Choose Happy: How to celebrate life

Everyone, even the most joyful of people, goes through ups and downs. And that’s okay. Choosing happiness isn’t about ignoring your emotions or circumstance, rather it’s a lifestyle of not dwelling on them and celebrating instead. Here are some pointers on how to celebrate life.

MAKE TIME FOR THE THINGS YOU LOVE

Do you love binging your new favourite series? Set aside time for that. Do you love baking or knitting or going to the gym or being a foodie? Set aside time for that. It is important to encourage spending time doing things you love. Not sure what you love? Try something new and find out.

MAKE TIME FOR THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, it is important to share a mutual love with family and/or friends. It can boost confidence, lead to some laughs and good memories, and provide for a nice reminder that you are loved and important. So maybe go ahead and set up time to hang out or chat on the phone with someone you love today.

BE HONEST AND TRUE TO YOURSELF

Every single person is different. We all go through life in our own time, have different experiences, and often experience the same things differently. Be excited to wake up in your body and go through the day through your lens. Focus on YOU, your wants, your needs, how you would like to make others feel, the relationships you want to grow or those that you need to let go of. This isn’t to say be selfish. It is to say that you need to be honest with yourself in order to be honest with others and build genuine connections.

BE GRATEFUL

I promise there is something to be grateful for in every single day, even if it is as simple as getting to wake up to a new day. I read somewhere recently, “If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.” Circumstances often feel like they last forever, or sometimes they might constantly be changing, but you can choose to be thankful for what you have, what you’re surrounded by, and what you keep in your heart. Make it part of your routine to list things for which you are grateful.

SMILE

Sometimes when my friends are in a funk, I will tell them to give me a smile, even if they don’t mean it. The muscle movement sends a signal to your brain, and it does make you feel better, even if just in the smallest way. Not only does smiling encourage a happy brain, but it can also influence others. When I was at university, someone gave me the advice to smile during phone interviews. Smiling, even when people can’t see you, shows and spreads positivity. Smiling helps you seem more engaged, inviting, encouraging, and upbeat. This might welcome smiles your way too, and the cycle will continue to spread joy.

LET YOURSELF FEEL

It can’t be all happy all the time. We go through many stresses. We are human. It is important to recognize our emotions and not repress them. If you need to take time for yourself to reflect and just let those feelings come out in order to bounce back higher, then make sure you do just that. Just don’t forget to bounce back. Get right back to doing those things you love, trying something new, and spending time with people you love… maybe even give yourself a fake smile to get the happy juices flowing back to your brain.

BE EXCITED FOR WHAT’S TO COME

Being present is important, but it’s also so great to have something to look forward to. This can be as simple as looking forward to the yummy dinner you have planned to something further in the future, like progressing towards your educational or career goals. Remember that plans and goals should be fluid and when something changes, it doesn’t mean your original plans didn’t work out but it means the right plan for you did.

BE PATIENT

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t control everything. Because of this, it is important to be adaptable to change or patient with your timeline. There will always be external factors, but you have to act accordingly when you can or just let them postpone when you can’t. It will be okay, and it will still all work out the way it is meant to.

BASICALLY…

There are a lot of ways to celebrate life, and that is why you get to choose happiness. You do you & have fun while doing it!