Last week I heard there was a national wellness day. I find it curious why we have a day for happiness, wellness or meditation. Just one day? These are things we should be doing everyday. This goes back to my SPICE of life where I say do a check in every day. Where are you in your spiritual practice, physical, intellectual pursuits, connections with others, and emotional well- being? When you pay attention to the SPICE in your life you can see where you may need to spend a bit more time so you can take care of your whole being.
Happiness is a daily practice. I once had a client come in and ask me if I could just give her a happiness pill! Hmmmm no, it doesn’t work that way. You need to use the tools as a daily practice and work it over and over again until it becomes second nature. I assure you it will over time.
Find one thing every day that makes you happy. It’s easy to be negative. Rick Hanson says,
“In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones.”
This is why it is important to pay attention to the good that does happen every day in your life, savor it, tell someone about it, just enjoy the micro moments.
Meditate once a day just to calm your brain. It doesn’t have to be long, just do it. Watch your thoughts passing by and in time you will see how you are calmer and more focused. It helps you become a more resilient person as well as so many other researched benefits.
Exercise has been shown to be as powerful as prozac. So if you are ever down or anxious get out and go for a walk. If you can do it in nature even better! If not put on your favorite upbeat play list and go for a walk. I guarantee your mood will be lifted.
These are just a couple of tools in my positive psychology tool box. You have a choice and within you is the power to choose happiness every day. What do you choose? Tell me, how do you choose happiness every day?