There's a lot of people mentioning the usual of exercise, sleep, journalling, diet, relationships etc and they are absolutely correct. I would like to mention o

There's a lot of people mentioning the usual of exercise, sleep, journalling, diet, relationships etc and they are absolutely correct. I would like to mention one thing that I seem to becoming more aware of as I get older and that is the perception of choice. It may just be me/my personality type but I feel like the number one thing that causes my mood to get dragged down nowadays is when I feel like I don't have a choice on a matter. I think this is why being in debt is so mentally crushing because, unless you're willing to risk bankruptcy, your ability to say no to things you don't want to do and take risks is massively compromised. If you're able, stop doing things you don't want to do. If you hate your job, quit and find one you like, start your own business, or drop your hours and find a way to live with less. If you don't like whatever your exercise routine is, find something physical you do like doing (Winston Churchill used to walk and do bricklaying. Chuck Palahniuk has also taken to building field stone structures as a form of exercise). Obviously you should maintain discipline when undertaking difficult things, but try and identify situations in your life where you feel you don't have a choice and drilling down into whether that really is the case and taking all the steps you can to get your freedom back.