29 Little Ways You Can Change Your Life This Summer

Even if your summer is a bit of shitshow weather-wise, open those windows and let the fresh air in. Ashley on Facebook adds: "Opening my windows makes my apartment feel fresh and relaxing."

It takes guts to ask for help. Often it means admitting you're vulnerable, but this isn't a bad thing. Asking for help actually means you're being proactive about your situation. It's important to confide in someone before your problem escalates into a catastrophe. Don't be afraid to say: "I need this." Learn to open up and share and be there for others the way you hope they might be there for you.

U.S. Navy Adm. William H. McRaven mentioned in a commencement speech at the University of Texas: "If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.” Dude has a point.

Take a good look at your desk. Declutter, shred, and chuck out anything you don't need. If your desk accessories and decorations are looking a bit worse for wear it's time to part ways with them. They're not going make you feel any more productive. Once you've done that, check out some of these office DIY hacks to give your space a personal touch.

Julie on Facebook agreed: "Reorganising and planning small things that have little impact can take the stress off and focus my brain on something productive."

Be kind to yourself, and move at your own pace. Erika on Facebook shared: "I make it a rule to only plan ONE thing a day. If I'm meeting a friend I'll plan to meet her for ice cream. If after that I feel like it, I might take a walk in the park or follow her looking for dresses. I am also allowing myself a rest day if I'm doing something that stresses me out."

Swimming is great for your mental health. Madonna Kilpatrick on Facebook shared: "I really enjoy a leisurely lake swim in the summer, especially if my anxiety has been high or my day has been stressful. The controlled breathing, the rhythmic motions, and the warm/cool/warm/cool ebb and flow of the water."

Sometimes when we're feeling shitty we want nothing else but to push those feelings away, store them up, and deal with them later. However, feelings are needy little creatures. The more you push them out, the harder they'll come rushing back.

Allow yourself to cry, scream, and laugh hysterically when you need to. Release some energy when adrenaline and rage are getting the best of you and talk to someone close to you if you're worried you can't quiet your mind.

Whether it's getting up and stretching, making your bed, or pouring fresh coffee into a mug, your morning routine sets the tone for the whole day. If you get into the habit of repeating this daily, the rest of your day might just become a little bit more productive too.

Larissa adds: "I really enjoy yoga and meditation for mental health. I always do a sun salutation followed with 5-10 minutes of meditation to start my day in the morning. It really helps me get into the right mindset and wakes me up."

When your inner critic is showing no signs of stopping it's important to fight back. Drown out negative thoughts with positive ones and alter your vocabulary so you're not constantly telling yourself all the things you can't/won't/shouldn't do.

Braelynk recommends gardening: "It sounds lame or like something only an elderly person would do but it’s so relaxing and you can see the fruits of your labor making you feel so much more successful. Bonus: If it’s vegetables, you get healthy food to eat, which always makes you feel better."

You can't always cut people out of your life in one clean swoop, but you can definitely spend LESS time with people who make you worry and fret all the time. Is that guy you're sort of half-dating making you stress out more than usual? Stop chasing him. Do you have a friend who likes to drop snide comments that make you feel like shit? Stop hanging out with them. Start with decreasing communication with people who are toxic to you, spend less time with them, and definitely don't do them any favours.

Lauren shared: "I found a support group for people suffering from mental illness in my city. They have individualised peer group meetings, BBQs, and other outings. I’ve made an appointment to become a member and hope I can get involved slowly over the summer."

When something good is happening to you, capture it – not just because it'll look great on Instagram but because you want to remember it. Even if it's something simple like a pic of your neighbour's cat's cute little face or a theatre ticket to a play that really blew your mind, keep them all in a box or stick them on a memory board.

Somedays, despite all your good intentions, you're going to have a shit day. The important thing is to dust yourself off, start again, and most importantly, take care of yourself. Don't dwell on the day you wasted in bed; just make the most of the moment you're in. Every new second is a new chance to start afresh.

A lot of people have a "grand plan" for the way we want our lives to look, whether it's a plan for the week, the summer, or the next 10 years. However, it's also important to notice the little things – like, really little things: I remembered to brush my hair today, I gave all my old clothes to charity, or I finally unfollowed that douche on Twitter. Whatever you've achieved, acknowledge it and celebrate.