Self-Care Toolkit: #9 The importance of a Happiness List
If you feel the onslaught of the week slowly imbuing its ill will or you’re jolted suddenly with the pressure of ongoing stress, a simple strategy that helps you feel better in the moment is picking an activity from your Happiness list.
I don’t remember where I came across this tool, but kudos to whomever created this simple and impactful idea. The Happiness list notes all the activities or items that bring you joy or to slang it up a little, “calm your pants”. The effect is to help clear the mind fog and introduce just enough positive emotion in your body that first off, helps your physiology so you feel better and secondly helps your thinking-------—-invoking a positive outlook that enables hopeful action towards a task or activity you will enjoy and look forward to.
We know that without a goal or vision, you’re rudderless, where any destination will do. So, it’s true too that without understanding what makes you happy on the road to successful outcomes, will make life a misery. Happiness helps sustain motivation and maintain peak energy levels as you continue to work hard towards your goals or occupation.
Then if for some reason the goal does not arrive or is not what you expected, well it's only a minor disappointment as you didn’t postpone happiness along the way until you achieved the result, you had fun as you worked and enjoyed life now. You ensured your happiness was an important part of a normal life and not for some time in the future.
We can always be happy NOW but we often need to remind ourselves how or tell ourselves that it’s okay to be happy, we deserve it, even if life isn’t going to plan. After all we can’t see the future only try to be happy as we move through it.
Review my happiness list below for context. Write yours on a piece of paper or digitally and keep in a place you will access often or can easily remember. Keeping the list visible is important if you often kick into an “all work and no play” persona and need help to be reminded that life is for living but more so happy living and not only existing.
The Happiness List
I’ve put the list in digital ink below in case you cannot decipher the handwriting.
Think “do my best”, it will all work out in the end.
Book a game of golf with golf buddies
Ping my PCG for a pick me up. (Peer Coaching Group - a group of friends that continue to talk all things coaching and great for renewed motivation)
Ensure a holiday is booked for the future
Listen to music
Book a night out
Leave work early
Re-look at my goals
Book in a coaching session for myself
Exercise, walk the dog
Play my guitar
Book weekend away
Read a fiction book
Watch kids playing their sports matches
Have something sweet
Talk about what is on my mind
All my happiness tasks are straight forward, all simple to do. Again, once you start moving then your physiology will improve and so will your positive thinking.
Please take a moment to write your Happiness list today.
