We hear the phrase quality of life referred to in so many settings, but do you ever stop to think about what it actually means?
We hear it discussed in public health—for example, the quality of life between residents of different countries around the world is often compared. We can hear it in legal settings. If you’re in an accident, and you sustain injuries, a reduction in your quality of life is a type of non-economic damage.
Quality of life is important to all of us, and it can be fairly subjective. Everyone’s going to have their own meaning for quality of life, but it often involves things like health, career, housing, neighborhood, culture, and values.
If your goal is to improve your quality of life, you might want to make changes that will allow you to feel better mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Seven ways you can have more of a sense of well-being and promote a higher quality of life for yourself are detailed below.
1. Start Meditating
Meditation is free, powerful, and easy to add to your life. When you learn how to practice meditation, you can take the stress of your life away in a healthier way. Meditation isn’t a new concept—it’s been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation was a way originally for people to understand the sacred forces of life on a deeper level.
Now, it’s primarily a way to relax and reduce stress. Meditation is considered a form of complementary mind-body medicine.
When you meditate, it can create peace and balance that’s good for your sense of emotional well-being and also your physical health. You can even improve your relationships with meditation because you learn how to be calmer and less reactive in all areas of your life.
Research shows meditation may even help in the management of chronic conditions like anxiety, cancer, chronic pain, depression, and heart disease.
2. Connect Socially
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many people into isolation, but the social connection is critical for quality of life. If you don’t feel like you have a strong social support network, make it a goal that you’ll work toward identifying more people in your life you can spend time with, share with and laugh with.
You don’t necessarily have to meet in person to have a social support network.
For example, you might develop a like-minded community of friends alone if you all share an interest.
While having healthy relationships is an integral part of a good quality of life, you have to realize that not every relationship is one that’s worthwhile. Negative or toxic relationships breed stress and conflict, so you may find that what’s best for you is to disengage from these problematic relationships.
3. Clean And Organize Your House
Having a clean and organized house isn’t an unimportant thing in your life. Your surroundings affect your mental health and your outlook on life. If your home feels chaotic and disorganized, then that’s what you’re surrounding yourself with, and that’s what your mind will be filled with.
Spend time deep cleaning your home, reorganizing, and getting rid of those things that are just cluttering up your living space. You’ll be amazed at how it can change your outlook. If you can consistently keep your house tidy and organized, it will help you have a clearer mind, and you can better focus on whatever it is you need to accomplish at the moment.
4. Sleep Well
Stop staying up late. Sleep should be one of the things you prioritize for your well-being. This might mean that you change your nightly routine. Put your phone in a different room to charge, for example. Pick up a book rather than scrolling social media before bed.
If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you won’t have an emotional balance or a sense of productivity or creativity.
Sleep is also, of course, necessary for optimal physical health.
5. Find Time For Fun
We live in a culture and society that prioritizes always being busy, even to the detriment of other things in our lives. Yes, having a meaningful job and feeling like your life is organized is important, but so is leisure time.
When you have leisure time, it helps lower your stress levels and improves your mood. It can also make you a better problem-solver.
How you spend your leisure time is up to you. There’s no right or wrong. You might find it leisurely to sit outside and enjoy the sun or to read or watch movies. The key is that you have a sense of balance, so you don’t think you have to fill every available second of your life with your to-do list.
When you take time for leisure, then when you return to those things you do have to do, like working, you’re probably going to have more energy and feel more excited about them.
6. Practice Gratitude
When you practice gratitude, it means you’re taking the time to reflect on what you’re thankful for in your life. Research shows that people who take time out for gratitude tend to have more positive emotions. They also show more kindness, sleep better, and even their immune systems are better.
You don’t have to reserve gratitude for just the big things. Being grateful for the small things is just as important and can have the same positive impact on your quality of life.
Get a journal, and each morning or evening, write a few things you’re thankful for, no matter how silly or trivial they might seem.
You can also start saying thank you to people around you, even for the smallest things.
7. Move More
Finally, if you want to feel your best, ensure you’re finding time to move your body. We tend to think if we don’t do a formal workout, it doesn’t count, but moving your body can be taking a walk, doing something enjoyable like skating with your kids, or even doing housework. Just make sure that you’re actively moving your body regularly to boost your quality of life, positive emotions, and physical health.
