Recently, I learned from a fellow contributor that August was Admit You’re Happy Month. I decided to take on the challenge.
I don’t think the past 18 months have been easy for anyone. I have three kids, I am a teacher, and my husband also works a demanding job. We are busy, and we are stressed all the time. I spent the first few years of being a working mom trying to find balance only to realize, after having my third child, that actually does not exist.
Our world is changing; it’s easy to get bogged down by the news and caught up in negativity, but I can still find joy.
To prepare myself to experience 31 days of happiness, I realized that I would need to change my habits and mindset. I decided to limit my time watching the news and to limit my social media use. I also decided to make a list of some easy to incorporate things that could change my mood:
- Going for a walk alone
- Drinking my coffee outside
- Reading
- Listening to music
- Texting a friend
I also began to look at things a bit differently. Some of the stressful things are also reasons to be happy:
- I have a career that allows me to live comfortably
- I get summers off!
- My children are healthy and happy
- I have opportunities to help in my community
Ultimately, what I learned is that being happy each day is a choice. We are all responsible for what we want to spend our energy on.
I decided that there are some things and some people who are not worth sacrificing my happiness for. I also learned that I get to decide on my perception of anything that happens to me or my family. When my focus changes, I can admit I’m happy!