I don’t know about you, but I love experiencing joy in my life!
Sometimes, however, I find that the situations that occur in my life trigger thoughts and reactions within me that are not particularly joyful. In fact, sometimes I can get downright sluggish or even ornery when things aren’t going my way. And when that happens, I am quick to forget what happiness actually feels like, and after a while, I start to miss it. Can you relate?
Well, the suggestions in this article are just a sampling of some of the things I’ve done in the past to help me reconnect to my joy and to start smiling again. I invite you to try some or all of them! Engaging in these suggestions is like pressing a secret internal button that automatically turns on my inner joy machine!
After you’ve tried a few of these ideas, see if you can come up with some new ideas of your own. All you have to do is remember previous situations in your life in which you experienced joy, and see what you can do to recreate circumstances that brought those situations into existence.
Here Are 10 Ways to Make Yourself Happy:
- Write a list of at least 5 things you really love about yourself. Put some serious thought into this and don’t hold back. Once your list is complete, spend some time reflecting on these things and really appreciating yourself.
- Attend a meditation class and spend at least 30 minutes in silent meditation just being with yourself.
- Hand out appreciation cards to everyone you know. Then hand out a few more to people you don’t know.
- Go for a walk on a clear, moonless night. Give yourself an opportunity to really love the stars and notice how amazing you feel about your own special place in the universe.
- Treat yourself to a 90-minute full-body, deep-tissue massage. As soon as you are done, while you are still noticing how great you feel, book an appointment for another one no more than two weeks later.
- Invite some friends out on a play date. Make sure it’s something really fun like indoor skydiving, kite flying, go-karting, or just splashing around in a pool.
- Think about ONE (and only one) thing you dislike about yourself. Now turn it around and list all of the reasons this is a fantastic quality. Think of all the ways this quality actually serves you. Believe it or not, this will really put a smile on your face.
- Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and repeat the words “I Love You” slowly, but steadily for 10 minutes. Do this at least once a day for a week. Make sure you actually believe you!
- Eat nothing but whole, organic, non-GMO, non-processed foods for a whole week. Your body will smile all over!
- Think of a friend or loved one you’ve been out of touch with for quite a while. Reach out with a phone call and just let that person know you’ve been thinking about him/her, and see what happens.
Make the Most of Your Experience:
As you try each of these ideas, take some time to write in your journal about your internal experience. What did you like about this exercise? What did you dislike about it? How can you bring more joy into your own life?
And, please, don’t forget to share some of the ways you make yourself happy in the comments section below.
-David
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