And other times, you've just had the kind of day when you've spilt milk and are most definitely gonna cry over it, despite that old saying we all know and love.
But life is meant to be wonderful! And as low as it can get sometimes, it gets just as high too! (Or higher!)
So let's turn that frown upside-down, shall we?
Let's get HAPPY!
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| (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/8673546462/) |
Step 1: Let it out
Chances are that if you're itching to have a bit more joy in your life, then there's gotta be some impediment holding you back.
Whether how big or how small, let whatever coo-coo emotions you have out! Whether it's sadness or anger or disappointment, emotions aren't cookies. You can't just bottle them up in a jar and shove them into the back shelf of your soul. You need to let them out. You need to free yourself from them.
There are so many techniques of "emotion freeing".
Listening to music is one thing that always helps (me at least). You can blast it out and jam along to whatever kind of song your pretty, little heart desires. It could be indie pop, metal, acoustic, you're the boss!
(source: http://www.keanemusic.com/keane-biography.php)
(photo by Jay Brooks)
The lovelies above are a beautiful band called Keane. They are my most beloved and treasured thing in probably, well let's be honest, the whole wide world! I will most definitely write about them much more soon, so I'll try to keep this short & sweet. Their music is breath-taking. It's got quite a gentle, melodic feel, and for me, their music just gives my heart this happy, little smile like nothing else! They're my comfort, really. And they don't even know it!
So, you there! Yes, you! If you're feeling a bit down (or even if you're not, even if you're feeling quite up) and haven't a clue as to what to listen to, here you are: Click here for: Watch How You Go, Here for: Sovereign Light Café, and here for: The Starting Line
I adore Keane.
Okay, let me not get too carried off by Tom Chaplin's beautifully mesmerizing vocals...
Another way of freeing yourself from your emotions would be to find your outlet.
Your outlet could be dance, music, poetry, art, anything that you can express yourself with really! Find your outlet and let those emotions pour out of you and into your dance, your song, your poem, your painting- whatever it may be!
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| (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Brush_and_watercolours.jpg) |
And that's it! You'll be freed!
Step 2: Find yourself again
Sometimes, when you go through a rougher one of life's seasons, you end up losing your identity a little bit... or a lotta bit! Instead of being your true self, you're this stranger who's almost an opposite of who you remember being. And I'll admit, it's sad to look back at who you once were and feel so distant! Like you're a completely different human-being! To find true happiness, you need to find you again!
Go back to your roots! And by roots, I mean the things that you remember once bringing you joy when you were truly in a happy place in your life.
A good visit with family, a reading of your old favorite book, listening to last Summer's hit song, doing something that you used to love, or visiting a place filled with joyous memories should all do the trick for this one. It's amazing how much of that original, chipper happiness can resurface from within you once it's remembered through your roots.
Another way of finding yourself is to be with friends or... not!
Hanging with my buddies always makes me feel so much more like the Christina I'm destined to be! There's just something about being with friends that really does help. So go out and have a little get-together and find you!
But, then there are those times when you just don't want to be with anybody. Time that'd rather be spent reflecting alone, sitting on the floor, and simply thinking. And trust me, that's okay too.
Step 3: Do things!
So, now that you've freed yourself, and found yourself, go out and do things!
Do things that make you feel alive! The things that get your heart racing! Working out, baking, cleaning, anything!
And if you're feeling up to it, try something new! Try learning new tid-bits of information about your favorite things, trying a new DIY project, going someplace you've never been! Newness can act as a little reminder like, "Hello? Hi there. Yes. Life holds so many opportunities and there is still SO much more to explore! Life is amazing! Okay, toodles!"
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Another thing you can do is just doing something nice for others! Doing a chore for a family member, volunteering, giving someone a compliment, any of that! It's a little magical how doing one nice thing for somebody else can give the both of you a newly found grin.
Step 4: Reflect
A bit of reflection and pondering is really what I think makes happiness an ongoing type of thing! Living in a happy moment is a lovely moment, and if you are able to take that happiness and keep it for even longer than the moment simply by reflecting upon it, I say do it!
Reflect by appreciating what you have. Even if you don't have much, you can still appreciate so much! Oftentimes, I find myself getting a little too abnormally excited over how lucky we are to have grass and trees and all of this beautiful nature, we're blessed with. And in this abnormal excitement, I find myself heaps more happy! Try it! Look around and find the beauty that's surrounding you! It's really quite extraordinary!
One more way to keep this happiness rolling is to surround yourself with motivations. Motivational words, messages, and quotes act as an extra boast of happiness support!
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| (@daily_inspire101 on Instagram) |
Going along with motivations, I would say one thing that's really quite helpful is to come up with a mantra all your own! (Not gonna lie, I totally snatched this one up from Larissa on The Carrie Diaries) Say it to yourself whenever you're feeling a little in need of a peppy boost, and there you are! A peppy boost served fresh & hot to you!
And lastly, never lose sight of where you're going. Keep your eyes on your dreams and I promise you'll pull through.
“Sometimes a dream itself can keep you safe” – Keane’s “On the Road”
I'm sending lots of happy wishes your way!
And feel free to contact me about this kind of stuff anytime!
xx Christina
