March 09th, 2021

A Conversation About Happiness...

Good afternoon!

If you're new here, welcome! 

How are you feeling this week?

What have been your biggest wins? 

What hasn't gone so well? What lessons have you taken away from these experiences? Are you ready to let them go now?

If you can, spend some time journalling your answers to the questions above. 

So, since this Sunday is International Day of Happiness, I wanted to share my advice on how to be happier!

Firstly, what is happiness? Well, the team at Cambridge think that happiness is...

feeling, showing or causing pleasure or satisfaction.

Did anyone else read that definition and think, "is that all?".

To me, happiness is a "state of being" rather than just a feeling. I don't think it possible to be in this "state" all of the time, but I think that there are things we can do to try to spend more time in a "state of happiness", than in other, less helpful states. 

Here are some of my top tips for feeling and being happier:

1. Daily Gratitude - I can't stress to you enough how much cultivating a daily gratitude practice changed my perspective on life. Once I made the commitment to feel grateful for life's pleasures each day, however basic those things may have been (my morning coffee, a gentle breeze, the smile from the shop assistant...), I began to notice myself feeling increasingly more thankful for life's challenges too. Spend 15-minutes at the beginning and end of each day considering the things you're grateful for and see how your outlook changes.

2. Daily Joy - I've said it before and I'll say it again... Do one thing each day that brings you joy, and try to change it up throughout the week! Doing things you love releases endorphins (happy chemicals), so it's a no-brainer really. It can be a small as a bubble bath, as big as a day out... And anything in between.

3. Daily Reflection - This goes hand in hand with gratitude practice, but the idea here is to mentally reflect (or use a journal) on your day - including any wins, any lessons and any thoughts that have been whizzing around your mind. The point is to let go of anything that isn't serving you, so that you can start each day with a fresh, new outlook. 

Give them a go and let me know what you think. 

To clarify, if you struggle with a mental health disorder, including personality disorders, depression or anxiety, please consult a medical professional for support. These tips may not help you.

If you're struggling at all, please remember you aren't alone. You are welcome to contact me and the HappiMe team, or check out some of the amazing organisations that are also there to help you. They can be found here. 

If you’d like some useful tips for building confidence, self-esteem and self-worth in your children, please feel free to contact me here.

​I hope this blog helped you in some way.

I aim to post every Tuesday, but don't worry - if you're following us on our socials, you will get a reminder there. 

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Take care,

Abby and the HappiMe Team x