Remember How Far You’ve Come
While most advice you hear says that if you want to be happy you need to forget about the negative things in the past, researchers at the University of California, Davis found the opposite to be true. When you take time to remember the challenges you’ve overcome, it can heighten your feelings of gratitude in the present. The key is to focus on being grateful for the progress you’ve made instead of resenting the ways difficult times have held you back.
feeling good
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ 10 Ways to Lighten Up
10 Ways To Feel Good
- Laugh out loud
- Listen to music
- Stretch
- Be thankful
- Read for fun
- Daydream
- Remember all the good things about yourself
- Create a collage representing “The Real Me”
- Write a poem
- Reward yourself
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ You Are Important
Value Yourself
Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. Make time for your hobbies and favorite projects, or broaden your horizons. Do a daily crossword puzzle, plant a garden, take dance lessons, learn to play an instrument or become fluent in another language.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Lighten Up
Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. Balance in life is important for maintaining emotional health. Too much emphasis on work causes stress as well as wear and tear on the body and mind. Take time off; go to the beach, the park or a movie to take your mind off your current quandaries. Chances are when you come back you will see things from a fresher, more productive perspective.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it.” Jack Handey
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ 10 Things That Make Us Feel Good
Choices to Help You Feel Good Today
1. Sleeping in a freshly-made bed
2. Feeling the sun on your face
3. People saying “thank you” or a random act of kindness from a stranger
4. Finding money in unexpected places
5. Having time to myself
6. Laughing so hard it hurts
7. Snuggling on the sofa with a loved one
8. Freshly-made bread
9. Doing something for others
10. The clean feeling after a shower
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Keeping Busy is a Good Thing
Staying busy can be stressful, but not when you fill your calendar with things you love doing. According to 2008 study published in the journal Social Indicators Research, spending less time in front of the TV and more time doing things you love will make you much happier overall. In fact, unhappy people were 51 percent more likely to feel like they have toomuch extra time on their hands. So get out there and do something fun.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Love Others
When we show love and compassion to other people, it releases chemicals in the pre-frontal cortex and reward center of the brain that professionals refer to as the “Helper’s High.” People who help others report many positive mental and physical health benefits, including lower levels of stress, lower blood pressure, and relief from depression and physical pain. Research also shows that those who engage in altruistic behavior not only have a higher quality of life, but they also live longer.1 Engaging in some type of regular volunteer activity on at least a monthly basis, or just spending more time doing loving, kind things for the people in your life, helps get you out of your own head, creates well-being for others, and makes you feel good about yourself.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Keep Learning
Never Stop Learning
Learn from everyone and everything. Be like a kid in the candy store and learn from everybody around you. . . .Learn from every one. . . . Never close your mind. Stay open to new worlds and new possibilities.
🤗Feel Good Hack ~ Forest Bathing
Breathe in Nature
We all know how good being in nature can make us feel. We have known it for centuries. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the sunlight playing through the leaves, the fresh, clean air — these things give us a sense of comfort. They ease our stress and worry, help us to relax and to think more clearly. Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Get Organize
It might seem like an annoying task, but once you organize aspects of your life, it’s usually followed by serenity and a feeling of relief. “Clearing up old emails, old notes, and straightening up your work area will clear your head and boost productivity,” says Shaheen. “Take 15 minutes at the end of each work week, before you leave for the weekend. This is even more important if you work from home.”
An aside: I live alone and use a rule (I made it up) to stay organized or neat. I call it the twenty second rule. Most things only take a few seconds to complete, e.g., hanging up a bath towel, tossing the laundry in the washer. I think Babe watches me from Heaven and makes sure I’m staying organized. LOL.
