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| Talking to Target makes me happy |
You know how it is: at New Year you're determined to have a relaxed time and be a better person but by February you're uptight and back to being stressed and bad tempered. This year, I've managed to do a little better and it was surprisingly easy.
I've written about happiness scheduling before. This year, I've worked at putting it into practice.
Basically, the theory goes like this: we schedule shitty things like dental appointments and bill paying but we dismiss the fun stuff like chatting with friends or going for a walk. So, with the happiness scheduling system, you focus on shoving the fun bits back into your life.
I now spend time every morning consciously enjoying the moment. On Mondays, I chat with a friend for an hour and afterwards Target and I go outside to have a purr and to listen to the birds. For the rest of the week, I have my coffee while the cats breakfast, and then Target and I sit outside.
Basically, that's it! Just taking a few minutes out to connect with nature and cat purrs is enough to give me a happy boost.
Although it's super simple, it's surprising how often I'm tempted to skip it because I have things to do. Dull things like write up notes. But I catch myself and remind myself that I deserve to have fun.
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| Target is the chief office snoopervisor |
I know it but between you and me, that focusing on the joy thing can be awkward. I sometimes catch myself thinking, "Sheesh, Ellen. Conscious appreciation of joy. Seriously? What's next? Astrology and retro-phrenology?" because I'm skeptical.
But, I'm also super practical and this stuff works. Over the year it's become a part of my day, boosting my day. And as the habit has matured, I'm not trying to talk myself back into bad habits anymore either.
So there you go. I'm sharing in the hope that it helps you.
