In my rant post, I talked about difficulty of maintaining positive emotions and how I tend much more towards the neutral or the negative now than when I was a kid. I also have fewer up and downs, which is a perk, but I spend probably more time than I should chasing that elusive feeling of joy and fun that I used to feel with minimal effort.
I'd like to leave that behind, and try to focus more on figuring what happiness means as an adult and what things make me happy now instead of continuing to jump into swimming pools and try to convince my brain that, "Hey, this is fun, remember! No? Well, I'm staying here until you think it's fun again so settle in..."
I also used to like the beach, art, and playing imagination games. Alas, adulthood has ruined all these things for me. As for what I like now, some things I know already - I like organizing, design, planning events, and books (though to be fair, I always liked those). I know that a clean house makes me feel better than a messy one, and I need elaborate to do lists to keep my mind "uncluttered." I know that new purchases make me happy at first, but then fade into the background and social events are mostly good, but only if I don't overload myself.
Outside of that, I'm really still learning about myself. I've tried 30 day habit-changing plans and I know I have trouble sticking to anything for that long. I've made gratitude lists and tried tons of little "happiness hacks" and I'm still trying to figure out which ones are actually effective and which are bogus.
Here's where I could really use your input. I'm going to try to collect tips, tricks, and habits from people I know that they've found to be effective and then give them a try. Some of you have helped me already - thanks a ton! But anyone who wants to chime in, please do. June is my "birthday month" and what better present to myself than to try to find new ways to be happy?
I'd like to leave that behind, and try to focus more on figuring what happiness means as an adult and what things make me happy now instead of continuing to jump into swimming pools and try to convince my brain that, "Hey, this is fun, remember! No? Well, I'm staying here until you think it's fun again so settle in..."
I also used to like the beach, art, and playing imagination games. Alas, adulthood has ruined all these things for me. As for what I like now, some things I know already - I like organizing, design, planning events, and books (though to be fair, I always liked those). I know that a clean house makes me feel better than a messy one, and I need elaborate to do lists to keep my mind "uncluttered." I know that new purchases make me happy at first, but then fade into the background and social events are mostly good, but only if I don't overload myself.
Outside of that, I'm really still learning about myself. I've tried 30 day habit-changing plans and I know I have trouble sticking to anything for that long. I've made gratitude lists and tried tons of little "happiness hacks" and I'm still trying to figure out which ones are actually effective and which are bogus.
Here's where I could really use your input. I'm going to try to collect tips, tricks, and habits from people I know that they've found to be effective and then give them a try. Some of you have helped me already - thanks a ton! But anyone who wants to chime in, please do. June is my "birthday month" and what better present to myself than to try to find new ways to be happy?
So tell me what you do to make your life better! Is it planning your day or a daily ritual like exercise, meditation, reading? Do you make your bed in the morning to increase your happiness, or maintain a minimalist lifestyle? What contributes the most to your overall happiness that you can recommend to others?
