As the confinement got extended for another 15 days, I found myself going through a little bit of a writer’s block. And as I try to bounce back into the blogosphere again, I wanted to share a couple of my go-to routines that I found quite helpful for when you are looking for a little boost or that push of encouragement.
THE REVERSE BUCKET LIST
A friend of mine gave me a Happiness Journal by Kikki K for my birthday, which at that time, I mistook for a beautiful yet normal diary. It’s not until I was cleaning out my room, that I realised what I had. The Happiness Journal makes you fill out a lot of introspective questions, all in the aim to help you find happiness and in turn learn how to maintain it. Amongst the many exercises I had to do was that of writing a reverse bucket list.
Just like a bucket list is a list of everything you want to achieve or experience, a reverse bucket list is the opposite. It’s a list of everything you have achieved or experienced till date that you are proud of. The places you’ve been, the people you’ve met, experiences made and achievements had.
This is a list to remind you of your journey so far that encompasses all those moments of happiness and joy. And so for that day when you need a little reminding or for when you feel stuck or low, you refer to that list which I can assure you will be boost you need to strive further.
PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Practicing gratitude has become somewhat of a trend and those who do it will tell you that its does help. Keeping a gratitude journal, where you pen down 3-5 things you are grateful of for that day, will allow you to change the way you look at life. It is scientifically proven that we can alienate our minds to think more positively by simply replacing every one bad thought with three good thoughts. It is easier said than done I know, which is where the gratitude journal comes in handy. Learning to be grateful of the small things in life like, receiving a text from a love one, sipping on that delicious cup of coffee or admiring the sunset on your drive home, might sound like nonsense but by learning to be grateful of the small things, you ultimately learn to be grateful of life and thus attract more positivity. It’s worth trying!
LETTER WRITING
This go-to routine is for when you need closure. When a relationship breaks, we sometimes don’t get the closure we need. More so, we sometimes don’t get to say the things we wanted to say to that person.
Letter writing is a handy technique that allows you to express how you feel or felt. But you have to do it the old fashion way. So grab yourself a pen and paper and pour those feelings out regardless of what they are. When you are done, burn the letter. I tend to recite a little prayer or simply say, “I let go of this relationship and the feelings that I felt/feel. I let it all go because it is for my highest good”. While I can understand that it might sound a little crazy and maybe utter nonsense, I can assure you that they is something about this ritual that never fails to provide me a sense of relief and a close enough feeling of closure.
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? – THE LIST
Another exercise done with the Happiness Journal was making a list of everything that makes you happy. It can something simple as sipping my coffee while scrolling through my Instagram. Make that list. Write everything that makes you smile, or that brightens your day. It can be anything as long as it makes you happy.
Once the list is done, reflect on it. How can you do more of these things. For example, baking makes me happy. So how can I bake more? Maybe assign a day where I zone out in the kitchen for a few hours to bake. Maybe join a baking class. In doing a happy list, you allow yourself to sit down and really think of things that brings you happiness. This list then becomes a grounding foundation of helping you pave your way towards living a happier life. Because after all happiness was never a destination, but a life-long journey of a series of small moments that make one big bundle of happiness.
I hope you found some of those technique/routines useful. I would love to know your go-to mantra for those days when you feel a little less joyful. Let me know in the comment section below
Love Always,
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