I am not at all an expert in the happiness category – I have not studied it nor am I claiming to be 100% happy all the time, however; I have heard of ways that can increase your happiness that does not require a lot of money and want to share what I’ve heard. Some of these things I practice and others I have on my list to try, so you pick the easiest one for you to get started and expand from there.
Tip 101: At the end of each day, once all nightly routines have been completed and right before you cut off the light you should write down one thing that happened that day that was good. It can be something as small as leaving work 10 minutes early to avoid traffic, finishing a book that you’ve been reading, finding $1 in your pocket – whatever the good thing that happened, write it down. Literally, write it down – not type it on your iPhone or computer but physically write it down. You don’t need a fancy journal to do so, just an old school piece of paper and pen will be sufficient.
Why does it work? It is really easy for all of us to focus on the things that do not go as planned in our lives and dwell on that. We are really quick to relay bad things that happened to us, even if they are the smallest problems, yet we rarely spend time discussing the good things.
Ending the day reflecting on the good things that happened that day should reduce stress, make you go to sleep sooner, and allow you to reflect on the good instead of pondering on the bad. We have so much to be thankful for and we should give ourselves a few minutes each day to write them down.
Love, Brown Girl
“Happiness is a habit – cultivate it.” – Elbert Hubbard