30 day trial: Being happy. JOIN ME.

[LMVector]

Alright, since I moved one year ago, even though I have accomplished a lot, I've been pretty miserable- feeling sorry for myself, pushing people away, not enjoying enjoyable moments and self sabotaging without necessity.

ENOUGH.

For the next 30 days, starting tomorrow, I am going to be happy and tracking it on here. What does this involve? For me it involves the following..

1. Every morning and evening after brushing my teeth I will smile at myself in the mirror until I actually feel good.

2. I will enjoy everything I eat and I will not give myself the physical and emotional discomfort of overeating.

3. I will exercise everyday, even if it's just some sit ups or a light walk, but ideally it will be half an hour of interval training.

4. I will do my best intellectually, work daily on the pending essays I have and read for one hour everyday.

5. I will nourish my relationships, getting in touch with a friend (most are long distance) everyday and doing something nice and unexpected to the family and friends I have around me (even if it's just a cup of coffee and a smile).

I've seen a lot of people post on here about their unhappiness, and I encourage those of you to join me on this for 30 days, needless to say with whatever your personal happiness involves.

Any advice, support, or general comments are appreciated.

Goodnight !

[DEEJ]

Good luck. I've heard this book is good, though i'venot got round to reading it Amazon.com: Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out: Marci Shimoff, Carol Kline: Books

[LMVector]

Okay today has been good, my general vibe has been better than usual. I ate comfortably and enjoyed it, enjoyed the work I set out for myself, read and exercised for half an hour. I had a good chat with my dad and I made dinner for the family. I've also just emailed an old friend.

Rating out of 10...8 (I could have read a little longer)

[g00016138]

This is such a cool idea. I believe that happiness is a state of mind, seriously. I sacrificed a lot for the job that I just got after graduating magna cum laude, expecting it to jump start my career, but all they give me so far is typing work. Imagine 4 years of science major, then you type like a secretary. But instead of frowning, I just decided to laugh it off, and start a blog. If I'm being paid to type, then I might as well type something I like. SMILE! I think this article will help you:
IGNORE INC.: IGNORE The Frown

Regards,
AH

[seeker5]

Great idea, Good luck!

Two things that have helped me in the past in being happier, feeling better in terms of habits has been to listen to 30 minutes of positive audiobook a day, and avoiding all news from all sources.

[AlexG]

I would write those as affirmations and put them in present, positive tense as you already doing them.

Not:
I will exercise everyday, even if it's just some sit ups or a light walk, but ideally it will be half an hour of interval training

Yes:
I exercise everyday, some sit ups or a light walk, but ideally half an hour of interval training.

Good luck and keep me updated.

[uberinquisitive]

I LOVE THIS!

Everyday, I feel more grateful for my life.

And everyday, my life becomes even more amazing.

This is not a coincidence.

[Angela]

I agree with AlexG, and I would also add phrasing that has me feeling good right now (why wait?), like:

I am tremendously enjoying and grateful for exactly the right amount of food for my glowingly healthy body.

I am generating tingling vitality and energy in my daily sit-ups, 30 minute walk, and/or interval training.

My daily one-hour writing sessions are growing new brain synapses and providing me with stimulation and excitement.

....like that. Why settle for mere happiness when you can generate Joy

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Angela

Why settle for mere happiness when you can generate Joy

Why settle for Joy?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Elrond

Why settle for Joy?

Why, that's a bold statement! What more would you like to generate, Elrond? Inspire me!

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by Angela

Why, that's a bold statement! What more would you like to generate, Elrond? Inspire me!

I would be very content with just happiness right now, thank you. One step at the time If I can feel better than "happy" , I'll surely aim for that.

Maybe joy isn't the threshold of how happy one can be on a continual basis. Not saying that you're claiming it, just saying. According to Abraham, the capacity to feel good is infinite. So if you're finding yourself on "joy" on the emotional guidance scale, then there is a notch higher than that. And than another... and another....

Like the feeling above joy/love/? is "ecstasy", and than "bliss", and than "paralysed from bliss", and than "weirdo freak that won't stop smiling and hugging me!"

"The better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets..." Is that inspiring enough?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Elrond

"The better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets..." Is that inspiring enough?

Yes, indeed! the more inspiring it gets, the more inspiring it gets!

For me, joy is infinite -- it's something that I can expand within without limit. (I don't believe I've ever used the words within and without right next to each other before ). Expansion into infinite joy (and infinite power and infinite abundance, too) -- there's not limit!

I must say, though, I'm not too interested in being paralyzed by bliss!

But I definitely agree with you that's it's a great idea to allow for more happiness (or joy or power or abundance) than you can even conceive of currently. That aspect of infinite expansion might be a wonderful thing to build into your intentions, LMVector!

[LMVector]

First of all, here are my edited statements..

1. Every morning and evening after brushing my teeth I smile at myself in the mirror, and I feel the joy my smile generates.

2. I enjoy everything bite of what I eat and I do not give myself the physical and emotional discomfort of overeating.

3. I exercise everyday, even if it's just some sit ups or a light walk, but ideally it is be half an hour of interval training.

4. I always do my best intellectually, work daily on the pending essays I have and read for one hour everyday.

5. I daily nourish my relationships, getting in touch with a friend (most are long distance) everyday and doing something nice and unexpected to the family and friends I have around me (even if it's just a cup of coffee and a smile).

Day 2

I did alright on most fronts. Read a bit, exercised and ate fairly well, but I had a friend over all day so it was hard to get any work done. However, I had an excellent time with her so I don't think that was too major.

Day 3

Yesterday was a mess. My sister (who is very problematic, she has serious health problems physically and mentally) is in a very bad mood and she's been shouting at me. It's all pretty complicated. I'm not really sure how to handle the atmosphere at home, but if I leave it's always worse when I get back. The thing is I'm spending holidays with my dad and my sister who I don't actually live with, and who I see only once a year. This lead to me feeling crappy pretty much all day trying to figure out a way past it, and then when I lay in bed at night I just burst into tears cause I felt so bad. I woke up this morning just feeling apathetic.

[xyz]

LMVector,
I will like to do the things you are doing. Count me in. And don't dwell too much on your sister's behaviour. She can't control herself but you can. She might not be knowing what she is doing or saying. If possible try to surf the net to find a good rehabilitation center for your sister. Consult it with your dad. Find out what is going on in his head. How he intends to tackle this problem. Both of you might bond well on the matter of your sis. So just take control of your emotions. You were doing fine. Keep it that way. :-) All the best.

[xyz]

LMVector,
I am sorry. You are too young to tackle your sister's problem. You are just doing fine. You are a way too mature for a 16 yrs old. Anyone can be proud of you as a daughter/son, sister/brother or a friend. You will do well in life.

[uberinquisitive]

Originally Posted by LMVector

Day 3

My sister (who is very problematic, she has serious health problems physically and mentally) is in a very bad mood and she's been shouting at me...This lead to me feeling crappy pretty much all day trying to figure out a way past it, and then when I lay in bed at night I just burst into tears cause I felt so bad. I woke up this morning just feeling apathetic.

I hold the TAT pose and just rant and rave about a negative feeling/situation.

Within 20 minutes, my perspective changes. I feel empathy for the other person. I start to think, "well, this isn't that bad." I don't know why, but the TAT pose seems to provide this shift in energy. If I just rant and rave without holding TAT pose, the agony goes on much longer.

Once the TAT pose is used, and the feelings die down, then I started to think of all the things I'm grateful for.

Air conditioning.
A great meal I had today.
At least I have a sister, and deep down, she is there for me.
Friends.
Family.
Etc..

Within 24 hours, I feel extremely positive again. Sometimes, even more positive than before.

This "bouncing back" does take practice. I've been doing it for at least 6 months now, and it's easier and quicker now than when I started.