To be a successful blogger, you have to take care of yourself first. Like they say during the safety announcement on any commercial flight. If the oxygen masks drop, make sure to place a mask on yourself first before trying to help anyone else with theirs.

Here are 5 helpful tips that have helped me lower my stress and anxiety, and have boosted my happiness and productivity over the past year!

Try putting these healthy habits into practice and you should see result quickly.

1. Give yourself quiet “YOU” time.

This will vary by person, but my ME time is in the early morning when I wake up before my boyfriend. I will make my coffee, and head to the bathroom to start my get-ready morning ritual… aka meditate, workout, shower, get ready, & then work. I will also put on an interesting podcast or audiobook while I am getting ready too.

Even though I wish every day could start with my ME time… sometimes my schedule doesn’t permit it. I have to shift it to another time. If it’s evening alone time I am more into magazines, baths, pedicures, and aromatherapy candles!

2. Plan out your day the night before.

I love using planners. I have been using the Day Designer for the past couple of years. I am not trying out the Passion Planner to start planning out my year. The peace of mind this practice brings has made me addicted to this healthy habit.

I will keep you posted on the effectiveness of this planner. I still love my Day Designer, I just needed a change and something smaller that I can throw in my purse to take with me on the go. I think it’s a good thing to change it up… keep it interesting and fresh.

3. Develop positive self-talk about yourself and others.

By practicing positive self-talk every single day I was able to begin to reinforce myself, and my goals. It helped me increase my confidence and move towards what I want to achieve every single day.

Write on a note the type of person you want to be.

On this note write out the traits you have in your life. Anything & anyone you want to be is possible for you!

It’s crazy to know that many people go through life not even realizing the type of person that they want to be! I am all about personal development. I want to be a better version of myself every day.

Starting your day by writing down the type of person you want to be is the first step in reinforcing positive self-talk. You will then begin to allow yourself the knowledge and awareness you need so that you can turn into the person that you want to be.

Catch yourself being mean to yourself.

Ask yourself why you are telling yourself these negative things.

Instead of looking at the glass half-empty side of things, look at all the things that are going well in your life.

• Do you have an apartment or house to live in?
• Do you have a job that pays you?
• Do you have strong family and friends?
• Do you have health in your life?

We have become so used to pinpointing the one negative thing that’s happening in our lives we often forget to take advantage of all of the positive things that are happening to us. It’s all about a shift in focus. 

4. Exercise and stretch daily.

I didn’t realize how much of a different mentality I would have once I started working out again!I believe over the past year, I have re-wired my brain. Things that used to have me stressed out to my eyeballs,  no longer phase me. I swear by exercise. And to those of you rolling your eyes saying, “Yeah Meredith, but what if you hate working out?”

What I have to say to that is that you haven’t found your soulmate workout yet. You have to find the workout that makes you feel good. It keeps you coming back for more.

5. Journaling regularly.

Think of journaling as a great therapist who is a great listener. When I was feeling depressed in my younger years, I started journaling and I couldn’t believe how therapeutic the whole act of it was. Plus, it’s a great way to measure where you start and how much you grow if you stay consistent with it over time. I still put it into practice.

I love journaling. You can be as creative as you want with it. I love markers and colored pencils for when I journal and plan. An intention is everything. Make sure your intentions are correct and clear when you are journaling or manifesting.