Hello friends! It's Tinker Thursday again! I'm finally done with my first summer course and boy was it a doozy. I'm still attempting to catch up on sleep so hopefully these next few weeks do the trick. I'll be starting up again in about a month, so I'm definitely going to take advantage of this time off.
This week, I decided to change it up a little and bend my own rules. As mentioned in my introductory post, if you can "do-it-yourself", it's fair game for Tinker Thursday. I'm going to continue with the theme of "Choosing Happiness" from Monica's Motivational Monday last week, and offer my tips and suggestions to creating your own happiness.
Smile and Laugh
Yes. My first tip for creating your own happiness is to smile. We've all heard of the benefits of smiling: it releases endorphins which can help us feel happy and less stressed, an increase in endorphins decreases cortisol, etc etc. Laughing helps release emotions that you might have built up, whether good or bad. I know when I'm stressed out, I find myself laughing and I instantly feel better, even if it's just temporary. I can go on and on about the importance of smiling and laughing, but the most important reason (at least, in my opinion) is because it's contagious. What's better than seeing someone else smile or hearing someone else laugh because of pure happiness?
Breathe
I know, yet another tip that should seem pretty obvious, right? I can't tell you how many times I found myself so stressed and tense that I nearly forgot to breathe. When things are starting to feel a bit overwhelming, step back and take a few deep breaths. Oftentimes, I take a deep breath and just yell as I exhale. It feels really nice to let those emotions out.
Think of a Wonderful Thought! (alternatively titled, "Look on the Bright Side")
Not only is this a quote from Peter Pan, but I remind myself of this every time I am in a slump and just feeling very negative about things. It takes a lot of effort to turn something negative into a positive, but it can be done. Wouldn't you rather be thinking about things that make you smile or feel good?
Unfortunately, we can't always find a way to twist a certain negative situation or feeling into something more positive. Most of the time this is done in retrospect, but at least from then on you'll have a positive correlation to that memory!
In the event of trying to avoid making this a "how to de-stress" post, I'm going to fire off a few more suggestions:
Make your all-time favorite meal/comfort food. You know how good it feels to sit down and eat your absolute favorite meal. Think about how much more satisfying said meal would be if you made it yourself? You'd be enjoying the fruits of your labor and feeling good about your culinary skills.
Talk to a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while. If you're close to that person, chances are you'll have a lot to catch up on. Share the latest news in your life. Talk about plans you might have in the near future. Make plans together! It's always nice to see a familiar face and spend quality time together.
Binge watch your favorite TV show(s). My Hulu subscription keeps renewing and I currently don't have any new shows to watch. I've re-started Parks and Recreation from the first season, and in case you were wondering, yes, it's still pretty funny. Watch a show you know will make you laugh or feel good. Binge watching is always so satisfying, until you run out of episodes to watch. But hopefully by then, you'll be feeling happy enough to do something else.
Put on your favorite playlist and dance like no one is watching! Sing to your heart's content, and simply just have fun with it! Slide around your hardwood floors aka Risky Business, sing into your soup ladle, and jump around (safely, of course). You'll get your blood pumping and get a nice cardio workout out of it as well.
Think of a new project or challenge you've been wanting to do... and just do it. Want to learn how to knit? Purchase a ball of yarn and knitting needles at Michael's (with one of their coupons, of course). Want to bake a cake? Let's head on over to the grocery store and get what we need. Find a new workout regimen that looks promising? Put on your workout gear and go for it! You'll feel so wonderful knowing you started AND finished something you've been meaning to try. And if you're wondering, you can do it and I believe in you 150%!
Take advantage of free events in your local community (especially during the summer)! I know San Diego has a ton of things to do for little to no cost. We have a handful of beaches and wonderful hiking grounds. Balboa Park is an amazing place to just hang out and you can check out their many museums. Residents receive free admission to a select group of museums every Tuesday. Be sure to check your local community for any fun events that might be going on. San Diegans, be sure to check out the San Diego Reader. This past week in particular highlighted "Fun Things to Do: From Beach to Backcountry".
I could go on and on with more suggestions, but everything will eventually start sounding the same. The key takeaway from today's post is to figure out what makes you happy. We all have at least one thing that never fails to put a smile on our face. Whether it's cooking or dancing or even cleaning the house, find something that brings you joy. You know yourself better than anyone else, so think of these tips and suggestions as just that: suggestions. There is no set list of "this is what you need to do to be happy".
It's important to remember that it's okay to put your happiness as a priority. It's essential for your overall, long-term health, and it just feels way better than being sad all the time, right? :)
Take care, and I'll see you in two weeks!
Take care, and I'll see you in two weeks!
xo, rox
