How to Create a Happy Day
There are always things we wish we were doing, places we'd rather be, faces we'd rather see, wishing and hoping to pack our days with the things we love. But life often gets in the way.
Work days 9-5, sporadic uni schedules, time seems to just disappear. You learn that time can be your best friend, yet also your worst enemy. The river flows and you get dragged along with it.
But only dead fish go with the flow. And YOU are alive, your heart is beating and you are a catalyst for your own happiness.
After writing the personal reflection a few weeks ago, I knew I had to make some changes in my life - changes a long time coming. I'm one of these people who is easily a bit of a dreamer and there are all these ways I've been wanting to spend my days - but it's all been talk and I've been dragged along with the current. I'm tired of that flow though so I've decided to be like a dolphin and swim against it. (*Note:* not too sure if dolphins do swim against the current, but dolphins are COOL, so be cool!).
Change is hard, but change is possible. You just have to remember that nothing worth having ever comes easy. Turn the doubt into motivation to prove people wrong, to prove yourself wrong.
You have to want something so much, that you make it happen. You have to want something as much as you need to breathe.
But on a side note, it's important to still forgive yourself for the off-days. Because some days just surviving and making it through is enough - we can never be utterly perfect. I can't stress enough that it's okay to overthink, to fall apart, to feel so much that you feel as if you are going to burst! Because you are only human.
So in searching to create my own happy day, I've collated some ideas and tips to make every day a big daring adventure! And a large part of this means being productive with your time. Do not waste it.
To start off - write down what makes you happy.
2. Next write down what you day is comprised of.
3. Adjust accordingly...create a schedule firstly placing in things you have to do, then fit in all the things that make you glow! Realise the moments where you waste time and learn from them - replace the time-wasters with rewarding things instead..
Often the hardest thing can be sticking to a schedule once you've planned it...so here are some tips to make sure you make the most out of your time:
Use a timer!
Block the internet distractions!
Have three goals for the week!
Focus on the 3 most important things each day!
Do the hardest things first thing in the morning!
Bullet Journal - basically creating an aesthetically pleasing organised life.
Each Sunday look at the week ahead; plan out the week, make a big meal for leftovers to get you through when you're busy, clean up your environment, catch up on any unanswered emails/texts/fb messages.
Set an end to working hard for the day - reserve that time for you!
Create a wish list of all the things you want to do (rank them in importance), then add them into your life slowly.
Focus on creating a morning schedule and a night schedule.
If you are wanting to start new habits, week by week, add something new to your schedule.
Over the first few weeks of the trimester my focus was on university; getting to lectures and staying on top of readings and assessments. In the most recent weeks, the focus was packing in the exercise into my days, running in the mornings to have an epic start to the day, then a gym session in between uni to sweat the stress and to create a break for my brain (or an excuse to be productive and lazy at the same time through watching a show).
As an added incentive - I signed up to the Goat, so have to pack in the running to ensure when December comes around, I'm fit enough to survive the run. That's the thing with goals and habits...sometimes it's good to have a tangible thing to work towards.
Then the next week, the goal was to create a good morning schedule. I wanted to jump out of the bed in the morning (well at least roll out of bed when the alarm goes off at 6) - to pack in an hour of Spanish before my run. I'm so eager to learn, that I think I can make it happen (we hope, I mean I may turn into a zombie but we'll see).
Something really important to remember though, is that yes it's brilliant to be organised and to pack your days with a multitude of activities and passions, but it's also essential to make sure some days you just do nothing, and then rest....
Go for a walk, find some sunshine, and just breathe. I think we all need to just stop and breathe sometimes. It's only when you do, that you realise just how much you've been gasping for air.
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting,
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Life can be very busy, life can be very stressful, life can be very overwhelming, scary and changeable...but there are so many beautiful things going on and they can help to ground you down, back to the moment. The world goes on, despite our overthinking, despite our fears. The sun keeps rising and the sun keeps setting. It means every day is a new moment to reset and to start again.
Look for the things that keep you sane, make you feel alive and get your heart beating. And hold on to them tight. Make time for the things that give you joy. Make time for the things that scare you...because sometimes the best things in life are the ones that dare you to be vulnerable...as that means being fierce, courageous and bold.
Get out of your head and into your heart. It will tell you to chase after the things you long for, and so go chase...for your heart knows you best and your head will hold your hand...a wise companion.
If that's not the point of all this, then I'm not really sure what is.
Have the courage to claim the day as your own and make it a happy one.