25 People Discuss Small Changes That Made A Big Difference In Their Lives

In the vast and varied landscape of Reddit, a question posed in one of its many forums recently sparked a wave of introspection and community sharing. The query, “What improved your quality of life so much, you wish you did it sooner?” resonated with thousands, prompting users to reflect on the changes they’ve made that significantly enhanced their daily lives. From simple habits to major lifestyle shifts, the responses were as diverse as they were insightful, offering a treasure trove of advice for anyone looking to make positive changes.

#1

Image source: phidaux888, Francesco Ungaro / pexels (not the actual photo) Pets. My 2 cats have been amazing for my mental health.

#2

Image source: bubblebobble_of, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) I started thinking of cleaning as “resetting” an area. After I cook I have to “reset” the kitchen. The little shift in perspective made me a much more neat person.

#3

Leaving the southern Baptist church. Immediately improved all aspects of my life. Image source: kajay914

#4

Image source: UnknownL_13, Liza Summer / pexels (not the actual photo) Cutting off a toxic friend. After having cut off said friend I felt that I could finally breathe without the stress of setting them off or getting into fights with them. I don’t regret my decision at all.

#5

Image source: Ise-Beach1021, Nathan Dumlao / unsplash (not the actual photo) Everybody here writes something amazing, but the first thing I thought of was my dishwasher...

#6

This will sound a bit dark, but it's ultimately not: confronting my abusive parent. I'm 50 and I finally did it a few months ago. I no longer have a relationship with that parent, and doing it was very hard, very scary, and very rough. But as soon as I did it, I felt like an immense weight had been lifted from me. I had spent most of my adult life pretending to have a normal relationship with someone who physically and emotionally abused me throughout my childhood. It took years of therapy for me to even grasp how deeply that affected me or how much it cost me to keep it up. I just feel so free. I wish I had done this the second I was out the door of their house, but this will do. Image source: Terpsichorean_Wombat

#7

Image source: keliez, Yan Krukau / pexels (not the actual photo) Working 4 days per week (a 32 hour work week). Seriously, we should all be doing it. Quality of life is 1000x better.

#8

Image source: Doctor__Proctor, i yunmai / unsplash(not the actual photo) Losing weight. Went from about 225 down to 165 over the course of 2020 (took the opportunity to work on myself) and I feel better than I have in years. It was hard work, but I've managed to keep off for the past year, so I'm hoping I can keep this going!

#9

Not my life but my grandfather’s. Literally 2 weeks ago, he began swelling in his legs and feet. He was very tired, out of breath, literally in the worst state I’ve ever seen him in. I begged him to go to the ER. He refused 3 times before he caved in and let me take him. After an echocardiogram and about 10 more tests, it was determined that he was in heart failure with his heart only pumping at 15% and heart rate at 30 bpm. A pacemaker and defibrillator were installed in his chest and he was put on a routine of Lasix. He was discharged last Saturday and it’s like having the grandpa from my childhood back. Besides a sore shoulder from surgery, he is doing so great. He is going for walks again, sitting outside and feeding the squirrels and birds, spending time with my children and going for rides around the farm in his golf cart. I’m so thankful for the technology that will potentially give us a few more years together and seeing his quality of life improve in such a short amount of time. He is 77 years old. Survived Vietnam, 2 gunshot wounds and 3 heart attacks. He said he would never have a pacemaker. Said he wouldn’t live dependent on technology. Now he wishes he would have had the surgery 10 years ago. Big shoutout to Emory for saving my pop. Image source: broskiibroham

#10

Image source: No-Tumbleweed4775, Yaroslav Shuraev / pexels (not the actual photo) Reading. Luckily I did start reading early on - mostly in my early 20s - I’m 27 now. I’ve read so many books which have given me much more insight to the world and my own views, especially my place in the universe. I mostly read biology books, but enjoy any realm of evidence-based science and some fiction here and there. Even the entire Bible 2 years ago. If anyone reads this, read! It’s wonderful to know our minds can see lines and dots on paper and be able decipher it! Just that concept alone makes me want to read.

#11

Image source: Prank_Owl, Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo) Getting glasses. I put it off for way too long and only got around to seeing an optometrist when I failed the vision test at the DMV as I was trying to get my driver's license renewed a while back. I really didn't appreciate how much my vision had deteriorated or how much I was straining to focus on things until I got them. It was like going from an old CRT TV from the 90's directly to a top of the line UHD display. I must have spent about an hour just walking around outside and staring at s**t on that first day.

#12

Moving out of a dark basement apartment that I lived in for far too many years. Living with windows and natural light is a huge change in mental health. Image source: moltenrhino

#13

Quitting smoking. Better health, and I was in NYC at the time and it was $13 or $14 a pack then. The savings was like getting a raise at work. It then led to getting into fitness, and stopping being a regular at bars. That too was expensive. I got an actual raise and promotion a few months later too. Image source: TheBklynGuy

#14

Getting diagnosed with ADHD and getting treatment. I legit spent over 25 years of my life thinking a 24/7/365 rave going on in my head with over 2000 people screaming and yelling different things at me and that one song i can never find the source of to turn it off was normal and not understanding why I found things like saying “I’m going to go do :insert chore here:” and then DOING THEM IMMEDIATELY so hard. Turns out I don’t have to sit on the couch for 6 hours trying to convince myself that this is the minute in which I’ll go put my cup in the dishwasher and no, emptying the trashcan doesn’t take half an hour it takes two minutes… ?. Image source: adivineeternity

#15

Image source: dudecheckthis, Skylar Kang / pexels (not the actual photo) A good mattress, followed by a good pillow. We went down the rabbit hole of mattress reviews on YouTube (seriously, you can get lost out there for more hours than you think), but settling on our new one we made the right choice. A good pillow was soon to follow, as once the rest of your body is comfortable you know fast if your pillow is right. The combo of the two if great tho.

#16

Image source: MrBirb_, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Drinking way more water.

#17

Image source: No-Dragonfruit-6970, Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) I stopped putting other people and their needs before my own well-being and sanity. Pouring from an empty pitcher is exhausting and when I finally put myself first I felt free.

#18

Image source: orthogonius, Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Working from home.

#19

Image source: Iknowthedoctorsname, Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Exercise. I tried so hard to be into it for so long. I'd get on a program or get into a routine and it never lasted more than a month or so. When lockdown hit I figured I'd give it another try since I couldn't go out. Best. Decision. Ever. I lost 50 pounds, gained so much stamina, look the best I've ever looked in my life, and just generally feel so much better. I wish I had gone harder earlier, I'd be so much better off.

#20

Hysterectomy. I spent most of two decades extremely sick and miserable. Best thing I ever did solely for my own self. Image source: Warp9-6

#21

Image source: fattymcassface, Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Trying to get 8 hours of good sleep every night.

#22

Image source: anon, Mikhail Nilov / pexels (not the actual photo) Getting out of debt. Debt just feels like a prison.

#23

Image source: onimush115, Sofia Alejandra / pexels (not the actual photo) Finally setting my pride aside and working up the courage to talk to my doctor about my symptoms of depression. Got put on a medication to try and have adjusted the dose. It’s been like night and day. I never knew being miserable all the time wasn’t normal. My relationships have improved as well because I don’t have crazy mood swings.

#24

Stopped watching and consuming National News. I was REALLY into the tribalism and looking for all the ammo I could find. And here’s the deal, they provide people like me with b******t content 24/7! Walked away and have become such a better person! Image source: tlv892009

#25

Retiring and getting a dog. He is a rescue dog and has lots of physical and emotional issues. He is terrified of people and animals so I need to be calm to help him stay calm. That’s given me a reason to not let life bother me too much. Image source: AdaminCalgary