Practice gratitude
I've been practicing gratitude for a good 3-4 weeks now. I have been writing down 3 things I am grateful for in the morning and 3 things at night. It has become a habit for me and I hope it does for you as well! It will take some re-wiring of your brain, which we will talk about in a minute, but first I want you to envision waking up feeling 10% happier every morning and 10% happier before you go to bed. Sounds pretty cool right?
I've been practicing gratitude for a good 3-4 weeks now. I have been writing down 3 things I am grateful for in the morning and 3 things at night. It has become a habit for me and I hope it does for you as well! It will take some re-wiring of your brain, which we will talk about in a minute, but first I want you to envision waking up feeling 10% happier every morning and 10% happier before you go to bed. Sounds pretty cool right?
Gratitude is the biggest contributor to me having a good day. Without it I don't notice the little things that are good in my life. We live in a world where we are always focussed on the problems we face but never on how grateful we can be. Think about this for a second. Not everyone woke up today. (read that last sentence again) Yep that's right not everyone had the privilege of waking up today but you did, and you woke up to live another joyous day.
Simply by writing down 3 things upon waking up and before going to bed I have re-wired my brain to see things as happening for me (which we'll talk about in a second). I am not saying that I have achieved happiness, I am probably far from it, but this practice of gratitude each and everyday has made me feel happier with my life and the good things in life that are taken for granted. Even if a day was "bad" I still have to write down 3 good things for that day, which can turn a day that seemed bad into a 10% better day.
Simply by writing down 3 things upon waking up and before going to bed I have re-wired my brain to see things as happening for me (which we'll talk about in a second). I am not saying that I have achieved happiness, I am probably far from it, but this practice of gratitude each and everyday has made me feel happier with my life and the good things in life that are taken for granted. Even if a day was "bad" I still have to write down 3 good things for that day, which can turn a day that seemed bad into a 10% better day.
Remember things happen for a reason and are happening for you.
I used to play victim for the dumbest things. Thinking that the unviverse or something or someone was making "bad" things happen to me. I used to get mad at people who would drive a little bit too slow, haven't we all. And I still do at times if I have to be honest, just not as much.
Many times I would think to myself "why is this person doing this to me?" have you had this same experience? I know it can be frustrating if we are thinking things are happening to us. The second I remember things happen for me in life it makes all the difference. I start to envision how maybe if this person was going a little faster I could get in an accident and him going slow is saving me from a life ending accident. Realizing things happen for me has made driving and other areas of life less stressful. What area's of life do you need to use this tactic for?
Get some fresh air.
Staying indoors or breathing the same dull air from a building can be very destructive. This is for me personally, I find if I don't have fresh air to breathe it becomes harder to feel relaxed while breathing. The weather is starting to warm up so I thought this would be a perfect time to share this in a blog post. If you hate the cold like I do, getting fresh air can be a struggle, plus for me cold air feels weird when I breathe it in. However in the spring and summer outside air is very easy for me to breathe in and actually gives me a calming sensation.
Even if you work at a desk all day try to find a way to open some windows at least so air is coming in. This is what I do at home. I have my desk right in front of my window so on nice warm days I can have it open and hear the birds, wind, and breathe in fresh air. It relaxes me and helps me have a relaxing work environment.
Staying indoors or breathing the same dull air from a building can be very destructive. This is for me personally, I find if I don't have fresh air to breathe it becomes harder to feel relaxed while breathing. The weather is starting to warm up so I thought this would be a perfect time to share this in a blog post. If you hate the cold like I do, getting fresh air can be a struggle, plus for me cold air feels weird when I breathe it in. However in the spring and summer outside air is very easy for me to breathe in and actually gives me a calming sensation.
Even if you work at a desk all day try to find a way to open some windows at least so air is coming in. This is what I do at home. I have my desk right in front of my window so on nice warm days I can have it open and hear the birds, wind, and breathe in fresh air. It relaxes me and helps me have a relaxing work environment.
Smile.
You may be saying to yourself "smile? That sounds stupid." It may seem that way and even might look or feel silly at first but I assure you it isn't. Smiles are contagious. However so are frowns. I find that if someone is smiling and happy it helps me smile, but if someone is frowning or not happy I start to not smile as well. With this said, smiling isn't just to make you feel good but also to make others feel good as well.
If you smile you trick yourself into thinking you are happy even if you are sad. The trick actually works and makes you happier in most cases. Motion creates emotion, just like if you stand up taller you will feel more confident, if you smile more you will be more happy throughout your day.
You may be saying to yourself "smile? That sounds stupid." It may seem that way and even might look or feel silly at first but I assure you it isn't. Smiles are contagious. However so are frowns. I find that if someone is smiling and happy it helps me smile, but if someone is frowning or not happy I start to not smile as well. With this said, smiling isn't just to make you feel good but also to make others feel good as well.
If you smile you trick yourself into thinking you are happy even if you are sad. The trick actually works and makes you happier in most cases. Motion creates emotion, just like if you stand up taller you will feel more confident, if you smile more you will be more happy throughout your day.
Breathe to release tension.
Most of us carry so much tension within our bodies throughout the day, me included. I needed something that would help me release tensions naturally. Over the last couple years I have gotten into meditation. This helps clear my mind for the day ahead of me but that doesn't mean I won't be tense or have negativity or negative thoughts throughout my day.
Most of us carry so much tension within our bodies throughout the day, me included. I needed something that would help me release tensions naturally. Over the last couple years I have gotten into meditation. This helps clear my mind for the day ahead of me but that doesn't mean I won't be tense or have negativity or negative thoughts throughout my day.
I often find myself moving in some way and I am usually unable to stay still even as I write this blog post. That only happens when I am unconscious of my breathing. The second I start to focus on deep breathing I start to relax more and more and move around a lot less.
Breathing is one of the staples to a better day, not only if you move around a lot or can't stay still but also for stressful situations. Breathing can make us think more clear or even talk at a normal speed (something I need to work on in my videos).
Closing thoughts.
What was your favorite tip on todays blog post? What other tip would you add to share with others. Please leave your favorite tip, and your tips to make today a better day in the comments below.
Breathing is one of the staples to a better day, not only if you move around a lot or can't stay still but also for stressful situations. Breathing can make us think more clear or even talk at a normal speed (something I need to work on in my videos).
Closing thoughts.
What was your favorite tip on todays blog post? What other tip would you add to share with others. Please leave your favorite tip, and your tips to make today a better day in the comments below.
Cheers,
Brian
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