6 Things You Must Start Taking More Seriously IMMEDIATELY

1. Your Home

Sure you’re a renter, but you go home to the same place every day after work, and likely you spend a fair share of snow days on the couch binge watching Netflix. Even if your situation is temporary, make it feel like it’s yours. Too many of us don’t take any care with our personal environment–even if it’s just adding a few pictures to the fridge or plants to the window sill–and as a consequence wind up living in some pretty depressing spaces.

2. The Environment

Likewise, it’s easy to neglect the environment at large. I mean, if you’re shitty with your own personal space, chances are you’re going to have even less respect for everyone else’s space. Say no to plastic bags at the supermarket. Definitely say no to double bagging, especially if it’s for one item. Recycle. Turn off the lights. Unplug your chargers. Forego heating and air-conditioning where it’s unnecessary. Be kind to the earth we’re on because even though it might seem innocuous, every straw you take, every handful of napkins, every styrofoam cup is slowly strangling our planet.

3. Your Community

So many people aren’t mindful of their communities. Do you ask the guy at your local bodega how his weekend was? If not, you should. It’s pleasant. Maybe even take some time out to volunteer your time within the community. Find a community garden, volunteer to tutor kids after school, or find out what other initiatives are going on in your area. You might think you don’t have the time, but you do. Instead of sitting on your ass watching TV, spend an hour or two a week actively being part of the microcosm you exist in.

4. The People You Love

It’s easy for people to forget they are cared for. And it’s easy to get so caught up in your own life that you don’t even remember to ask someone how they are doing. Take the time to tell the people you love how you feel about them, because people need to be reminded, and when you care about someone, it’s your job to be the reminder.

5. Breakfast

Your diet doesn’t exist at breakfast time. I lost 20 pounds while eating a cream cheese bagel every single morning. Not even scooped out. Full fat cream cheese. You’re pretty much guaranteed to burn off your breakfast energy, so have a big one, every single day, and don’t even feel a little bit bad about it.

6. Exercise

I’m always so shocked by how few people I know that exercise regularly. Usually it’s skinner people that don’t, which brings me to the next point: exercising is not important because of how it makes you look, it’s important because of how it make you feel, and how it will help your body slow down the process of deterioration as you age. Again, you don’t need to dedicate a lot of time to exercise–one hour, three time a week, will give you the benefits you need AND increase your endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people just don’t kill their husbands.