“Please don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky, when the stars are strung across the velvety night, and when shooting start streaks through the blackness, turning night into day, make a wish… Make your life spectacular.” – Robin Williams
So you’ve been busy working, juggling a hundred different things a day, putting other people’s lives and needs and wants ahead of your own, managing your time between your responsibilities and your passions, while trying to make something of yourself. But is this you, actually living? Or merely surviving, day to day?
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Are you happy with the way things are? Yes? Good for you. If not, then it’s time you put your needs and wants in front of others’, gave priority to the things that you want to do, rather than things you’re supposed to be doing. You see, we all have this one life that we need to live to the fullest, for however short a time we spend on this magnificent planet. You shouldn’t have to put your happiness and dreams on hold for another day. Because life merely passes you by, while you’re busy making plans, or living a life you don’t even like all that much.
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So if you’re miserable or are thinking that you need something more from your life, now is the time to do it. You don’t have to make drastic changes to get where you want to go; even small, little changes go a long way in taking you on the right path.
Things to do for yourself
1. Go out, stand in the sunshine, and just soak it up, even if it’s just for five minutes. It will make you realize what a bright, beautiful day awaits you.
2. Pick some flowers from your garden or even wild ones, and fill a vase with them. It will give you the satisfaction of having arranged a bunch of flowers, while also filling your home with fragrance and color. It will definitely boost your mood.
3. Wake up early to catch the sun rising over the horizon. There’s just something magical about watching the sun bathing the world in its light, first thing in the morning. It’s totally worth losing a bit of sleep over.
4. Go grocery shopping and pick two vegetables – one, your favorite, and two, your least favorite. Go home and make a meal with them for dinner. You will have accomplished something ingenious that day, while having a healthy meal. Win-win?
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
5. Watch an inspiring TED talk on YouTube. There are hundreds of them for you to pick from, on a host of issues and topics – vulnerability, anger, body image, body positivity, self-worth, technology, sleep – you name it, and there’s a relevant TED talk on the subject. You just need to find the one that you resonate with.
6. Make two to-do lists. The first one should consist of things you need to accomplish on that day, and the second one should include things and experiences you would like to have in your life, in general. The latter could also include places to travel, things to learn and do, skills you’d like to pick up, experiences you’d like to amass over the course of your life.
7. Rearrange your place according to one of the principles of architecture, like Feng Shui, Vaastu, or your own whimsical style. The objective is to bring some positive change in your day, and if your place gets a makeover, all the better for it!
8. Play your favorite dance songs on your music system and dance your heart out, in the middle of your living room. Dance, twirl, spin, pirouette, gyrate, thrust, swivel – all these and more. Just let yourself out.
9. Pick a destination from your travel to-do list and get researching on the place. The sights you just cannot miss, the things you must do, the foods you need to try, and new experiences you’re open to while there. This gives you the motivational boost to get going on that holiday that much quickly.
Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
10. Listen to all of your favorite songs one after another. Try to exclude all the pathos songs from this list. This playlist should be named ‘Happy,’ and it should actually make you happy.
11. Try something new almost every day – a new yoga pose, cooking something new, eating something new, doing something new. Or even watch a video online and try it. If you do, you’ll have succeeded in learning something new, while also boosting your self-esteem for following through with your promise to yourself of trying something new.
12. Indulge in your favorite takeaway food, with all of your favorite dishes from their menu. A big slice of pepperoni pizza with double cheese, soft tacos with loads of spicy salsa, spicy curries with Indian breads – whatever tickles your taste buds. Go on, indulge your culinary inquisitiveness.
Suggested read: 23 simple ways to love yourself every single day
13. Make yourself a mug of steaming hot chocolate – not the powder variety, but by melting a big block of cooking chocolate and adding milk to it. This will be like nothing you’ve ever tasted, because it’s so rich and yummy and sinful, you will absolutely LOVE it!
14. Write a positive review online of a service your availed, or a book you purchased and absolutely loved, or a restaurant you ate at, or a club you had a wonderful time in. Trust me, it feels really, really good to pass along your positivity to others you’ve encountered in your life. If it means your review brought a smile to their faces, then that’s bound to make you happy too, eh?
Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
15. Sign up for online course that is free or costs next to nothing. There are hundreds and thousands of courses available; you just need to pick one that piques your interest and will hold it right through to the end. Go on, this is your perfect opportunity to learn and try something new in the New Year.
16. Clean your room, tidy your desk, organize your closet, alphabetize your bookshelf – because when you order and take control of a part of your life, it will help you make sense of the chaos that seems to rule your world.
17. Make a list of all the things you’re grateful for in your life. Not only will it help you realize that your life is wonderful, and will also motivate you to look at the bright side rather than focusing on the negatives. Sure, you do need to be cognizant of the negatives, but it doesn’t do to dwell on them rather than focusing on the positives.
18. Have a real conversation with the next person you meet. A real, honest, open conversation, without judgment or fear. It helps you connect with another person in reality, rather than from behind a computer or smartphone screen.
19. Lose yourself in a used bookstore or a record store and look for treasures from the wealth of information surrounding you. Be on the look out for scribbles and notes hidden in between the pages or on the record covers.
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
20. Take up a DIY project and see it through to its final stage. Not only will you have finished a project, you will also have picked up a new skill, while also creating something beautiful.
21. Cook a dish that you consider your specialty, and invite a friend over for dinner. Talk, eat, and have a good time. If this friend is one you know needs a break from their life, your offer would be appreciated beyond measure.
22. Grab a cup of coffee in a to-go container and sip it while sitting on the grass in the neighborhood park, with the sun shining down on your face, and a smile will automatically lift your lips up.
23. Take out that book from your to-read pile and start reading it, one chapter at a time. It might take you a while to finish it, but it will be so worth it, for having seen something through to the end, and reading something you like. Win-win, or what?
24. Put your earbuds in, strap on your iPod, and go for a walk. Just listen to the music and let it transport you into another world, while you walk aimlessly. It’s a freeing experience, walking like this.
Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
25. Clear out that clutter drawer in your desk that you’ve been meaning to do since forever. Go on, it won’t bite. It will make you feel better. Definitely.
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26. Take a new notebook and start filling it with your thoughts. It need not be something specific. Just random thoughts work too. If it entered your head, then it must be important to you. Jot it down. After a while, when you look back on it, you will be amazed at how your complicated noggin works.
27. Put up pictures, decals, photos, or posters around your room that make you smile. That make you want to grin stupidly. Surround yourself with these, and trust me, you won’t be able to resist showing the world your teeth!
These are all the things to do for yourself, that are sure to make you happy. Although they might seem like little things that won’t amount to much in the end, they are a stepping stone to that happiness that seems to so elusive to you. Just try and see.
What other things do you do for yourself to be happy? Tell us in the comments below.
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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