Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
Happiness, of course, is subjective. The list of what promotes my joy and feelings of well-being is going to look different from yours. It truly is self-awareness and exploration of various actions, relationships, places, and attitudes that show us what we need and want. Additionally, it’s not likely that we will be happy 24/7 and love everything that is in our lives. That said, it’s up to each of us to bring as much happiness to our world as we can. It’s a choice, first, and it’s taking action on what you decide you want. Here are some small actions I find to promote happiness every day.
Do Something Nice for Yourself
Commit to doing something nice for yourself each day. Pretend you are your own best friend (which you should be) and don’t hold back on the care and attention. It could be treating yourself to a chocolate muffin, flowers, a new outfit or taking a relaxing bath. Even better, put these daily self-care actions on your calendar so you don’t miss them.
Exercise
Your health is one of the most important things you have. It also a large part of your mental state and mood. Exercise is excellent for boosting your mood and can promote happiness every day. It’s important to find activities and forms of exercise that you love. This can feel doubly blissful as it brings enjoyment and releases the “feel good” chemicals in your body. Not to mention, how happy you’ll be when you look in the mirror.
Sing
Listening to music is known to affect our mood and even our energy levels. Of course, the specific emotion we feel can depend on what type of music we listen to. Taking that one step further, consider singing along to your favorite tunes. Not only does this stimulate positive brain activity and chemicals but it helps you to connect to your body and thoughts. And, yes, singing happy songs will likely promote some “happy” feelings.
Get Outside
As humans, we are made to spend a good portion of our time outdoors. Our ancestors actually ate, hunted, gathered, gardened, cooked, socialized, and likely slept outside. Modern culture has shifted our perspective about living and connecting to the earth. Unfortunately, this has negatively affected our health and level of happiness. I recommend getting outside every day, no matter the weather. In warmer climates and seasons, take off your shoes and ground yourself by walking in the grass barefoot.
Relax and Unwind
For many women, going constantly is a daily norm. Between family, work, and other obligations, free time dwindles to, sometimes, mere minutes. Unfortunately, this way of life takes a toll on mood, relationships, productivity, and overall health. Chronic stress can lead to anxiety and depression, as well as a whole slew of illnesses.
I recommend taking time each day to relax between activities. If things have been bad and you are experiencing negative symptoms, there are anxiety exercises to help bring you to a calmer place. When I need to unwind, I love to color, draw, or read. It’s important to set this time aside every day, even if you’re in a great mood already. After all, you want to keep it that way.
Get Social
It’s important to stay connected to loved ones on a regular basis. Our relationships are crucial to our well-being, health, mental state, awareness, and purpose. Even if you’re introverted, social time is necessary for overall happiness. Of course, it might look different from the social time of an extraverted woman. Connect in ways that fit your personality and lifestyle.
Learn Something New
Isn’t it exciting to do and learn new things? That’s because it’s in our nature to explore, expand, and gather information to better ourselves. Simple things like preparing a new recipe or reading up on something you’ve never heard of bring feelings of accomplishment and joy. This is even truer if the info or activity pertains to something that you enjoy doing. Take a class, read a book or just get on YouTube and watch a tutorial video. Think about how much you could learn if you made an effort to do this every day.
