Monday Moments: 10 little ways to choose happiness

It’s been a while since I last did a Monday Moments post for you and I really missed doing them so here we are! A lot of you lately have been messaging me about how I’ve had such a positive attitude even when things are rough and those messages just make my heart feel so full because trust me, it actually took a while to adjust my mindset to become more positive. It’s literally something I’ve worked on for over a year (I actually was NOT a happy camper while I was in law school, hah!) and it’s definitely a skill that you can master if you try!

I want to share the little things that has helped me choose happiness over the last year and I hope it can help you too!

10 Simple Ways to Choose Happiness

Pray. I start and end my day with God and it’s changed my my whole outlook on life. Praying has really helped me to stop caring about the little things that I have no control over and to count my blessings overall.
Step outside. I feel like I’ve talked about this one a lot in previous blog posts– it’s definitely an important thing to do, especially to get your Vitamin D in! If I’m ever feeling stressed out or upset, I go out and take Roofus for a quick walk around the complex and just get some fresh air/sunshine. That change of scenery can really help your overall happiness level.
Be present. This was tough for me in the beginning because my entire life revolves on being on social media. I’ve since learned to take a mental health break whether it’s taking a day off social media or sometimes more. Doing that has really helped me step back and focus on what’s more important (i.e. family).
Sweat it out! It’s crazy how much just going for a run or hitting the gym can change my entire mood!! You’ll definitely find yourself having more energy and feeling more positive after taking care of your mind, body and soul!
Do a good deed. This one may not apply to everyone and that’s totally fine. However, if I’m ever feeling down about something (which a lot of the times I’m reading about sad animal stories and I break down), I just try and find a way to help someone. This can be anything from donating or even just educating others about it. I’m super passionate about animals so that’s why this one is specific but you could easily do something similar like paying for someone’s coffee at Starbucks or say something nice to someone, you know? Little things like that!
Forgive someone. Take a deeper look at why you’re feeling upset and see if it involves another person. If it does, try and find a way to forgive them. I know it’s easier said than done but you’re genuinely wasting WAY more energy by being upset than if you just forgave that person and that kind of mental stress can really wear you down. Life is just too short and forgiving someone may really be the key to help you let go and be happy!
Be thankful. Every single day you wake up is a blessing and that’s never anything you should take for granted. Learning how to appreciate what you have and being grateful for it will help bring you a deeper sense of happiness.
Clean up!! Whenever our apartment gets messy to the point where I’m losing things, I find myself getting so stressed out and my anxiety level sky rockets. My mom used to tell me “clean space, clean mind” and she was right!
Write to-do lists. Lately, work for me has been piling up and I would be lying if I didn’t say it was slightly overwhelming. I’ve been writing to-do lists (I prefer handwriting) in my journal to stay on top of things and it’s the BEST feeling in the world to scratch something off!!
Breathing exercises. I love that my Apple Watch has mini breathing exercises that I can take part in every day. I can’t believe something so simple and easy like breathing in and out deeply can help your overall mood. Try it!! 🙂