5 Simple Tips For A Better Life

How can we enjoy a better lifestyle?

'Easy' I hear you say, all you need is a few million dollars a beautiful home a happy loving family and all the time in the world to sit back relax and enjoy life's pleasures.

Well wouldn't that be a simple solution! A short trip to see the friendly bank manager and all your problems are in the past; hmmm maybe not - so on the basis that you're like me and don't expect any windfalls in the coming weeks here are 5 simple tips to improving your lifestyle.

1: Take an amount of time out for yourself everyday. As a busy Mom or Dad it's so easy to get so totally wrapped up in our responsibilities to family and friends that we neglect ourselves. Find clever ways to give yourself a little personal time, it can be as simple as a long luxurious soak in a hot bath or the peace and solitude of sitting down to your favourite novelist - the important thing is to take a little time out for yourself every single day.

2: Make a special time for your family everyday. I'm not talking about hours of deep and meaningful conversation with the whole family sat at the fireside; it's rare that any of us get time for such things! But how about making sure that everyone sits down for one meal a day together and chats about their day and its highs and low? Not forced and artificial insincere 'therapy' ? that's not the idea - just a chat among family about the way the day went for them.

3: Don't worry about what hasn't happened. Paranoia seems to be pervasive in today's information rich society; we spend far too much time worrying about things that we simply have no control over - from bird flu to mad cow's disease. If you're not employed to find the cure or responsible for passing it on then there's little you can do?don't waste time worrying! 24 hour news programs can add to the feeling of being out of control in a mad world, turn the TV off or over and try not to overdose on the sea of sensationalist headlines.

4: Help with things that you can do something about. It's good to give and we all feel a little better for helping out, so maybe try a little fund raising for the local dog's home or for children in need - choose something that's dear to your heart, and remember it's not about how much or how little you can afford to give, rather it's all about making a little bit of effort for those less fortunate and it's about the feeling of self-worth that comes from helping out where ever you can in life.

5: Enjoy the simple pleasures in life. With work pressures and the strain of modern day living it's easy to miss the more simple pleasures in life. Take your family out for a picnic or for a stroll along the beach or through a country park, take a cool drink outside and watch the sunset, find the simple pleasures that make life so much more special and worth living.

Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of Shelter Offshore an online magazine designed to help and assist people who are seeking new lives abroad. If you'd like to read more of her articles about better living and starting a new life abroad please visit her website's living abroad pages at http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/