When I started out on my reinvention journey, it was because I was searching for greater happiness. I wished for a happiness formula, but unfortunately, one didn’t exist. So I created my own. I hope what I learned will help someone else who is unsure where to start.
Eat to Thrive for Happiness
Food is everything. It’s what nourishes our body, mind and soul. It’s our traditions and legacy.
Become aware of what you’re eating. Is your diet filled with good, wholesome food? Or do you rely on processed foods and take-out? Do you eat organic when you can? Or do you not pay attention to ingredients?
If you are unhappy, do a diet revamp before anything else. If you already eat healthy, you can always eat healthier. Read my article on eating Organic here: The Case for Organic Produce
What you put on your plate is important to your feelings as much as to your health. Food stimulates our senses and activates the neurons in our being. The concept of curling up with a quart of ice cream when we are sad is actually the beginning to understanding how food can be used for emotional purposes. What if you take that one step further? Use good food. A quart of juicy strawberries. A cup of Chamomile tea. A slice of warm sourdough bread. These foods will not just soothe your soul, they will also help your body thrive.
Moreover, the act of making good food will help you thrive too. Cooking and baking your own food creates new neural pathways in your brain and helps you recover from burnout and depression. Stimulating your senses with cooking good food helps to expand the neocortex where happiness lives and is the first step in reinvention. It’s both the act of cooking, as well as the good food itself, that shrink the unhappy neurons and widen the good ones.
Cooking and sharing good food is also an important social connector activity. Sitting down to a healthy meal with friends and family brings more joy into our lives. It’s when happy memories are created.
What goes into your body will determine your health, mood and longevity. The first step in my happiness formula is to focus on your health. So eat to thrive.
Take a Walk for Happiness
Getting outside in nature and moving your body is an important part of feeling good. When we isolate ourselves in our nest, we can lie to ourselves there. It’s a big world outside of our bubble. God meant for us to experience the glory of the skies above us and the ground beneath our feet; the sounds of the birds; and the feel of the breeze. Moving our bodies is also important to keeping fit. The longest living people use walking as a form of exercise. www.bluezones.com . So take a walk.
Learn to be Present for Happiness
If you want to be happier, enjoy where you are now. Love who you are now. Waiting to become happy when you’re the perfect version of yourself is just delaying living. Reinvention may be your goal, but we can’t know what the future will hold. Why hold on when you can be happy now? Also, let go of the past. You can’t be happy living in regret. All the self care in the world won’t make you happy if your mind is stuck in the past or the future. Instead, firmly plant your feet where you are and embrace that.
A big part of my happiness formula is understanding that it truly is all about the journey, not the destination. Be happy here and now. Learn to meditate. Say your prayers. Dial into your soul. Learn to be present.
Simplify your Life for Happiness
If you want to be happier, figure out who you really are and what’s important to you. Then spend your time being that person, not someone you aren’t. Spend your time doing the things your soul responds to, not anything else.
How do you do that? You strip everything away to dig a path to your soul. That will lead you to your authentic self. Authenticity is the key to finding your purpose just as simplifying is the key to living it. When you try to be someone you aren’t, you just end up torturing yourself. When you spend your days doing things that don’t light you up, you kill your soul. Live your purpose and shine bright. So simplify your life and live simply.
Let Love Lead Your Life for Happiness
It’s hard to be happy when your heart is filled with hate. First, love yourself. The most important person in your life is you. Yet our whole lives we are schooled to love others instead. We need ourselves more than any other person. It’s not selfish to love yourself, it’s vital. We torture ourselves over things we did in the past. We hate our imperfect present version. But living in the past or waiting for the future all lead to depression and staying stuck. Love your authentic self–you’re the only you around. Talk kindly to yourself. Do nice things for yourself. Take care of yourself. Love yourself.
Next, forgive. Forgive yourself for being human and making mistakes. The same goes for others. Offer them your forgiveness so you can heal.
Next, love your surroundings. Take care of them. Keep your home organized, tidy and in good repair. Show it love. Create your oasis. Home is the heart of our life.
Last, practice loving kindness daily. Remind yourself of everything you have to be grateful for every day and every night. Let love lead the way.
Have a happiness tip you’d like to share? It may just help someone else and make a difference in their life. Please share in the comments!
