Surviving The Holidays Part 2
“Happiness is a choice, while joy is how we perceive each moment.”
It’s time to discover more joy and happiness in your holidays, don’t you think? Though they might seem like the same thing, joy and happiness are slightly different. In my opinion, happiness could be defined as pleasure and contentment that you choose to embrace within yourself. Joy, on the other hand, looks more like living in the moment while embracing each positive experience.
It’s important to note that I feel our happiness comes from within—not from others. When you focus on happiness and joy within your own life, that is what you will create more of. If you choose to focus on your past pain and trauma, you will continue to relive that pain over and over again—if not within your mind, in your actual life. If you have read my book Finding Your Voice, you know how I feel about manifesting your reality. I believe each one of us holds the key to our future and what we want to manifest in our lives. What we focus on is what we create, whether it is positive or negative, so I believe if you focus on what you want more of, that is what you will eventually obtain. The Happiness Boosters below are a great example of how to manifest more happiness and joy within your own life. These are great guidelines any of us can use throughout the holiday season.
The Happiness Boosters
Live in the Moment
“All we truly have is now, and in each now is where you will find your own joy and happiness.”
If you learn to live in the now, you won’t experience as much regret or feel quite as guilty tomorrow. Only by being present can you experience the great moments you might be missing. Grab hold of your current life and make it what you want it to be! Stay present and enjoy all the little things your life has to offer, along with the joyful moments available to you.
Take Care of Yourself
Make time to care for your emotional, mental, and physical well-being every day, and treat yourself with kindness and respect. When you take care of yourself on a daily basis, you will feel satisfied and fulfilled. Learn something new or try something you always wanted to attempt.
Create an environment that is relaxing and comfortable. Organize your life, office, or home by decluttering. This can give you a sense of accomplishment while decreasing the chaos in your life. Then, surround yourself with things you love or have personal meaning to you. Accomplishment and satisfaction produce a sense of happiness and fulfillment.
Accept and Love Yourself
Happiness is contentment, and contentment comes with self-acceptance and self-love. Both components are a vital part of happiness. Learn to embrace self-acceptance and self-love for yourself. You can use affirmations and positive self-talk while appreciating the amazing person you are.
Discover more about The Big 3 in Finding Your Voice or at https://www.madeforsuccesspublishing.com/the-big-3?fbclid=IwAR3JJqQFG--J6C6NKeDVVz_DUhAEjJU-xW2G7u66rv3ALtAreBrXQCbyd50
Accept Others and Give Back to the World
Practice acceptance and forgiveness for others. Search for the positive uniqueness in everyone, and unconditionally accept them—even with their imperfections.
*I have to add the disclaimer that abusive behavior is not to be tolerated or accepted.
Make it a practice to smile, lend a helping hand, and donate time or money. Send someone you love a kind text or a loving note to let them know you care. When you do something for someone else, you are giving yourself a gift as well as them.
Express Gratitude
Express gratitude for everything around you, especially the small things. Learn to recognize all the beauty in the world and give thanks for it: a tree, bird, flower, snow, or the bright blue sky. Find the beauty in children’s expressions and actions, especially the quirky things they do.
Everyone and everything offers something special if we are willing to see it. Find gratitude for what you already have and what you have accomplished. Don’t waste time and energy focusing on what you don’t have; there is always something to be grateful for.
Appreciate all Your Experiences
“Don’t get lost in what’s next or what could have been. You might miss out on what is.”
Learn to appreciate each experience as it happens. The more positive experiences we choose to participate in, the more joy, love, and happiness we will obtain.
Some of our daily experiences are fun and exciting; some are not. There is always something to take away from each experience, whether it is joy, excitement, disappointment, or anguish. Most of your negative experiences can possess a lesson, especially the hardest and most challenging ones. Try to find the gift in every experience.
Make Time for Your Desires
Work on incorporating your desires and passions into your hobbies, free time, work, or life. You deserve the feeling of joy and elation that comes with living out your passions. Experiencing these feelings releases endorphins that create a natural high and a state of joy.
When you choose to incorporate the Happy Boosters into your own life, you will experience more happiness and joy, especially during the holiday season. Like I have said before, it is time to take back your holidays! You deserve more, no matter what you experienced before. Our holidays can be difficult, or they can be delightful… which way do you want to spend your holiday season?
Happy Holidays!
Love,
Mannette