O.P.A.L - Our Powerful Action List

Everybody has ups and downs in life. It is totally normal, but it is great to have some tools that we can use to help us manage and get through the down times and to generally think and feel better.

 At any time you can scroll through the list and choose to do something that will help you feel calm, lift your mood or motivate you. Little actions that have powerful effects

Share if with anyone that you think will benefit from it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis please speak to your GP ASAP or call a mental health help line. At the bottom of the list there are some numbers you can call if you are in Australia.

 1/ DEEP BREATHING

The benefits of this simple exercise are amazing. It can instantly help to relax you, as it lowers your heart rate, blood pressure and detoxifies your body.

2/ READ OR LISTEN TO A SELF DEVELOPMENT BOOK

Books have been life changing for me and many others. I love audio books because I can listen to them anytime. See the list of recommendations on our OPAL BOOK highlight on Instagram @veveswimwear

3/ BEACH

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, make you feel calm, happy and grateful. Take your shoes off, feel the sand and ocean under your feet. It is important to have time to chill, relax and enjoy. Dive in and let the ocean refresh your mind, body and soul.

4/ EXERCISE

Exercise has been the most common suggestion for our OPAL list. Exercise really does make a difference to how you feel. Choose exercise that YOU like. Even just small amounts of exercise when you don’t feel like it will make a difference. A walk around the block or 5 minutes of yoga. Just move and release those endorphins. 

5/ FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION

Try to stop yourself from playing the problem over and over in your head. ( this is not helping and causing you stress) Instead start thinking of how you would like the situation to go or how you would like to feel. What would be the best outcome. Write it down. What you focus on grows. What you think about, you bring about.

6/MEDITATION

This will help to calm your mind. Meditation can seem hard to do at first, but there are lots of guided meditations that you can use to help you get started.

7/ MUSIC

Make playlists to lift your mood. you can have different play lists for different vibes. One that makes you want to dance, one to sing along to, one to pump you up. Or relaxation music helps to calm and relax.

8/ SPEND TIME WITH PETS AND ANIMALS

We have had la lot of people say that spending time with their pets makes them feel better. If you don't have a pet, you could watch funny or cute animal videos.

I do this with my children. It always helps to lift our mood.

9/ GET OUTSIDE

Being in nature is calming and helps you to feel connected to the universal energy that we are part of, rather than being trapped inside your head. Bush walks, beach walks, mountain climbs, walking barefoot on grass, or even just going outside and looking up at the clouds or stars are all ways to connect to the healing powers that nature has.

 10/. YOUTUBE

Youtube has so many videos to make you feel good or inspired. Such as motivational speeches or how to gain confidence, get through anxiety, learn a new skill, cute animals to give you warm and fuzzies, comedy to make you laugh, research a new country. The list is endless.

11/. REPEAT 2 WORDS

Your subconscious responds well to simplicity. Choose 2 words that say what you want or how you want to feel and repeat them throughout the day in you mind. Eg. Happy and Calm , confident and strong, trust and believe, wealth and success. This simple exercise really works.

12/. GRATITUDE

Gratitude is one of the fastest ways to lift your mood and help you attract what you want into your life. Use gratitude as often as you can, and make it a habit each day before you go to sleep to write down or list in your head at least 2 things from the day that you are grateful for.

I also use gratitude to create what I want by saying ‘thank you for........(then add in what you want to happen)

Eg. thank you for my safe drive today, Thank you for xyz going so well today.

13/. FRIENDS AND FAMILY

They love you and they want to see you happy. Ask for help. Call them or spend time with them when you need support or someone to talk to. Also be there for your friends and family when they need you too.

14/. PRAYER

If you believe in a god or a higher power of any sort, use prayer to give you hope and have faith that you are being looked after.

15/. DECLUTTER

It is such a good feeling to declutter. It can help to clear your mind and make you feel more organised and in control. Start small. A little bit each day. Remove anything that you don’t use anymore. Give it to a charity. Make space.

16/. GARDENING

Gardening has been proven to reduce stress and give you good feelings. It is also rewarding and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Being surrounded by plants indoors and outdoors have so many benefits.

17/. GO SOMEWHERE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN

Mix it up. Relieve boredom and explore this beautiful world. Whether it’s overseas to a new country, to a park or waterfall in your area or even a new restaurant. Create memories.

18/. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE

How do you want to live, how you want to feel? What would you love to be paid for?

What sort of relationships do you want to have? What sort of social life, sports, and hobbies would you love? Knowing exactly what you want is the first step to achieving it. You deserve to live a great life. It feels good to visualise, imagine and to have goals and dreams. Get a piece of paper and just start writing. Each year you can look at it and ask yourself, is this still how I want to live? You can make changes at anytime.

19/. TAKE A BATH

A bath can help to relax your body and mind. Add in aromatherapy oils, light candles and play some relaxation music to give you extra bliss.

20/. LOOK FOR THE POSITIVES

There are always positives. Focusing on the positives will make you feel better than focusing on the negatives. Stop and ask yourself. What are the positives to this situation or what can you be grateful for.

21/. WHAT IS THE LESSON

Many times the universe is giving us a situation or person to help us learn and grow. It is teaching us something. If we don’t learn the lesson the first time, situations often happen again and again until we do. So ask, ‘ what is this trying to teach me’. The answer will come to you.

22/. AFFIRMATIONS AND MANTRAS

Affirmations and Mantras can be great tools, especially when your mind is bouncing here there and everywhere. Repetition of a positive statement can help to control your thoughts. Choose a mantra or affirmation that feels good to you. My favourite for me is ‘I am blessed and I am grateful’. It’s great a great idea to say your positive affirmation when you first wake up and repeat throughout the day.

23/. ROUTINE

Having daily routines can help to keep you feeling organised and in control. Keep it simple though so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Such as going to bed and getting up at particular times each day. Exercising at the same time... etc

24/. HEALTHY EATING

A healthy diet is as important to mental health as it is to physical health.

Fuel your mind and body the right way.

25/. POSITIVE SELF TALK

Be kind to yourself. Stop putting yourself down and start building yourself up. Give yourself pep talks. Like: you’ve got this ’. You can get through this. I believe in you.

26/. LEARN

At this time in life it has never been easier to learn. The tools we have available to learn are endless. What are you interested in. What would you love to be able to do?

Some options could include learning: photography, a new language, how the brain works, how to meditate, dance, cook etc!

27/. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. TRUST AND BELIEVE

Life can be full of challenges, but I strongly believe that the challenges are necessary to push us in the direction that we need to go. Sometimes the universe gives us a gentle push or in some instances, it turns us upside down, to set us up for something necessary in our future. We are always being looked after and guided. At the time of a challenge it does not feel as though life is doing us a favour, but as our future unfolds we then see how the challenge has led to a positive outcome and has actually blessed our life. So hold on during the bumpy parts of your journey and trust and believe that you are being looked after by the universal power that you are part of.

28/. SOCIAL MEDIA

Do not compare yourself. No ones life is perfect. You just work on you. Limit your time on social media if it is making you feel bad, and only follow or look at the accounts that make you feel good. You can unfollow at anytime.

29/. YOU ARE HUMAN

You have different emotions. It is ok to feel angry, sad, frustrated, disappointed etc. Acknowledge the thoughts and feelings. Ask yourself what emotion you are currently feeling most? Ask yourself if you are ready to move on, or do you need to feel this emotion for a while longer. All of your emotions serve a purpose. If you are ready to move on. Say the emotion that you would like to feel next.

30/. JOURNAL

Keep a daily journal. Write down ideas, thoughts, feelings, goals or dreams.

31/. EVALUATE

Take time regularly ( once a month would be good)

Step 1. Ask yourself these simple questions:

What is making me feel good lately?

Is anything making me feel bad lately?

Step 2. Ask yourself if the things that are making you feel good or bad beneficial to your wellbeing.

If you don’t think they are beneficial to your wellbeing. How could you make some changes.

32/. TECHNOLOGY FREE TIME

Start planning times when you put your phone away and don’t pick it up. You will love the benefits. Make this regular times. Such as certain times each day. Or even a tech free day each week.

33/. LOOK AT IT AS A CHALLENGE

We all have challenges. Instead of being the victim, play the role of the champion. Get up, stand tall, put your shoulders back and overcome this challenge. You have all the tools, strategies and support you need to overcome this.

You can control your EFFORT and your ATTITUDE. YOU HAVE GOT THIS!

34/. LIGHTEN UP

Life is short. Let it go. Shake it off. Does it really matter. Don’t take it too seriously. Make time to have fun. Laugh and enjoy the simple things.

35/. LET GO

Hand the outcome over to the universe or any higher power that you have faith in. You don’t have to be in control and solve everything yourself. Say I surrender. I trust that everything is going to work out the way it is supposed to. Thank you.

36/. MINDFULNESS

Practice mindfulness. You can do do in different ways. Eg. Use your senses. Be quiet. What can you hear? Or what can you see? Name 10 things you can see. What are you touching? Are you sitting, standing or lying down. How does the surface feel. What can you smell. You can do this at any time during the day to bring your mind back to now.

37/. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

When you give. You receive.

Do something nice for someone. It will make them feel good and it will make you feel good. It could be as simple as a compliment.

38/. REST

Rest is so important. Are you doing too much? Do you need a break? You need to make time to rest. If you don’t, quite often you will get sick so that you are forced to rest. It’s ok to say no. It’s ok to take time out to rejuvenate. You are no good to anyone if you are burnt out. Have a day in bed, take a holiday. Go to bed earlier. Make the time to rest and refresh.

39/. LAUGH

Laughter is the best medicine. Watch a funny movie or YouTube video.

40/. WATCH THE SUNRISE OR SUNSET

We really do live in a beautiful world. Take a moment to appreciate its beauty and its magnificence. You are here. You are alive. Nobody really knows what happens when we leave this world. So make the most of the world you are in now. All of Earth’s beauty is here for you to enjoy.

MONITOR THE EFFECTS OF CURRENT MEDICATION.

Talk to your doctor.

SEEK PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE OR HELP.

THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE in so many forms such as.

Hospital

Doctors

Helplines

Councillors

Psychologists

Psychiatrists

Rehabilitation Centres

Acupuncture

Bowen Therapy

Kinesiology

Hypnosis

You are not alone.