Evidence: Weak

Small, short or mixed studies, or findings that haven't held up well. Might help; might not. How we rate evidence.

After a breakupIt usually hurts less, and for less long, than you fear. Cut down on checking your ex online, see people, and spend time rebuilding a sense of who you are on your own.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: a few weeks
Buying back timePaying to get rid of tasks you dislike is linked to higher life satisfaction, and feeling you have enough time matters for wellbeing. The evidence is promising but limited.
- Evidence: Weak
Conversation plannerPlan a difficult conversation in ten minutes. What you want, what they want, your first sentence, and what to do if it goes badly.
- Evidence: Weak
Dealing with a difficult bossKeep a factual record, talk to them directly about how you work together, protect the parts of the job you control, and keep your options open without panicking.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 20 minutes, then a few minutes a week
Having a difficult conversation with a parentPick one topic, open gently, listen first, say how you see it with "I", and take a break if it heats up. Most of the evidence comes from couples, not parents.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: an evening to prepare, an hour to talk
Leaving events early without guiltDecide your leaving time before you arrive, say a short goodbye to the host, and go. Most people notice your exit far less than you think.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 2 minutes
Naming the feelingPut what you feel into a few plain words. Lab studies suggest it takes some heat out of a feeling, but the effect on how people say they feel is mixed.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 1 minute
Setting boundaries with familyDecide what you will and won't do, say it once, kindly and clearly, then stick to it. Research on this is thin; most of this page is sensible practice.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: an evening to decide, a few minutes to say it
Stepping outsideGo outside for a few minutes, ideally somewhere with trees, grass or sky. Short time in nature lifts mood in studies, but most tested 10 minutes or more.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 4 minutes
Talking about moneyMoney arguments tend to come back and stay unresolved. Talk about it on purpose, at a calm time, about one decision, and start gently. The how-to advice is mostly untested.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 30 minutes, once a month
Too many decisionsCut the number of small choices with defaults and routines, aim for good enough on things that don't matter much, and save your attention for the few that do.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 20 minutes
Writing down the worryWrite the worry on paper, add one next step and a time to deal with it later. Some trials support setting worry aside like this, but results are mixed and one famous study didn't replicate.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 3 minutes