14 ways to make your life a little bit better in 2025

1. Embrace the darkness of January

Rather than resisting the winter darkness, try to make the most of what it offers, suggests winter psychology expert Dr. Kari Leibowitz: 'Ask yourself – what is better in the dark?' Darkness invites intimacy and coziness, rest and ritual. A study has even found that it can increase creativity. 'According to this research, darkness makes people feel free, loosening our usual constraints and encouraging us to take risks: perfect conditions for artistic pursuits. It can be hard to bare our vulnerabilities and deep feelings in the glaring light of day; we admit more – to ourselves and others – under the safety of shadows.'

Further reading: How to Winter by Dr. Kari Leibowitz

2. Put your ginger in the freezer

'How many times have you bought fresh ginger for a recipe, cut off what you need, popped it in the fridge and when you need it again a week or two later you go to the fridge only to find it has wrinkled and dried up,' asks Bake Off winner and eco champion, Nancy Birthwhistle. 'Wash and dry a fresh ginger root, put it in a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer. When you need ginger for your recipe, grate what you need (skin and all) while still frozen, then pop it back into the freezer for next time. Lemongrass and horseradish work the same way too.'

Further reading: Sizzle & Drizzle by Nancy Birthwhistle

3. Get into gaming (responsibly)

If you have children who are really into gaming and you’re worried about online safety, or healthy levels of screen time, joining in can be really helpful. 'It allows you to understand the game environment, observe their online interactions, and guide them through challenges in a positive way,' says Dr. Alok Kanojia, author of How to Raise a Healthy Gamer. Showing an interest helps foster open communication and collaboration, which is essential for dealing with any gaming concerns. 'Understanding why they enjoy specific games can also provide valuable insights into their psychological needs and preferences. For example, are they drawn to the social aspects of online games, the problem-solving challenges, or the creative storytelling elements?'

Further reading: How to Raise a Healthy Gamer by Dr Alok Kanojia

4. Assume people like you

Making new friends, particularly as an adult, can be really difficult. 'Most people don’t initiate friendships because they’re afraid of rejection. However, research finds that we’re less likely to be rejected than we think,' says psychologist Marisa G. Franco. 'Instead of assuming people will reject you, assume they’ll like you instead. When we think we’ll be rejected, we tend to be closed off and withdrawn, making us more likely to be rejected because we’re coming off as rejecting. Research shows, however, that when people are told they’ll be liked they become friendlier, warmer, and more open; this assumption becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.'

Further reading: Platonic by Marisa G. Franco, PhD

5. Breathe deeply

Understanding and boosting the function of your nervous system can help improve your emotional, digestive and physical health, according to physiotherapist and neurophysiology expert Jessica Maguire. 'The vagus nerve is the two-way communicator between the body and brain. If [it] stops functioning as well as it should do, we call this low vagal tone,' she explains. 'Either you can't relax or switch off, or you may experience depression, forgetfulness, clumsiness, low energy even after enough sleep, and chronic fatigue.' Engaging in deep, diaphragmatic breathing, alongside other techniques, can help improve the function of your vagus nerve.

Further reading: The Nervous System Reset by Jessica Maguire

6. Be your own referee

Disagreeing with your partner is normal. The key to ensuring you maintain a healthy dynamic, which helps you to learn and grow, is to not let disagreements become a battle of wills. Instead of trying to control who is right and who is wrong, take control of the way you argue by de-escalating things. 'How about being your own referee, and stopping the game when you see a foul? No one likes dirty players, and even if you score a goal, what price does that come at?' asks Sunday Times-bestselling self-care author Vex King. 'Follow the rules of fair play – whether you think you are right or not. Take a time-out to calm things down and regroup – that’s a lot better than letting things get out of control. When your partner storms off, banging the door behind them, or the conversation descends into spiteful comments, just stop! And start listening instead of talking.'

Further reading: Things No One Taught Us About Love by Vex King

7. Eat more beans

If you want to live longer, a plant-based diet is best, and, says Michael Greger, the bestselling author of How Not to Age, 'the largest life expectancy gains would be expected from eating more legumes – beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They’re the most concentrated sources of fibre and resistant starch, which help the good bacteria in our gut produce beneficial byproducts that can reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and improve muscle strength.'

Further reading: How Not to Age by Michael Greger MD

8. Learn your attachment style

'Attachment styles' categorise the ways in which people perceive and respond to intimacy in romantic relationships. 'Understanding attachment styles is an easy and reliable way to understand and predict people’s behavior in any romantic situation. In fact, one of the main messages of attachment theory is that in romantic situations, we are programmed to act in a predetermined manner,' explain psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller. Identifying your attachment style (there are three: anxious, secure and avoidant) can enable you to sharpen your relationship skills to help you find and sustain love.

Further reading: Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller

9. Write a personal values statement

Setting and enforcing boundaries for yourself enables the creation of comfortable, healthy and mutually beneficial relationships, argue Courtney Daniella Boateng and Renée Kapuku, hosts of the hit podcast, To My Sisters. But before you can do this, it is essential to understand your core values: 'What are the inviolable, fundamental principles that you want to live by, irrespective of what happens in life? How do you choose to live and how do you want to relate to other people? What are the key things you would like to guide your life as you navigate your experiences?' Once you know your values, you can use them to inform your own behaviours and boundaries.

Further reading: To My Sisters by Courtney Daniella Boateng and Renee Kapuku

10. Add a raised bed to your garden – but don’t fill it with soil

There are lots of benefits to raised beds – they offer a little bit of ground frost protection, are more accessible for those with mobility issues, and are made from wood or metal rather than plastic – however, they can be very expensive to fill with soil. 'Rather than filling up the entire container with soil, line the bottom with cardboard to suppress the weeds and add a mixture of organic materials. This can include twigs, wood and compost and means you only need soil for the top of the bed,' advises gardener Joe Clark, a.k.a. @Joesgarden.

Further reading: Garden To Save The World by Joe Clark

11. Welcome procrastination

The urge to procrastinate won’t ever go away. When your brain is faced with doing something hard and challenging, it can often throw another ‘option’ your way to move you away from the discomfort you’re feeling. Neuroscientist Dr Julia Ravey suggests setting yourself a timer with a built-in procrastination break, to give you time to focus while knowing you will have space to do something else in the very near future. 'You can catch the procrastination urges which pop into your head on a list during this time (like ‘what is the time in New York right now?’) so you can come back to them in your break (and normally see how unimportant they are!). In fact, just being aware that the urge to procrastinate is completely normal helps us not give into it.' 

Further reading: Braintenance by Dr Julia Ravey

12. Feeling anxious? Chew some gum

Not only will chewing gum help you feel calmer, it can also boost your cognitive functioning, says clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack. 'When you chew gum, you give yourself a physical outlet for the nervous energy created by anxiety; this can also help relieve tension in your jaw, throat and neck. Plus, the increased blood flow to your brain can enhance your concentration, memory and recall.' Just make sure you opt for a sugar- and caffeine-free version, to avoid adding any unnecessary stimulants to your system when you’re already feeling anxious.

Further reading: Ten Times Calmer by Dr Kirren Schnack

13. Think less about things and more about time

‘Be nicer and less flashy,’ advises Morgan Housel in his global bestseller, The Psychology of Money, ‘You might think you want a fancy car or a nice watch. But what you probably want is respect and admiration. And you’re more likely to gain those things through kindness and humility than horsepower and chrome.’ The real value of money isn’t its ability to buy things, Housel reminds us, but its ability to give you control over your own time: ‘To obtain, bit by bit, a level of independence and autonomy. . . Control over doing what you want, when you want to, with the people you want to, is the broadest lifestyle variable that makes people happy.’

Further reading: The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel

14. Read more from the experts

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Buy the book

AmazonBlackwell'sBook DepositoryBookshop.orgFoylesWaterstonesWH SmithWordery