Sunday 27 April 2014

365 Days Happy

You will have probably seen recently the new craze hitting social media platforms such as Instagram and Twiter: the 100 Day Happy Challenge. You have to find one thing in your day for 100 days that makes you truly happy. I absolutely love this - except I thought to myself, why only 100 days? Why not try a whole year?

This challenge comes at a very important time in my life: for a little while I've felt a bit down in the dumps, but without really realising and addressing any issues. Once you're in the 'dumps' it's a little tricky to get out- it can sometimes be a comfortable place to be and it's then easier to look at the bad things rather than the good. Sometimes though you've got to get yourself out from under your warm and comfortable duvet and jump out of bed. Big changes don't happen by staying in your comfort zone. And that is why I've been making an effort over the past few days to write down at least 5 good things that happen each day.

For some, it may seem a bit tricky to even find one thing that you've done to make you happy that day. However, if you really sit down and think about it and challenge yourself to dig deeper you may even find 20 things that have really made you smile.

These 'fun things' can range from things inviting your best friend over, things that you've succeeded at such as learning some vocabulary in a new language, running 2k longer than you normally do, losing some weight or doing a difficult task that you've been meaning to do for a while. Think about what you've done well at today, or what other people have said you've done well in today. I even dare you to congratulate yourself. Give yourself a break and actually be nice to yourself - I promise you you'll feel worlds better.

These little things sound so utterly simple but when you're feeling a bit rubbish your brain just doesn't recognise them, in fact your mind can even edit and wipe out all the good things completely! This is because when you're only looking for the bad things, you can't accept the good.

So, I challenge you my gorgeous readers, to find at least 5 things that you've done today to make you smile, and I will do the same. It is absolutely possible to be 365 days happy.

I have come up with my top 3 things to do that make me really happy and feel great... just in case you need a bit of inspiration.

NESTLE

I very much agree with the 'a tidy house makes for a tidy mind' idea. There is nothing better to de-clutter your mind than to de-clutter your home. Put one day a side to really clean your house or apartment. Throw away all of the stuff you don't use (or even better- put it in a big black bag for charity), dust down those shelves, untangle the jewellery away and fold your clothes. Doesn't that feel better already?

Once you've cleared your wardrobe, swept all nonsense off your floors and shelves, wash your sheets. Make your bed with brand new fresh sheets and make sure you put in some extra fabric conditioner to make it smell really fresh. Plump up those pillows, air the duvet and make your bed your sleeping cloud.


Right, now you've down the hard part. Next, light a scented candle. Sometimes they can be pretty pricey but it's best to get a big one that's going to last a while, and a scent that you are happy filling your house with. The cheaper ones can be quite sickly cheapy scents so it's better to really invest.

So, I can picture it now. Beautiful tidy room, made bed ready to jump into, lit candle in the corner. Congratulations!!!! You have nested. Now before you really start to nestle into your bed, make sure that your laptop and phone is off. I know that sometimes the nicest thing to do is turn off your brain by watching Graham Norton or some Channel 4 documentary however I would really advise against it. If you watch a program before bed, I assure you your brain will not switch off for a little while after you finally turn it off. It will be spinning around and won't finally relax for another half an hour. The best thing to do is to read a book, magazine, do some sudoku or just do something than doesn't involve any electronics. Get into the habit of leaving your electronics in another room. Your bedroom should be our haven.


BE ACTIVE

What makes you even more tired? Doing absolutely nothing. Don't get me wrong- there are some days when it's good to sit around and not to much. When I say that though, that doesn't mean sit on the sofa and really do nothing. I guarantee by the end of the day you will be feeling worse than when you actually started. Get up and do something, even if this is just going for a 20 minute walk you will feel far more energised. Also you'll feel like you've achieved something, even if its small.


From experience, the days that I've felt really rubbish are the days that I haven't achieved anything. Making lists is a great way to identify all of the good and active things that you've done in one day. Write down even the littlest of chores that you want to achieve in a day. This can be, doing the laundry, or writing a thank you letter to going on a run, doing an essay or telephoning a family member. By writing a list you immediately give yourself direction for the day and will once you've finished, you'll be happy you've done all those little things you've been meaning to do for a while.

BE NICE 

So super easy, but rarely done. Why do we always give ourselves such a hard time? And I don't just mean to other people, but also to yourself. For some reason, a lot of us criticise and torture ourselves over what other people think, or the way we look or even how rubbish we are at a certain something. Most of it isn't even true. To start off, concentrate on the things that you are good at. Are you an excellent organiser? Do you thrive in social situations? Do you have an incredible sense of style? Tell yourself that. If you don't genuinely believe it then no one else will. I often ask people what they really love about themselves and it's strange how many people can't even tell me one thing. There are more than enough nasty people in the world to tell you you're crap at something. Be the nice one!


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