If the recent global pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us that there will always be circumstances in life beyond our control. We must learn to ride the waves, as it were, and in order to do so we must take control over the things in our life that we can have some control over. Here is a list of six ways we can do that:

Start Working on Your Credit

For many of us, we look at our credit as something that is hopelessly lost. Some of us have bad credit, some of us have decent credit, and some of us simply have no credit at all. Of course there are also those of us who actually have really excellent credit, and the rest of us tip our hats to you. 

When you find yourself in a less-than desirable state with your credit, the solution is to begin working to rectify that immediately. Every person’s situation is unique, so there is not a one-stop-shop solution. You can do the research to see how best to improve your own situation. The takeaway here is not the method, but the action. Begin now, and even if it takes close to a decade to achieve an excellent credit score, the voice of experience tells us that when that day comes, you’ll look back and be happy that you made the sacrifices that you made. Otherwise, that decade could go by and you’re still in the same mess at the end of it.

Start a Savings Account

While you’re working on your finances, you might as well tackle all of them. One of the most simple ways to begin improving your financial situation is to start a credit union savings account and begin setting aside money with every paycheck. This may not feel like it accumulates fast enough, but steps like these do begin to show their worth over time.

Eat Better

One of the ways to start to feel better is to improve your diet. Find a diet, like a whole-food plant-based diet, for example, that has a proven history of making people feel better. Many people find it difficult to stick to any particular diet. By avoiding fads and looking instead for a way to eat that actually shows positive results immediately, you’ll ensure a greater chance of success in sticking with it.

Go for a Walk

Get outside. Moderate exposure to sunshine is said to give you much-need vitamin D, which can help combat depression. In addition, exercise can help give you more energy than just bumming around the house and binge-watching television. One way to enhance your walk is to learn the calls of birds most likely to be in your neighborhood. When you’re walking, you’ll begin to recognize the calls and look for those birds. It can be a way to awaken yourself to a whole new experience.

Start a Mindfulness Practice

Millions of people swear by the benefits a mindfulness practice has in their life. There are many ways to achieve this. One of the most simple ways is to download a meditation app on your phone and begin meditating right away. The meditations in the most popular apps usually range from about five minutes to twenty minutes. It doesn’t take hours a day to see the benefits. A yoga practice is another way to incorporate mindfulness into your life. 

Read a Children’s Book

We all know that reading can help us feel smarter, but when is the last time you read a children’s book? There’s something about children’s books that just makes us feel better. Find a book by Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, Neil Gaiman, James Thurber, or any number of children’s authors, and let yourself relax and be taken away. You’ll be reminded of what it was like to use your imagination, and you might even laugh in ways you haven’t laughed in years.