by Claire Star
I’ve been feeling harried and overextended lately, as I rush from school to work or from dinner to my desk to continue studying. I catch myself believing that I don’t have time for the things that I enjoy, things such as a conversation with a classmate, a phone call to my best friends, a yoga class on Monday nights, or the latest episode of The Good Wife. I catch myself believing that I won’t have time to read my fun book until the arrival of winter break, or that I should give up all hope that Nicole and I will have our French girl Skype session, consisting of a required uniform of striped shirts and set menu of French pastries and good coffee. I catch myself believing that all the crunchy fall leaves will long be raked away by the time I have a chance to walk through them.
I’m well aware that these believes are not conducive to happiness, nor does they lend to positive thinking. I know that if I continue in this vein, I will get stuck somewhere dark. I’ve been there before; I have no desire to go back.
So, I’m choosing to embrace the time spent doing the things that I find enjoyable. I’m going to change the labels I apply to my actions so that they better reflect how I want to feel. I will no longer reprimand myself for the ten minutes each day spent reading my favorite blog, Cup of Jo, and instead appreciate the happiness I derive from the experience. I’ll accept the mornings where I slept later than planned, acknowledging that my body must have needed the extra rest.
I acknowledge that this will be a gradual process. I accept that after my twenty (albeit short) years of living one way, I will not wake up tomorrow a completely changed person. That would be wonderful, but perhaps not realistic. And I want to observe the change as it happens, as I believe that it will remind me why I started in the first place.
I’m well aware that these believes are not conducive to happiness, nor does they lend to positive thinking. I know that if I continue in this vein, I will get stuck somewhere dark. I’ve been there before; I have no desire to go back.
So, I’m choosing to embrace the time spent doing the things that I find enjoyable. I’m going to change the labels I apply to my actions so that they better reflect how I want to feel. I will no longer reprimand myself for the ten minutes each day spent reading my favorite blog, Cup of Jo, and instead appreciate the happiness I derive from the experience. I’ll accept the mornings where I slept later than planned, acknowledging that my body must have needed the extra rest.
I acknowledge that this will be a gradual process. I accept that after my twenty (albeit short) years of living one way, I will not wake up tomorrow a completely changed person. That would be wonderful, but perhaps not realistic. And I want to observe the change as it happens, as I believe that it will remind me why I started in the first place.
Inspired by the post “Save It For a Rainy Day” on Erin Boyle’s blog Reading My Tea Leaves, I’m choosing to embrace the time I spend doing the things that I find enjoyable. I’ll commit myself to taking the time to do at least one thing—strictly for the fun of it—each day.
As of now, the list of things that makes me happy includes:
- planning trips, either real or hypothetical (as evidenced here and here)
- taking aimless walks with my dog, Freddie
- finding the best coffee in Seattle
- listening to music by Brandi Carlile
- eating ice cream
- browsing Pinterest
- writing this blog with Nicole
- taking pictures
If I’m struggling, I’ll visualize the times and places that I was happiest, such as when I took the photos in this post, and remember the message conveyed on the Scottish Museum of Modern Art’s building, below.
As of now, the list of things that makes me happy includes:
- planning trips, either real or hypothetical (as evidenced here and here)
- taking aimless walks with my dog, Freddie
- finding the best coffee in Seattle
- listening to music by Brandi Carlile
- eating ice cream
- browsing Pinterest
- writing this blog with Nicole
- taking pictures
If I’m struggling, I’ll visualize the times and places that I was happiest, such as when I took the photos in this post, and remember the message conveyed on the Scottish Museum of Modern Art’s building, below.
I’m curious: how do you prioritize the things that make you happiest?
Note: This post was inspired by the post “Save It For a Rainy Day” on Erin Boyle’s blog Reading My Tea Leaves. I highly encourage you to take a few minutes and read the post; I found those couple hundred words to be as equally valuable as the twenty-plus hours of reading I did this week for my classes.
// Photos by Claire Star. Title borrowed Sheryl Crow's song by the same name.
Tags: by Claire, Happiness, Life
Note: This post was inspired by the post “Save It For a Rainy Day” on Erin Boyle’s blog Reading My Tea Leaves. I highly encourage you to take a few minutes and read the post; I found those couple hundred words to be as equally valuable as the twenty-plus hours of reading I did this week for my classes.
// Photos by Claire Star. Title borrowed Sheryl Crow's song by the same name.
Tags: by Claire, Happiness, Life