1. Gratitude
Being grateful for the tiny and the big things help me see that my efforts and the support have taken me further than I thought it was possible. When you change to a mentality of gratitude, everything else changes; the curiosity light gets ignited, and it’s like stepping into a new level.
Three things I’m grateful for:
- I’m thankful for having routines like writing where I can think of stuff without any restraint, self-judgment or perfectionism. I love understanding how the past has affected me and be more strategic about the future.
- I’m grateful for the present moment, for being here in this moment, without any worries or unnecessary stress.
- I’m grateful for the place I’m living in. It’s getting warmer and warmer every day. It allows me to live a standard of life that I agree with. I can grab a bus in the middle of the night and I still feel safe. I’m thankful for having the opportunity to experience a new day without life-threatening worries.
2. Meditation
Practicing mindfulness and meditation daily not only improves self-love & self-awareness, but it also helps my body find ways to solve my anxiety.
I learned that my body is a tool and not an obstacle. It’s also beneficial to find the best way to get into the flow and allow flexibility between my work and play.
Start with 5 minutes a day by observing your breath and seeing your thoughts go by in a non-judgmental way.
3. Exercise
Exercising is a fantastic energy booster, and it stops that afternoon fatigue slump. It helps you keep momentum, and it improves mental capacity. Even by taking a 30-minute walk helps creative juices flow. In fact, one study shows that when walking and after creativity was increased, with some participants up to 81 percent.
Make sure you choose an exercise you actually like. You’ll be more likely to keep up something you enjoy rather than seeing your exercise workout as another chore. Even a short exercise workout could get your brain in top shape.
4. Make time for flow
Flow is a state in which you feel immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of your work. This definition was created by the author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book “Flow,” which I highly recommended. His theory suggests that people are happiest when they are in a state of flow—a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation.
People who have experienced flow described it as being:
- Thoroughly involved in what they are doing
- The outside everyday reality, like a sense of ecstasy
- Clear in what needs to be done, and how well they are doing.
- Skilled and knowing that the activity is doable
- Hours seem to pass by the minute.
Increase the number of experiences at home and work in which you “lose” yourself in projects which are challenging and absorbing.
5. Experiment with goals and commit to finish
You can quickly improve your happiness by completing projects as experiments. This means you need to become a scientist and gather relevant data to find better, faster and more effective ways to get things done. It’s also an enjoyable way to learn and grow.
Pick one or two significant experiments that are meaningful to you and devote the time and effort to pursuing them.
6. Sleep
The first barrier to productivity is insufficient sleep. Don’t get enough sleep, and your productivity suffers. You’ll have less energy and react slower. You’ll feel less creative and focused, and have difficulty making decisions and solving problems. That could make anyone unhappy.
Make sure you are getting a sufficient amount of sleep, but most importantly, go to bed at the same time every night. The more irregular the sleep schedule, the worse our cognitive abilities decline during the week.
When we don’t follow a regular sleep schedule, our melatonin production gets delayed, so we don’t fall asleep on time. We later experience the trickle-down effects it has on the rest of our body functioning, kind of like being jet-lagged all the time.
7. Be optimistic
Looking at the world with optimism feels really good. Every time I actively practice it, it helps me find a massive shift in perspective. Everything is peachy and wonderful.
You can start cultivating optimism by keeping a journal in which you imagine and write about the best possible future for yourself or practicing to look at the bright side of every situation.
A great journaling exercise is writing about the future with optimism for 20 minutes. “If everything turned out the way I wanted, what would my ideal self look like any time in the future?”
8. Savour life
Savouring is the concept of being fully engaged and aware of your feelings during joyful events from the past, present, and future.
I practice it by expressing emotion (smiling, dancing, laughing), sharing the experience with someone or just talking about it, which further prolongs my feelings of joy.
You can pay close attention, take delight, and replay life’s momentary pleasures and wonders, through thinking, writing, drawing, or even sharing with another.
