Happiness Scale

Isn't this photo SO artsy and meaningful? I thought so...

One of the groups that I have to attend with my job is based around recovery and it about recognizing your triggers and knowing what keeps you well.

Okay, so I didn’t realize that I needed a group to help me figure this out, but I also thought that it sounded like a cool blog topic.

Lately, I haven’t been feeling amazing. On the happiness scale, I’ve been feeling pretty low. It takes a lot to be happy, and some are just better at it than others (I am SO not one of those people). But I do know that there are some things that, when I do them, I’m more likely to feel calm, healthy, and happy. I invite you all to make a similar list! Yay!

1) De-Cluttering. It has come to my attention that the state of my apartment is in direct correlation to the state of my mind. It’s shocking. Michael G. Scott once brilliantly said, “A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind.” How right he was. When my apartment is clean(ish) and tidy, I sleep better and my mind feels calmer.

2) Eating healthily and less. I hate that this is a major factor in my happiness scale, but such is life. When I eat bad food, especially too much of it, I not only feel guilty, but the physiological ramifications of those food choices are enough to make me realize that I can’t eat shit and get away with it. I feel groggy, sluggish, depressed, and unmotivated when I eat things that aren’t “real” (ie. Chips, cookies, Kraft Dinner…). You'd think I'd learn and stop eating it...

3) Exercising. Again, I hate that this is a key part in my happiness, but when I move, I feel better. Simple as that. Not to say that I don’t love sitting around in my PJs watching movies all day sometimes, but if I haven’t exercised in a while, the guilt and the feeling of grossness (it’s a word) add up to a bad thing.

4) Laughing. Doesn’t matter with whom or at what, but laughing instantly ups my mood. I have a toolbox of movies and TV shows – and people! – to go to when I need a pick-me-up. Never fails.

Basically, it’s knowing how to take care of yourself. When you know what makes you happy, you have a better chance of keeping your “happiness scale” (I am so patenting that term) on an even keel.

Love,

M