Trying to figure out how you can have a positive impact on the world can feel difficult, which in turn can lead you to feel as though there isn't all that much you can do at all – an unpleasant and hopeless feeling, and one that might not be as true as it appears. When it comes to your own lifestyle, turning your attention towards how you can live sustainably is one option that you have, and it's something that can allow you to be a part of a greater, wider change.

1. Day-to-Day Lifestyle Shifts

One of the biggest impacts that your lifestyle might have in terms of sustainability could be energy usage. When you work using electricity, and then relax afterwards using electricity, it can be difficult to find any wiggle room. It might become about how you can mix up your evening, including what you're used to on some days but embracing non-digital pastimes on others.

Reusable items can also form a strong area of improvement. If you're someone who uses a lot of one-time plastics or other items, shifting to reusable options can be transformative. While at times this might just feel like you're making more work for yourself, part of this process is understanding the kind of personal sacrifice that you're going to want to make for the sake of your values.

2. Dietary Options

To many people, food is a defining aspect of their day. The meals can mark events that they look forward to in a regular workday, and the idea of overhauling that aspect of life can be daunting. What if the meals you make in an effort to eat sustainably aren't as enjoyable as what you're having so far? Well, while that's a worthwhile concern, it's important to note that change doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you identify the foods that are the most potentially damaging to the environment, then you can begin to simply minimize your intake – even if it's something that you enjoy regularly, working it down from an everyday treat to an every-week occurrence.

3. Renewable Energy

There are other changes that you can make that are more fixed – something that you do once and then mark a change in your life. The most noteworthy of these in this case might be how you can shift to a renewable source of energy, such as solar. In the UK, it's becoming increasingly commonplace to see houses with solar panels atop them, and yours could be one of them. However, in order to see if this is feasible for your situation, it's worth conducting some research into roofs suitable for solar panels, so that you can understand if yours' is one of them before you take the next steps.

4. Volunteering Action

Maybe you're hoping to step outside of your immediate sphere so that the changes you make can be felt more broadly by other people. There might be a local area near to you that frequently sees a lot of waste disposal or fly tipping, and that might mean that there are local groups committed to cleaning it up. However, it might also be less about tackling problems and more about creating something positive – like working on a local green space to improve it for residents.

Outside of the environmental and social benefits that this can have, volunteering is also something that can be good for you and your mental health – working as a way to make friends and provide you with a therapeutic outlet.

5. A New Line of Work

However, it could also be that you're hoping the changes that you make in your life can have more dramatic changes for the rest of the world. After all, if you're really trying to make a positive impact, you don't just want to affect your own life – you want to see your efforts ripple out and positively impact other lives. If that's the case, it might be that the best thing to do is look for a new line of work in a profession that can make this kind of change.

In regards to sustainability, in particular, this could lead you toward environmental groups that focus their work on conservation, renewable energy or cleaning up natural spaces. It could also be that you want to get involved in policy so that change can reach positions of power. It's important that you look at what kind of work your particular skillset will suit.