PERSONAL | 5 WAYS I'M CHOOSING TO BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW

We all know that these are turbulent times, and that there is a LOT of negativity floating around right now. It can really feel suffocating and helpless if you really dive into all of it. Sometimes I feel like it is better to not even engage with it at all…. Enter my better and wiser half…

Matt pointed out to me that ignoring the negativity all together isn’t helpful to the overall conversation. (isn’t he so freaking wise?? yea, its annoying sometimes lol) He pointed out that you don’t want to completely ignore the negative news, insta post, or comment. Because, if done well, these outlets can be very informative. Ok, so we don’t ignore it, and we use it to inform and influence our conversations. Great! But, how do you engage with these outlets in a healthy and constructive way without letting the negativity consume you?

I recently listened to the Skinny Confidential Him and Her podcast episode entitled Misery loves company where they spoke about this very thing. They said that putting more negativity out not only harms you personally, but also the entire conversation. So, how do we navigate these turbulent times together and engage in constructive conversations without letting it chip away at the old glass half full mentality? …..

turn inward and putting a lot of effort into being happy

Yeah, I know. Sounds cliche right? At first yes, but hear me our. Over time by constantly choosing happiness and working on ways to make yourself happy will actually improve your outlook and help you perform better in all areas of life. I’ve been trying this technique for the last month and actually notice a difference!

So, here’s the gist:

do 5 things every day that make you happy.

Sounds easy right? Well, every time you do these 5 things, actually pay attention to the way you feel before doing it, and then after. By registering the change in your mood you are becoming more aware of your mood and are training your brain to come back to this feeling when you are feeling down.

Here are the 5 things I do every single day

to make me happy

Stretch every morning as soon as I wake up -

this is all part of the morning routine by now, and WOW do you feel a difference. Try it! Tomorrow morning take 5 minutes to stretch your body and appreciate what a difference you feel after.

Daily gratitude journal -

this one by Patternity is by far my favorite. There are lots of these sorts of journals out there to pick from. The idea is that you do your journal in the morning, and then at night and list out how you feel at each entry, then 3 things your grateful for, and 3 things that will make your day great! Simple, I know, but it really helps my overall outlook and encourages me to slow down.

Gua Sha -

Rachael what the heck is that. It is my FAVORITE skin care trick. It is a stone that you use to help sculpt your face and encourage lymphatic drainage. Who knows if it actually works, but it feels SOO good. I use this one with their facial oil! You could also do this with a jade roller or a jade stone. Just massage that face!

Wake up 10 minutes early to drink my coffee alone -

If you didn’t already know I am not a morning person. I am always rushing out the door and drink my coffee when I get to work. Well, with working from home I found that I was rolling out of bed, doing my morning routine, and then sitting at my computer to drink my coffee. Not anymore! I wake up 10 minutes earlier every day now to drink a cup of coffee on the couch while Matt is still asleep. Callie usually comes and cuddles with me too. I don’t touch my phone, I don’t turn the TV on. I just SIT there with my cup of Joe and watch the sun rise. I may not even sit for 10 minutes, but this little sliver of time to myself in the morning has really helped me feel much less anxious.

Move my body -

This was one of the first things to go when we started working from home. Without the gym I just didn’t know what to do. I finally found Melissa Wood Health, and have literally changed my whole outlook on working out. Her workouts are Pilates and barre based (aka the muscles I used during my 15 years of competitive dancing were being used again). Almost* every day I roll out my yoga Matt in front of our tv and do a 20-30 min workout with her, and I feel like a NEW woman!! Before it was 95 degrees every day Matt and I would also take Callie on a walk every other day, but poor nugget can’t make it in this heat right now!! Whatever it is, as long as I move my body I feel so much better!

That’s it! Those 5 things really make a huge difference in my happiness. If I don’t do one of them I really do feel like my day is thrown! What things are you going to consciously do every day to make yourself happy?? It could be talking to your Mom, going to bed earlier, not watching as much TV, you name it! As long as you are trying to become happier, you’ll see the difference in your mood.