Independent Happiness
I have lost sense of what it means to be independently happy. I used to be so content to be by myself and have that alone space. Recently, it’s only made anxious or sad. I want to take ownership of my happiness again and cultivate the things that generally put me in a good mood:
- Baking - I love to make and bake things that I can share with people. It makes me warm and happy inside to make something people really enjoy eating.
- Making my bed - I love having a neat desk and a made bed. It helps me feel accomplished already when I start my day.
- Meditation - I started meditating again last week, only for a couple days though. Sometimes I feel more frantic after meditation (which I need to work on!) but during the process I started to feel good. I remember how nice it was to just kind of float on top of my thoughts and let them drift away for a while.
- Reading for fun - So I have a Kindle. I need to take advantage of it. Buying books costs money! But I’m willing to splurge or track down online so I can enjoy that “me” space. It lets me escape and relax.
- Exercise - Honestly, I feel shitty about my body most days. There used to be a time where I felt really good about it… But after a workout at the gym or yoga, I feel accomplished and like I’m contributing to the overall health of my body. Yoga especially works out some of the tension I hold inside me throughout the week.
- Drinking coffee - Nothing like a hot cup to ease away some of the tension and feel cozy.
- Getting my work done at the beginning of the week - Have a heavy Sunday/Monday workload makes the rest of my week so much more relaxed.
- Spending time with people who want to spend time with me - Lately, I’ve been spending time with a certain someone who may not appreciate my presence in their life as much as I value theirs. Maybe it means I need to create that space so they can realize what they are missing. It’s hard and painful, but maybe it’ll make that relationship stronger in the long run? (I obviously don’t want to give up on it.) Nonetheless, I’m going to hang out with people who make me smile. Who think I’m a smart, beautiful person. Whotake the initiative to be a presence in my life.
Those are a couple things that I wrote down in my pen-and-paper journal. I’m going to start on this today.
After I finish reading this article for class, I think I’ll make some peanut butter cookies for the Super Bowl party.
I am going to download a book tonight for my Kindle.
I am going to try Rope Yoga tomorrow - by myself and enjoy every minute, even it is a struggle.
I am going to get shit done, because I’m amazing and people love me even through times where I may not love myself.
