Other than today being the first day of spring (not that it feels like it in Philadelphia) it is also International Day of Happiness. In honor of International Day of Happiness I am giving you four things to do to feel happier now.
- Be kind to yourself. This actually makes the list of some of the best advice I’ve ever received. We are really hard on ourselves. Most of us engage in negative self-talk. We rehash conversations where we said the wrong thing or didn’t say what we should have over and over again. We make mistakes and then beat ourselves up over it. I bet right now most of us are upset with ourselves over something. Give yourself a break. You are not perfect and no one expects you to be. You messed up. Decide you’ll do better next time and let it go. Be kind to yourself instead of your own worst critic.
- Help or do something nice for someone. I know your busy and overwhelmed with your life and to do list. Just trust me. Take a few minutes and do something for someone else. Buy someone a cup of coffee. Give someone a complement. Help someone with a task that is overwhelming them. This will get your mind off of things that may be weighing you down. You will brighten someone else’s day which will in turn brighten yours. Also helping someone else will remind you that you bring value to the world and we all need to feel valued.
- Practice Gratitude. Sometimes we feel like nothing is going right or our way. It’s simply not true. While you could be having a really rough time I guarantee there are a few things that are still going right in your life. Take a few minutes and write down 3 or 4 things that are going good. This won’t necessarily make the tough things easier but it will help you with your perspective to remember that other things are going well.
- Re-frame it! Sometimes there could be something that is really overwhelming and brining you down. You may have to make an effort to change how you view it and what you choose to focus on. I will use my current situation as an example. I am 38, overweight, 34 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Recently my doctors have started to order a bunch of tests and monitoring of me and my baby and it has been really upsetting. It made me feel super anxious and afraid to the point of crying in my car after two different doctor’s appointments. To get out of that sad space I decided to reframe this. The situation itself has not changed and it is still scary. However instead of focusing on the scary part I am focusing on the fact that my doctors are being super attentive, I get to see the baby more often and I am not getting to hear his heart beat every few days. Those things make me smile. Like is said the situation hasn’t changed but I’m re-framing it to change my focus.
Put these tips into action whenever you need a Joy pick me up to feel happier. Which ones will you focus for International Day of Happiness.
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