Winter can be difficult sometimes with the harsh weather and stress of school, and I struggle to keep my spirits up. Around this time last year, I wrote an article about how I like to write down things that make me happy in order to try and lift my mood. In that article, I wrote about how I had a book – my bliss book – and in it, I wrote down everything that happened that made me smile. This still stands true. I still have my book and love to write down things that make me happy and I love being able to pick out those little joys. Throughout the past year, I have done a lot of self-discovery and worked on myself in order to be the best version of myself that I can be. In trying to be a better version of myself, I have a renewed appreciation for finding little bits of happiness in everything I do.
While I still love writing things down that makes me smile, this past year I have also tried to find a deeper appreciation for the little things in life. I have been working hard on not just noticing something small that made me happy during a rough day but rather allowing myself to take that bit of happiness and use it to help lift my mood throughout the rest of the day. Allowing myself to appreciate everything that I am doing, even if it seems mundane at the moment, helps me be a happier and more positive person overall. For me, it is important to remember that everything that I am doing now is so a future version of myself can look back and appreciate me for it but also so the current version of myself can appreciate me for it.
Self-reflection is an extremely important habit to have here. While it may take a while to develop this, being able to reflect on how you feel in different moments and knowing what you could do to improve your emotions is hugely beneficial. There is a joy to be found even in tasks that feel boring at the moment and recognizing any bit of happiness will do nothing but help you. Over the past year, I have focused on helping myself recognize what gives me the most happiness and what I can do for myself to create an environment where I can thrive. Getting rid of unhealthy habits or routines that don’t work for me and allowing myself that time to do something small that I love each day, even if it’s just making a good cup of coffee, putting fresh sheets on my bed or reading a new book, those tiny things lift my mood and allow me to continue to find the joys throughout the rest of my day.
I have found that focusing on what makes me happy and putting myself in more situations that elicit happiness has been hugely beneficial to me over the past year. It helps me lift my mood and gives me an overall better perspective on life. I highly recommend beginning to take notice of how the little things in life make you feel and allowing yourself to take advantage of them. Noticing the joy in your life is a huge part of creating an environment to thrive and become your best self.