It’s common to feel down when you’re struggling with a chronic health issue, and it’s hard finding time for you when you have a ton of things to do and you’re constantly running on empty.
The thing is, the busier we become the less time we have to tune into ourselves. However, the body has a good way of telling us when something is wrong by creating illness or DIS-EASE which forces us to slow down, take rest, and reflect so that we can take the necessary steps to regain our health!
A good way to avoid this negative feedback loop is by taking a few minutes each day to slow down, tune in, and de-stress which recharges your energy and boosts your immune system!
Below are 12 easy steps that will guide you towards lasting inner happiness no matter what is happening in your external world:
1. Create a positive daily morning ritual
To elevate your vibration to a higher level of love, peace, joy, and gratitude create a daily morning ritual that sets the right tone for the rest of the day. It could be that you wake up and have a glass of lemon water or a healthy smoothie followed by writing in a journal, meditating, practicing yoga, or going for a walk. Whatever it might be, think of activities that nourish your soul.
2. Practice gratitude
Write down 10 things that you’re grateful for each day and allow gratitude to flow.
3. Send out love energy
Send love energy each day to three people who are bothering you or whom you don’t like. Then, stay in stillness for five minutes and ask for guidance for the day ahead.
4. Spend at least 10 minutes each day in nature
A study featured in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science & Technology proves that being in nature can improve our mental health and wellbeing. When we sync the rhythms of our body to that of the natural rhythms of mother earth, we can experience a natural feeling of joy and connectedness to the source of bliss.
5. Earth yourself
Engage in a daily activity to earth yourself. Many people have lost their connection to the earth. We wear rubber shoes, live in cities, and spend most of our lives indoors. The earth contains its own magnetic field which has a mild negative charge. However, in modern-day life, our bodies build up a positive charge. To bring our body’s electromagnetic charge back to a healthy state we need to spend more time in direct contact with the earth. Skin-to-earth contact such as walking barefoot on the grass or along a beach, swimming in the ocean, covering yourself in mud, or gardening with your bare hands can all have a positive impact on your levels of health and happiness.
6. Reduce stress
Take time each day to reflect on what is causing you stress and choose one stressor to focus on reducing. The type of stressors that require persistent hard work, which makes life a serious effort to live, interferes with your natural experience of happiness so it’s equally important to make your environment a positive place to be in. For example, most of us spend 70 percent of our waking hours at work so it’s important to work with people who are joyful, who complement your strengths, and whom you share a bond and similar vision with. It’s also important to ensure you have access to fresh air and natural light throughout your working day which both contribute to a sense of wellbeing.
7. Replace, reduce, or eliminate the following; alcohol, tobacco, drugs, junk food, and chemicals
Choose one thing from each category above and replace it with a healthy alternative, or reduce/ eliminate it from your lifestyle. Most people depend on having a glass or two of alcohol to relax at the end of the day or to loosen up when engaging with others socially. We tend to gravitate towards fast foods for convenience. We clean our homes with toxic chemicals and lather our bodies in chemical-laden soaps, deodorants, moisturizers, and makeup. However, it is important to eliminate, reduce, or replace these products with healthier alternatives.
After all, what we put into and onto our bodies can directly impact the way we feel!
8. Practice mindfulness
It’s important to become aware of the thoughts that endlessly ebb and flow from the mind and try to avoid engaging in negativity such as gossiping, dwelling on bad news, blaming others, or venting anger onto others. The moment we take responsibility for our happiness is the moment we become free from the bonds of grasping at exterior sources that don’t ultimately bring us happiness.
9. Create happiness for others
Do one thing each day that creates happiness for others; by being attentive, being a good listener, showing appreciation, being non-judgmental, acknowledging others’ strengths, sharing love and affection, and showing that you care.
10. Develop mental and emotional intelligence
Each day, try to increase your mental, emotional, and physical capacities by learning a new skill, watching a thought-provoking documentary, reading a book, developing self-awareness through attending a workshop, or gaining knowledge through experience. Instead of believing something that you read in the paper or watch on the news, try to do the necessary research, trust in your intuition, and get in touch with your deeper self.
11. Commit to discovering your soul calling
Spend time each day taking small steps towards carrying out your soul’s calling. The happiest people are the ones who create meaning and purpose in their life. To do this, they are in touch with their authentic self, they follow a higher calling, and they carry out work that is both fulfilling and meaningful to them. On a deeper sense, it is felt as a soul’s urge to express creativity and share one’s unique gifts with the world. The moment we find the courage to follow the whisperings of our hearts is the moment we can experience true freedom.
12. Aim for the highest form of happiness
This type of happiness is spiritual, devoid of the ego, and deeply rooted in the divine. Whatever life throws at you try to enjoy the lifelong process of building your self which contains infinite potential, possibilities, and love. So, instead of focusing on building external things such as wealth, try to focus on building a self that is based on these qualities. It is the prospect of a fulfilled self that brings satisfaction and lasting happiness even in the face of challenges, obstacles, setbacks, and adversities.
In Health & Happiness,
