we dislike. We have someone come round who cooks all our meals for the week and cleans the house.

That time saved means we can be more present for our little girl and only do the fun stuff.

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Expensive_Manner6840@reddit

Following my faith more actively! God has transformed my life.

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mcglash@reddit

Allotment

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didntask-com@reddit

Washing the dishes the night before so I can walk in to a clear sink/clean kitchen in the morning.

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apaperbagprincess@reddit

Going to bed early

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GuybrushFunkwood@reddit

Stopping drinking. Not had a drink in nearly 4 years. Better sleep, better skin, better mood, better life.

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FeedbackNext6221@reddit

Finding a job i like.

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YetAnotherMia@reddit

Not using social media so much.

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Independent_Olive373@reddit

Buying a new mattress. My back isn't fucked every morning which makes everything better

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

Giving up TV and glossy magazines.

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ATSOAS87@reddit

I'm taking things that happen when driving less personally.

I never got road rage, but now I just shrug at things that happen.

I saw someone screaming and shouting in their car at someone else a few days ago, and it looked so stupid.

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Strong-Librarian-OOK@reddit

I try and draw something every day. Sometimes it’s a quick doodle, sometimes I add to things that are take more time, but trying to do something creative.

A daily walk, just for the sake of going for a walk. I feel good after a run now too, but the running came from the walking.

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StrangerWest2756@reddit

Getting proper sleep.

Everything feels 10x worse when you’re tired.

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yesterdaysomelette22@reddit

Running

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UKMoneyBlueprint@reddit

Eating proper food

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Perfect_Consequence9@reddit

Was just about to say good fruit. Good food too.

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batmanfab1173@reddit

Decorating my space

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iffyClyro@reddit

Having a log burner. Just makes me so happy to burn fuel I’ve gathered for myself and enjoy the cosy vibes.

Although you did say small change and that’s probably more of a medium change.

I bought a v60 to enjoy drip coffee at home and that only costs about £10.00.

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