Make Time for Happiness

If you ask most people, “Do you have time for your happiness?” you will get a strange look. A lot of people think that in order to be happy, they’d need more money, more time, or more something else.

But if you ask a person, “Can you make time for your happiness?” the answer without thinking is usually, “No.”

If an emergency comes up, people will make time.

Everything else goes down the priority list and the emergency gets all the time it needs.

Make your happiness a daily priority as if it’s an emergency. It has to be.

Try half an hour. Whether it means getting up a half hour early, finding a half hour at a certain time of the day, or taking a half an hour right before bed, find the time. It’s essential.

If you have a daily happy time, you will have, every single day:

1. something to look forward to
2. something to be grateful for
3. something that is just for you.

What will you do with this happy time? It doesn’t have to cost a cent.

You could:

1. use that time to research or pursue a new hobby
2. use that time to do what you’ve been putting off while waiting for more time – drawing, painting, writing,or something else creative
3. use that time for exercise that you enjoy; yoga, walking, stretching…there are so many videos given as gifts from people on YouTube, even if you’re not sure how to do Yoga, you can learn and do it free and very easily
4. meditate – sitting quietly and inhaling and exhaling peacefully, thinking positive thoughts or affirmations and consciously releasing negative feelings on the out breath
5. playtime – quality time with kids or pets, your spouse or even friends. A short time but a meaningful time with no goals or objectives other than to enjoy each other’s company and live in the moment freely and fully
6. bubble bath! – a deep soak with baking soda and Epsom salts relaxes the mind and muscles, improves circulation, and does wonders for the skin

Scheduling Happy Time: If you can’t do it at the same time every day, schedule it for the week ahead the same way that you would schedule an important appointment.

You’ll find that within a few days, you feel better. Within a few weeks, it becomes a habit and part of your routine. Within a few months, you’ll wonder how you got along without it.