Revamp Your Life

As a thirty-something-year-old adult, I found myself overworked and overwhelmed. I stopped to analyze my life to see what was making me miserable and I knew I had to change my life around. Being an adult can be stressful and as the years go by, many of us find ourselves stuck in a rut. Our daily routines become so monotonous that we're on autopilot and not even aware of how miserable we really are.

A lot of us are miserable because we are constantly on the go. There are no more summer vacations for grown-ups and for many of us don't even get to relax on the weekends because we are either working or taking care of other obligations. Sometimes at the end of the day we can't even rest because the worries of the day are still on our minds. This is why many adults need a life makeover. Once I decided what was wrong in my life, I vowed to make a change. Here are some things that usually cause conflict in our lives:

Home -Due to unforeseen circumstances, I once found myself living in a bad neighborhood. On top not having basic amenities such as grocery stores, drug stores, and restaurants in the immediate area, the neighborhood was also crime-ridden and I feared for my safety even during the daytime. There wasn't any sanctuary inside my house either because people in this neighborhood played music at full volume whether it was twelve in the afternoon or twelve at night. I could not sit and read, listen to music, or study because there was always so much noise. If you can't relax in your own home then where can you relax? Only after I moved to a better neighborhood was I able to relax when I came home from a long day at work every night.

If your neighborhood is making you miserable then you should move ASAP. The stress from a lousy home environment will creep into other aspects of your life whether you realize it or not. Are you fuming at the guy who accidentally bumped into you in line at the bank? Could be residual stress from your home life. If you are financially unable to move at the moment, keep the thought of moving in mind and start working towards it.

Besides your neighborhood, you have to take your actual residence into account. Do you live in a small apartment when you've always wanted a house? Is your place furnished with homey, grandma-like furniture when you really want something super modern like in a spread from Architectural Digest? A coat of paint or some new furniture can make you feel like you're living in a whole new place. Decorate your place in a way that says you! As they say, a man's home is his castle.

Work- Most of us aren't independently wealthy, so we have to work, but is your job making you miserable? For a lot of people the answer is emphatically yes! A lousy boss, bitchy coworkers, and a large workload are a few of the things that can contribute to making our workdays miserable-and oh, do you even like what you're doing? A high percentage of people do their jobs in order to get a paycheck, but they get absolutely no fulfillment out of what they do every day. Many of us could use a career change.

Think about when you were a kid. What did you want to be when you grew up? I outgrew my desire to be a lawyer and an architect, but I never lost my desire to write, so here I am writing and beginning to make a career out of it. For many of us our dream jobs were seen as just pipe dreams by our parents and we were discouraged from pursuing them, but everyone has the right to follow the path that suits them. Our parents had their chance to live their lives and now, this is our chance. It may take nerve to leave behind a well-established career, but what you can gain by following your dreams can be even more fulfilling. If you've always wanted to write, start by writing articles or blogs online. If you've always wanted to publish a novel, there are many websites to help you self-publish. Figure out what you really want to do in life then start researching what you need to do to achieve your dreams.

Leisure -I remember as a teenager, I would sit for hours and read books and fashion magazines. I'd do my nails, listen to music, and try on outfits for absolutely no reason. As an adult, I found myself with a mountain of books and magazines that I never seemed to have time to read. I'd often throw on whatever in the morning just because I didn't have time to plan an elaborate outfit, but what I realized is that I actually missed those things.

We all need leisure in our lives. We need moments to do something pleasurable or to do nothing at all except rest. No matter how busy you are you have to take time for yourself. Take a long, hot bath, paint your toenails, smoke a cigar, whatever floats your boat. We all had hobbies growing up and oftentimes, we leave them behind as we become adults, but those hobbies are what moved us and kept us motivated to make it through the next day. Take up your old hobbies again or start doing those things that you've always wanted to do. I used to love drawing and painting as a kid and I recently bought acrylic paints and an easel. I'm not very good at painting and I will never be like Picasso, but I do it anyway because I enjoy it.

Appearance -a physical makeover may be part of your life makeover. Analyze yourself and ask if you are happy with the way you look. Not that you have to look like a supermodel, but are there things that you'd like to change. A change in physical appearance can make you feel like a new person. If your hair is curly maybe you can try it straight or vice versa. Maybe you can try a new haircut or color. Try out that latest fashion trend that you've been seeing in all the magazines. Do whatever you need to do to bring yourself out of the rut.

Have you been wearing the same clothes for the last five years? For me, clothes are associated with certain periods of my and if those periods are bad, I don't want to be reminded of them later. Every so often I like to revamp my wardrobe to reflect the person that I've grown into. I give the old clothes to charity or I sell them, no matter how good they still are because the era of those items are over.

Weight is also a part of appearance. Again, we don't all have to look like models, but if you are really overweight (gaining three pounds doesn't count!) then you should get it under control. Consult a doctor if you don't know where to start, but in general exercise and a healthy diet will help you shed pounds and gain confidence.

Another part of appearance is style. When you were a teenager were you Goth, preppy, or bohemian? I have been all of these at varying times in my life. I no longer want to wear black lipstick, but in general, I still like to mix up my style according to my mood. I can be girly, tomboyish, bohemian, or glam, among other things.

When I was working in an office environment, I found the rigid button-down shirts and slacks to be confining, not to mention the fact that my predominantly black work wardrobe made me feel like I was going to a funeral everyday! As I work on my writing career, I have made it a point to not take a day job that requires me to wear such a depressing wardrobe. For some people, the wardrobe issue may seem superficial, but it is something that is important to me and that's all that matters.

To sum it all up, a life makeover is about making your life what you want it to be. There are many aspects in our lives that we have no control over, but there are also many aspects that we can control. As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it," but if your life is broken, fix it ASAP.