via weheartit.com
“There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathize with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life.” – Oscar Wilde
What if you could just enjoy your day instead of being weighed down by the mundane, the boring and the negative? I’m always striving to be happier and, so far, coffee has been the key. I also try to incorporate a few techniques that brighten up my dark, twisty brain:
1. Customize Your Holidays
People spend so much time looking forward to a distant holiday, regardless of whether it means anything to them. Instead of living for the weekend or craving the downtime of a holiday, develop your own sacred days. For example, I celebrate Frida Kahlo’s date of birth and death (they’re 7 days apart, so it’s evolved into a week-long celebration…. often tequila is involved.) I also celebrate several women whom I consider feminist martyrs, like Anne Boleyn who was killed because Henry VIII wanted a divorce, Bridget Bishop who was hanged in Salem for little more than dressing provocatively and, of course, Joan of Arc. It sounds depressing, but it’s not. I celebrate these women as heroes and pioneers. I also celebrate the birthdays of my favourite creative people, writers, artists and actors.
Who do you celebrate? What inspires you? Take the time to light a candle or drink a glass of wine in honour of your heroes. Celebrate the solstices and equinoxes. Pick a random day and take it off work each year. Spend it doing something you love. Opt out of the holidays that don’t resonate with you (Goodbye Valentine’s Day!) or find something about them that really means something to you. Whether it’s a random Tuesday or a federal holiday, meaningful celebrations take you out of the mundane and remind you of who you are and what you love. They brighten your day and, ultimately, your life.
2. Plan Ahead
Do you ever hear about an event that happened on the weekend and think, “if I’d known that was happening, I would have gone.” Well, the same could be said for people’s lives; if they’d known they were happening, they would have shown up. Instead, people rush around in a constant state of panic, worrying about details that don’t matter and missing life events. Planning ahead eliminates the stress from your life and, therefore, increases your daily joy. Whether it’s deciding on an outfit the night before or purchasing all of your Halloween decorations when they go on sale November 1st, planning ahead will give you some breathing room to enjoy your life.
So, plan ahead.
- Get your holiday shopping done in the summer so you can enjoy all the peppermint lattes and rum Yuletide has to offer.
- Cut out ideas from magazines and keep them in files for inspiration. Bookmark websites for future reference. I have folders of bookmarked sites for seasonal ideas, writing inspiration, recipes, pictures I love, etc. They come in handy when you don’t know what to make for dinner or you need help with a project.
- Make a list of all the events (writers’ groups, yoga classes, Alpaca Shearing Day, the Santa Claus parade…) you’ve missed out on because you were distracted by daily drama. Put them on your calendar and ATTEND.
3. Live With the Seasons
Stop bitching about the weather. We all do it. I LOVE to bitch about summer weather. I hate the heat, I hate how obnoxiously bright it is, I hate sweating, I hate places that aren’t air conditioned, I hate that my hair goes frizzy in the humidity… I could go on. BUT I WON’T. Instead, I’m going to fully embrace each season for it’s positive aspects, for example, the gorgeous parade of summer flowers that begins with May tulips and ends with Autumn chrysanthemums.
Make a point of fully participating in each season. This winter, get cozy with a stack of books, drink mugs of hot tea, sleep in on cloudy mornings, watch the snowflakes, enjoy the crunch of snow under your feet. In the spring, look for baby rabbits (I live in the middle of a city and I ALWAYS see them,) buy bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs, enjoy the sound of rain on the windows, jump in puddles. Eat seasonal foods, attend festivals and don’t be that annoying person who becomes seasonally depressed every time the temperature drops below 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit for you stragglers in the U.S.) We all know that guy. Nobody likes him. Also, if you actually suffer from seasonal depression, have lots of plants around the house and purchase a UV light. Winter happens every few months, there’s no point in struggling through it every year.
4. Morning Rituals
Most people’s mornings consist of coffee and commuting. They rush around the house, forget their lunch and are consistently 10 minutes late for work. Or, they read the news and are bombarded by every bad thing that’s happened in the world while they were asleep. It makes for a cranky, horrible day. If you can wake up just five minutes earlier, you could squeeze in a quick meditation, eat an apple or write a few sentences. It doesn’t sound like much but five minutes of meditating can create inner peace, an apple a day increases health and a few sentences add up to a novel.
Create a meaningful morning ritual. Tape affirmations like “today is a great day” or “I am happy and fulfilled” to the bathroom mirror. Make a vision board and stick it on the ceiling over you bed so that it’s the first thing you see in the morning. Sit quietly with a cup of coffee and connect to your inner voice. Read a few pages of an amazing book. Go for a walk around the block. Write morning pages (three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing that gets all of the crazy out of your head and down on paper, allowing you to think clearly.) Mornings set the tone for your entire day. Doing something you love first thing will create more joy in your entire day.
Go create an amazing year for yourself!