Life Has its Ups and Downs
One minute you are on top of the world; getting high-fives from your boss at work, your relationship is full of romance and promise and you feel healthy and strong. But suddenly, on the turn of a dime, the earth shakes and you tumble down from your happy place on top of the world as you’re laid off at work, or your love life hits an insurmountable wall, and the stress of it all robs you of your health and wellness and makes you sick. This is life, full of peaks and valleys, fast-forward and rewind, rinse and repeat.
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Feeling happy is the #1 most common thing that people say they want in their lives. But why is happiness so important? Here are just a few of the benefits.
10 Reasons to Be Happy
- Greater success and productivity at work
- Makes you healthier
- Promotes longevity
- It’s contagious to your friends and community
- Allows deeper relationships with others
- Encourages creativity
- Enhances our ability to problem solve
- Promotes a greater purpose and meaning in life
- Makes life feel easier
- Feels great!
Happiness can be hard to maintain as the world around us shifts out of our control in ways that create stress and apprehension. So what do we do when life hits and knocks us from happy into sad, anxious and depressed? Do you crawl into bed with your cat and take a cat nap? That’s not a bad idea but I suggest something more proactive.
Create Your Happy List
When you are feeling in a good place or when the inspiration strikes you is a great time to write down the things that make you happy and that you love to do. Another way is to get a stopwatch and sit down with a pad of paper and pen. Set the timer for 10 minutes, hit the button and don’t stop writing until the timer stops. Write down the things you love to do, the activities that make you happy, and don’t stop writing.
Here are just a few items on my happy list.
Carlyn’s Happy List
Hug Ken
Cuddle with my dogs
Dance to The Happy Song
Go for a car ride with Rudy
Watch the deer outside my door
Call my sister
Ride my bike
Play with my cats
Have lunch with a good friend
Look at the night sky
Watch a romantic comedy with animals
Smelling rose oil
Looking through old photo albums
Re-read a favorite book
Take a day trip with my Rudy
Lay on the grass and look up at the clouds
Put my feet in the sand
Feel the sunshine
Watch the sunset
Surround myself with my real life and stuffed animals and take a cat nap
Once your timer stops, put your pen down. Feel free to add to it whenever you are inspired again. Put the list next to your bed and the next time you wake up out of sorts or feel the sky is falling in around you, reach for your list and do one or more of these items. You may not get to “happy” instantly but what if you are able to get from sad to smiling, or from anxious to calm by doing something that you love to do?
As an acupuncturist and plant-based nutritional consultant, I counsel my patients on the most natural and effective ways that we can enhance our health. As an animal-human health expert, I also incorporate how our animal friends can help us reach a place of feeling healthier, happier, and more extraordinary. As you can see, my cats and dogs are on my happy list and I keep adding more things to the list that strengthen our relationship together.
Don’t wait to make a list when you are feeling sad. Make your list now when the sun is shining and your tail is wagging. And make sure that you include your pets on that list. After all, if it was their list, you would be at the very top,
Stay Pawsitive!
Carlyn
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Thanks, great article.