THE BASICS OF BEING HAPPY…
Quick tips for holding onto happiness in the new year!!!
So often women find themselves in my office because they have lost their “happy”. We have all kinds of profound conversations about what triggered the deep sadness, or anxiety, and what is contributing to it now. We often explore old patterns and look at toxic relationships. We examine their give and receive ratio (how much they are giving out to others, and how much they are allowing themselves to receive). However, when it comes to feeling better quickly, we always have to go back to the basics….
- SMILE often and especially in the mirror! Yes, you are going to feel ridiculous, so just get over itJ Muscle memory is a powerful thing, and you have every happy, joyful feeling stored in your cheek muscles. So every time you go to smile, even if you aren’t in a particularly happy mood, you are triggering JOY. The same way watching a fast food commercial can trigger a terrible craving for a mountain of French fries, smiling will trigger happy feelings. Even better if you do it while looking in the mirror. When you see yourself smiling, you are sending a powerful message to your subconscious mind that you are happy! Your subconscious receives this info and then acts accordingly by sending out the powerful happy chemicals like serotonin! Who doesn’t want that?!
- At the beginning of your day, intend to BE HAPPINESS. Take a minute in the morning in the shower to picture yourself throughout your day HAPPY. What does happiness today look like, sound like, feel like? Intend for nothing to get in the way of your happiness. Intend to spread this happiness everywhere you go today. Choose to spread positivity and be intentional about not going to the dark side (no complaining, criticizing, or negative statements today)!
- Dress in colors that make you feel HAPPY, JOYOUS, & BEAUTIFUL! Colors are one of the fastest ways to invite in new and happy energy. When you are getting dressed in the morning, if your priority is to be happy, you should choose colors that make you feel happy.
- Take 2 minutes out of your day to have compassion for yourself. Most women look at me with a confused look when I say this….it’s alright if you are feeling confused a bit about what this looks like. Stay with me! Take 2 minutes or more to sit down by yourself and think about all that you have accomplished or dealt with today. Put your hand over your heart and intend to send yourself some love. The same way you would put an arm around a friend to comfort them. If you are a visual person, picture your love as a color. Send yourself bright pink and breath in this love and compassion in and out, until you are surrounded completely in this color.
- Give yourself reminders around your house, office, and car, of your intentions to be happy. You might write, “Today, I choose to live in limitless JOY!” on the bathroom mirror. A good rule of thumb for any affirmation is that you say it to yourself, and then you take a deep breath and breathe it in to the deepest part of your soul, and say it again after your exhalation.
- GET MOVING! It doesn’t matter how you choose to do it, but choose to do it for 30mins a day. You can dance, do some yoga, go for a walk or run, but get your body moving. When your body is getting some healthy movement once per day, it is physically healthier and is better equipped to hold onto that happy feeling!
Happiness is a vibration like anything else. It is an unconditional friend that will always come back to you when it is invited. Intend to live it today, and watch how quickly you enjoy the benefits of its presence. You so deserve in every way to be happy!
LOVE, LOVE LOVE AND HAPPINESS TO YOU!
Erin Williams, LMSW, BCD, CHt
Hi Erin and Nancy,
Great!!! Happiness can be everyone’s when they chose it. I like starting out with a smile. Smiles do make you feel better.
Number 3 is the one I like the most. I have never understood way people would dress in dull colors. Wearing happy colors just make you feel good inside and out.
Thanks again and you both have a very happy day. i am going to!
Blessing always,
Debbie
Debbie recently posted..The Zen of Friendship in your Relationship
Hi Erin & Nancy,
My Happy is my Friend. The Art of happiness is lost on many. Reasons are invented to avoid happiness…..more’s the pity.Thankyou for your pointers, being Happy is definitely a mindset…..and a Choice.
be good to yourselves
David
David Stevens recently posted..Living Life Today – When adding some “greed”, can actually help
Unhappy people are people who keep making up stories to cement their unhappiness. The best ‘story’ of all, rarely spoken yet lurking in every unhappy person, is that happy people are so only because they lack the sensibility and intelligence to be unhappy. When unhappy people run out of reasons to be unhappy, they turn to TV, as it were, for inspiration. Fearful of actual change, all a true sufferer really wants is a means to be more happily unhappy. Your quick tips will definitively scratch their itch.
Beat Schindler recently posted..It Has Never Always Been That Way
Funny, Erin, that you talk about color.
When the weather is dreary and cold, I put on something red. It really changes how I feel.
Today, we are going to have our second snowstorm this week. The first thing I put on today when I got dressed was a red sweater.
I am ready for it.
This is a very uselful post. Thanks, Erin.
Corinne Edwards recently posted..ARE WE SPIRITUAL YET? – Paperback and on Kindle
Hi Beat, Thank you for this post. I am always debunking the myth that happy people are misinformed people. You put it so eloquently. Happiness is most certainly a choice obtained by intentionally happy people. Blessings to you! @Beat Schindler
Hi Corinne, How are you? I believe color has so many healing properties! Lately, I have been visualizing myself surrounded by a bubble of bright pink. Silly to some for sure, but our brain doesn’t know the difference of whether we are actually looking at a color that makes us happy or thinking about that color. It still acts accordingly by sending out the happy chemicals. Red is such a powerful and vibrate color, symbolizing life force energy. Red must be your color! How wonderful! Blessings to you! Erin @Corinne Edwards
Hi David, Love love your comment! I love to think about living in happiness as an art. Thank you! Erin@David Stevens
Hi Debbie, your posts seem to have the same vibration as sunshine! I love hearing what you have to say, it always makes me feel so good. You are a blessing to those that know you. Thank you for your comment!
Most Sincerely, Erin @Debbie
Happiness first then success. Most have it the other way around. Most think they will find happiness in the path to success. It is never found. It is not something you pick up along the way it is something we choose. It comes down to choice.
Nicole Rushin recently posted..The Comforts of Home
Hi Erin,
These are some of the most beautiful and helpful reminders to experience more happiness. I will share your post in hope that it reaches many women and help them love themselves more everyday. As Nicole says, Happiness first then success.
Nathalie Villeneuve recently posted..Build Yourself a Quiet Room in Your Mind
You’re right. I always stress the importance taking time out for yourself. We rush around too much, saying we haven’t got time for this and that. The fact is that we fill up our time with nonsense. Even if we’re working 12 hours a day, it’s possible to take 10 minutes to reflect, relax and recuperate.
I like what you said about wearing colours that make you happy. It also applies to underwear
Anne recently posted..Celebs With Body Confidence
@Nathalie Villeneuve
Hi Nathalie, thank you for the beautiful message! Thanks for spreading the happiness! Joy to you, Erin
Hi Anne, loved your comment! So true about underwear! Putting on pretty undies in the morning is a quick way to connect with your inner Goddess! Thanks for the reminder. Wishing you bliss, Erin@Anne
Great tips. Made me more happy just reading them.
I especially like #4 – having compassion for yourself. Happiness starts from within and giving yourself some compassion and love is sure to make you happy. It’s much easier to sit around and beat ourselves up over stuff – isn’t it? But doing the opposite is where the happiness really lies.
Kari recently posted..5 Common False Assumptions about Depression