Stress Management Management Techniques How to Improve Your Quality Life By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD Twitter Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Learn about our editorial process Updated on June 13, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by David Susman, PhD Medically reviewed by David Susman, PhD David Susman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience providing treatment to individuals with mental illness and substance use concerns. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Just as everyone has their own definition of success, we all have slightly different ideas of what constitutes a high-quality life. However, there are some steps everyone can take to make life more enjoyable. Just taking these few steps can boost your personal well-being and make each day more meaningful, without drastic change. Press Play for Advice On Creating Your Best Life Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast featuring actress and author Ali Landry, shares strategies for living your best life. Click below to listen now. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / Amazon Music 1 Maintain Healthy Relationships Hero Images / Getty Images Relationships play an important role in mental health. Research shows that not only can healthy and supportive relationships increase your happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being, they can also reduce the risk of suicide. However, not all relationships are created equal. Negative relationships can create toxic situations involving conflict and stress. Disconnecting from unhealthy relationships and fostering healthy ones is vital to your well-being. Signs That You're in a Healthy Relationship 2 Get a Good Night's Sleep Whether you're staying up late because of your job or to catch up on social media, there is so much going on in our lives that seem to take precedence over a good night's sleep. But sleep is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. The quality of your sleep directly affects your mental and physical health. It also affects the quality of your life, including your productivity, emotional balance, creativity, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort. 3 Get Moving Regular exercise has a profoundly positive impact on your physical and mental health. Not only does it trim your waistline, but it can also curb depression, relieve anxiety, improve your memory, and help you sleep better, all of which boost your overall mood. You don't have to be a fitness fanatic to reap these benefits. Research indicates that even 30 minutes of exercise a day can make a difference. Joining a group fitness class, working out with a friend, and scheduling a regular workout time are just a few tactics you can use to keep you motivated and inspired to exercise. How Physical Exercise Benefits Mental Health 4 Find Meaning in Your Work The career you choose can form part of your identity and shape how you feel about yourself. Working in a job you view as meaningless and directionless can be physically and emotionally draining no matter the size of your paycheck or your title. While it may not be possible to change your career paths, that doesn't mean that you can't still find meaning in your life, either by restructuring your workday or taking part in other gratifying activities like charity work and hobbies. Engaging in gratifications and other flow-producing activities can infuse more meaning into your work, making it more enjoyable. A Mental Exercise to Help You Find Meaning in Your Life 5 Plug Your Energy Drains Most of us have a few things in our lives that drain us of our energy on a daily basis. These are known as tolerations, and they come in many shapes and forms. They can take the form of a disrespectful co-worker or unresolved conflict with a family member. They can even be small, seemingly inconsequential things like a cluttered table in your home or a clothing alteration you've been putting off. No matter how big or small they may seem, tolerations have a way of accumulating and weighing you down. Learning how to identify and eliminate your tolerations will give you more energy for doing things that you enjoy. How to Shorten Your List of Stressors 6 Make Time for Leisure Do you ever feel like there is never enough time in the day to do the things you want to do? Yes, life is busy, and most of us have enough work to occupy all of our time—times two. But if you're not allowing yourself time to relax and have some fun, you could be doing yourself a big disservice. Leisure time is more important than many people realize. Research shows that engaging in a leisure activity not only lowers your stress levels and improves your mood, but it also enhances your problem-solving skills. So indulge yourself with a pleasurable activity and watch your mood and productivity improve. You might even find yourself more energized and excited about doing those things you have to do—or at least not dreading them. How to Improve Your Psychological Well-Being 7 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Medvedev ON, Landhuis CE. Exploring constructs of well-being, happiness and quality of life. PeerJ. 2018;6:e4903. doi:10.7717/peerj.4903 Southwick SM, Sippel L, Krystal J, Charney D, Mayes L, Pietrzak R. Why are some individuals more resilient than others: The role of social support. World Psychiatry. 2016;15(1):77–79. doi:10.1002/wps.20282 Zeek ML, Savoie MJ, Song M, et al. Sleep duration and academic performance among student pharmacists. Am J Pharm Educ. 2015;79(5):63. doi:10.5688/ajpe79563 Childs E, de Wit H. Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults. Front Physiol. 2014;5:161. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00161 Aftab A, Lee EE, Klaus F, et al. Meaning in life and Its relationship with physical, mental, and cognitive functioning: A study of 1,042 community-dwelling adults across the fifespan. J Clin Psychiatry. 2019;81(1):19m13064. doi:10.4088/JCP.19m13064 Schönfeld P, Brailovskaia J, Bieda A, Zhang XC, Margraf J. The effects of daily stress on positive and negative mental health: Mediation through self-efficacy. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2016;16(1):1–10. doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2015.08.005 Zawadzki MJ, Smyth JM, Costigan HJ. Real-time associations between engaging in leisure and daily health and well-being. Ann Behav Med. 2015;49(4):605-615. doi:10.1007/s12160-015-9694-3 By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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