“Every day everyone needs something to look forward to. . . . It can be social, physical, or whatever one likes to do and takes comfort in.” In one study from the journal Applied Research In Quality Of Life, researchers found that planning a trip elicits just as much happiness as actually going on the vacation.”
Happiness
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Put Watching the News on a Diet
Avoid news overdose. The news is an important way to stay connected to what’s happening in the world. It can be educational, entertaining and even uplifting. Unfortunately, the news is too frequently bombarded with stories of suffering. These stories can skew your view of the world and cause you to focus on your worst fears, instead of recognizing the good that surrounds you. You can’t avoid these stories altogether, but try to minimize your exposure when you can, especially during trying times.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Crying is Okay
Cry if you need to—for a while.
Some people are more emotional than others. But repressing your emotions doesn’t always help. If you do repress them, it’s like holding a beach ball under the water. You can do it for a while, but it will eventually come back to the surface—and sometimes in an explosive manner. So have a good cry once in a while. Let the emotions out in order to help yourself think more clearly afterwards.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Be Kind to Yourself
Treating ourselves with kindness
When we fail to meet our own standards, we are often much harsher and more cruel to ourselves than we ever would be to a friend, or even someone we don’t like very much. Self-compassion reverses that pattern. In moments of difficulty or when making mistakes (especially when making mistakes), you treat yourself as you would treat a good friend in the same situation – with encouragement, sympathy, patience, and gentleness.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ The Cheap Date
A Cheap Date and Long Conversations – A winning combo
Getting out with someone you trust and sharing thoughts is a great way to feel good. “Knowing you are valued by others is important for helping you think more positively. Plus, being more trusting can increase your emotional well-being because as you get better at finding the positive aspects in other people, you become better at recognizing your own.”
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Happiness Surrounds You
Does what you see make you happy? It might be an extraordinary landscape or your child playing. It might even be the sight of lovers embracing. Whatever it is that captures your attention, make note of how it warms your heart.
Today’s Poem ~ My Love’s Gift
My Love’s Gift
Juliana Horatia Ewing
You ask me what–since we must part–
You shall bring home to me;
Bring back a pure and faithful heart,
As true as mine to thee.
I ask not wealth nor fame,
I only ask for thee,
Thyself–and that dear self the same–
My love, bring back to me!
You talk of gems from foreign lands,
Of treasure, spoil, and prize.
Ah, love! I shall not search your hands,
But look into your eyes.
I ask not wealth nor fame,
I only ask for thee,
Thyself–and that dear self the same–
My love, bring back to me!
You speak of glory and renown,
With me to share your pride,
Unbroken faith is all the crown
I ask for as your bride.
I ask not wealth nor fame,
I only ask for thee,
Thyself–and that dear self the same–
My love, bring back to me!
You bid me with hope’s eager gaze
Behold fair fortune come.
I only dream I see your face
Beside the hearth at home.
I ask not wealth nor fame,
I do but ask for thee!
Thyself–and that dear self the same–
May God restore to me!
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Kindness, The Glue to Loving Relationships
Love’s Glue: Kindness
Kindness, on the other hand, glues couples together. Research independent from theirs has shown that kindness (along with emotional stability) is the most important predictor of satisfaction and stability in a marriage. Kindness makes each partner feel cared for, understood, and validated—feel loved. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea,” says Shakespeare’s Juliet. “My love as deep; the more I give to thee, / The more I have, for both are infinite.” That’s how kindness works too: there’s a great deal of evidence showing the more someone receives or witnesses kindness, the more they will be kind themselves, which leads to upward spirals of love and generosity in a relationship.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Finding Happiness
Finding Happiness
We can find happiness when we turn not just to nature but to one another: to our friends, our families—children, husbands, and wives—to those mundane and sustaining relationships. And we remember surely, not just to count our blessings but to recall also our griefs: those loved ones we have lost but have continued to cherish. Joy then becomes an act of courage, a leap of faith, and we remember that the world is worth loving, that happiness is there for us to grasp.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Time to de-Stress
To reduce stress, try to simplify your life — exercise, take nature walks, practice deep-breathing techniques and maybe even meditation. If you absolutely cannot handle the burdens of your daily life without becoming overly stressed, consider seeing a psychologist. Not only will overcoming your stress make you healthier, it will also improve your life in other ways. Going through life worried, anxious and never being able to relax and enjoy yourself is a big waste.
I like to ask myself, “What’s REALLY important here? I find that completing a checklist is not as important as learning to accept and flow with my day.
