10 Tips on How to feel inspired, motivated and less stressed

           Each and every one of us has dreams and goals in mind; something to look forward to for the near future. These dreams and goals can be various whether it is a desire to have good grades at school, to make our parents proud, to travel the world or to have a big house and beautiful garments to wear. One of the biggest barriers that prevents us from achieving what we envision is a lack of motivation or perhaps even a lack of inspiration. At times, this feeling hinders our ability to move forward and to pursue our daily tasks. For this reason, I have come up with some simple ideas that can help increase productivity and refresh the sentiment of inspiration in you.

1. Keep a success diary. This is very important in staying organised and motivated. This can be a simple notebook or you can purchase something more fancy like a journal. In this notebook, you can write down to-do lists, your goals, things that you are proud of, things that you are grateful for, your ideas or notes on any subject or even just write out your daily emotions and activities. Moreover, you can make a visualisation map of the end result you want to see for any particular goal that you have. It is also useful to be able to carry this notebook around so you always have it in hand if ever an idea pops to your head. Keeping track of your thoughts will help monitor your progress, visualise your goals and stay organised. It will also release some stress because all of your thoughts will be on paper and your head will be empty from all the worries and tasks that you had in mind.
2. Pick a motivational quote that speaks to you. Spend some time looking for a mantra or a phrase that relates to you and write it out in your notebook or print it out and keep it in your room. You can even purchase a poster with a good quote. Seeing a motivational phrase every day will keep you going.
   

   A notebook and motivational poster I keep in my room

3. Have a talisman. That is, pick some object or jewellery item that is meaningful to you such as a familial relic. Examples of such could be things like your grandmother’s ring or your fathers watch that was gifted to you or even something you purchased for yourself. It would be  preferable to chose something small to be able to have the object on you at all times. This can be used as a visual reminder of previous successes or as a spiritual emblem that keeps you going when you feel unmotivated.
4. Follow pages that post on topics of your interest such as fashion blogs or food photography. This will increase inspiration and make you feel more eager to take on projects for yourself. You can equally create a motivation board by cutting out some items from magazines or printing pictures of things that you like and pinning them on a board to hang in your room. Moreover, books on various topics can have a great impact on your motivation and self-growth.
5. Have a clean space. Clean up your room and make sure to get rid of clutter and unnecessary items. This will make you feel refreshed and you will be more organised. Group things in such ways as to make them easily accessible, this will help you save time when you’re looking for something and avoid frustrations. Moreover, a clean space will inspire you to do things. Rearranging the placement of furniture and changing the décor in your room or house can also change your emotional state.
6. Create a music playlist. If you’re feeling a bit down or sad, having a fun playlist can always help to pump up your mood a bit. There’s great apps for that such as Spotify.
7. Give yourself little gifts. That is, establish a reward system for yourself. For instance, tell yourself that for every hour you spend on a task, you get to have 15 minutes of break for yourself. This will create a good work flow and you will have something to look forward to. In addition to this, you can purchase little gifts for yourself once in a while such as a good food item or something that you really wanted for a long time like a shirt or a book.
8. Do something you enjoy. If there comes a day when you feel stuck and a bit lazy, take it easy. Sometimes a day of rest is better than to take on work with a bad attitude. Do an activity that you like. This can be anything from watching a movie, reading, drawing, going for a walk, cooking or even sleeping. Taking a day of is important for the mental health and it can help you be more productive the next day.
9. Meditate. Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated, it can just mean having some time to yourself. For this purpose, you can acquire some mala beads or just simply do your own thing and stay with your thoughts. A tip would be to find “your” place; somewhere where you feel comfortable and relaxed. For example, you can go to a near-by park and just enjoy the fresh air. For those who follow a religion, meditation can go hand-in-hand with prayer time.
10. Believe in yourself. No matter what you’re feeling or how hard your situation might be, having a firm belief in your capabilities is important. Stand in front of your mirror and tell yourself that you’re capable, that you’re smart, that you will achieve everything you ever wanted because you’re worth it. The only person who knows you best is yourself. You are the only person who knows exactly what you are feeling like nobody else would. Therefore, having support from family and friends is good but creating self-motivation is crucial 🙂