Incorporate simple pleasures. Your routine should include things that make you happy – a cup of tea, a scented candle, background music. Little pleasures can relax you and improve your mood.
Note: I enjoy the first sip of coffee each morning. I’ve got in the habit of becoming aware of all of the flavors in the coffee. That first sip announces to my brain, “Ray, you’re going to have a great day!” Try it.
Now what shall I —
Stay home or roam?
“Roam”, Pleasure said;
And Joy — “stay home.”
Now shall I dance,
Or sit for dreams?
“Sit,” answers Joy;
“Dance,” Pleasure screams.
Which of ye two
Will kindest be?
Pleasure laughed sweet,
But Joy kissed me.
I Taught Myself to Live Simply
Anna Akhmatova
I taught myself to live simply and wisely, to look at the sky and pray to God, and to wander long before evening to tire my superfluous worries. When the burdocks rustle in the ravine and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops I compose happy verses about life's decay, decay and beauty. I come back. The fluffy cat licks my palm, purrs so sweetly and the fire flares bright on the saw-mill turret by the lake. Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof occasionally breaks the silence. If you knock on my door I may not even hear.
Self-compassion is about learning to be kind to yourself and to be self-forgiving of the flaws we all have and the mistakes we all make as human beings. It is the ultimate form of self-love and a prerequisite to real self-confidence. Many people are so controlled by their inner critic that they find the idea of self-compassion to be something they don’t deserve.
They say you can fake it until you make it, and the same theory works with happiness. A 2012 study published in Psychological Science found that faking a smile and pretending to be happy when you feel stressed can actually decrease your stress levels, making you more joyful.
