The First H, Happy.

Hello there, today’s topic is..slightly different than the usual weight  loss advice I post on here. I really wanted to take a moment, to explain three words, what they mean to me, and how they’ve changed my life. I won’t spend a whole lot of time talking around it, because we all have some pretty short attention spans nowadays and well..that’s pretty much it, so here we go, the first word I want to explain is happy. 

This one seems simple enough, and is usually a goal for most, from facebook to ads on our streaming channels, it seems everyones chasing happiness, which really is kinda silly, because true happiness doesn’t come from anything outside of ourselves. Being happy is a mindset, a way of viewing your world, often people want to be happy, so they plan events and search for things which give momentary feelings of joy..the problem is, day to day we often must do things which definitely don’t make us happy, and that’s just life. 

So…what’s the secret? Well..I’ve found that gratitude makes me happy. Not just a gratitude list, but actual practise. It took me forever to learn it, and I can admit I’m not perfect at it, everyone has their bad days, and it is okay to not always be okay, however, walking around constantly in a bad mood has so many negative effects that really drag us down in all aspects of life. A mindful daily practise of gratitude can change everything, and I’ve found my own proof that looking for the good in our everyday lives can bring more good in. 

But, how? Like…what steps can you take to weave more happiness into your daily life? 

1. Start your day with your favorite (upbeat) song instead of social media or news. 

The news, Social Media, Phone calls, email. Throw it all out. For the first hour of your day, just leave it all alone. Most of the time when you open up these noisy boxes of opinion and information, it causes us to start our day criticizing, comparing, and trying to funnel through an endless mess of negative and confusing topics or ideas. Instead, turn on your favorite song, one that makes you smile and maybe even dance, and fall in love again with all the things that caught your attention in the first place. Who knows, maybe youtube will take you on a little adventure into the world of wonderful new artists! 

2. Pick your outfit out the night before, and make it something you like to wear. 

Having the right outfit for the day ahead, already picked out and ready to go can be a huge mood booster. Everyone likes to feel comfortable in their clothing, no one likes to rush or feel like their outfit isn’t suitable for their day, and changing out of pajamas can be a great way to wake your brain up a little and help you get excited for the day ahead. 

3. Start a gratitude journal. 

But be real. Don’t just pick a thing or two and write down “I Am grateful for…” What truly helped me was when I began to do my journaling at the end of my day. Right after dinner, before I started to wind down at night, I would sit down with my journal and think of 1 to 3 things that frustrated me or upset me that day. I would write why, then I would write why I should be grateful for it. One huge thing for me was that I was the only one that ever did dishes in a house with 2 other adults. Literally everyday, 2 to 3 times a day. I was getting so mad, one day I actually debated breaking all the dishes. But, through my journaling, I saw that..I should really have been grateful. I did the dishes because I wasn’t working, and I still had a home. There were dirty dishes because we had food and not too long before that we didn’t. Now, it’s a conscious thought to me when I do dishes, that I’m lucky to have grease stains and left over chili to scrape out of bowls. 

4. Make a compliment box. 

This was a fun one that my house did for about 2 months, we were all getting pretty grumpy with each other, and I saw the idea on facebook, something coworkers had done just to make each other smile. So at my house, we each wrote 3 for each other sometime through the week, and on Monday (Our house hold day off) one person would go through and read them all. It was a lot of fun, and we all ended up feeling good, sharing some laughs and quality time together. 

5. Watch or read something funny, often.

I never really took this seriously before. I mean, they say laughter is the best medicine, and most of us would agree, but we rarely make an honest effort to add a bit more comedy to our day. Netflix has an endless supply of stand up comedy for all different tastes, there are pet videos, pranks, whatever makes you giggle. I love watching my videos from the pet collective, and always share them on facebook in hopes of making someone else laugh too. 

6. Help someone less fortunate. 

This may seem wrong to you, but helping someone out can be a great mood booster. Feeling appreciated, needed, and valued can make anyone smile. Seeing someone else smile though, and knowing you have that ability to make someone else’s life a little bit easier is honestly one of the best feelings in the world. This can also go back to gratitude, as we often forget in the midst of our own troubles, that other people are hoping for what we are complaining about. 

7. Do, something that inspires you every week.

We all have that something, whether it’s cooking a special meal, creating your own at home spa day, hiking a trail or simply watching some Youtube Videos of a place we really want to travel, do it. Just once a week, set time aside for something that interests you, gives you a spark, and puts a genuine smile on your face. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips, being happy is one of 3 H’s I try my best to live by, and though I’m not perfect at it, I find that if I give being happy my best, the best kinds of happiness seem to find me.