🌟Be Thankful and Grateful
Every night before I fall asleep, I think of 3 things that I'm grateful for. Some night it's the greatest things in life - "I'm so grateful for being alive" but sometimes it's simply being grateful for having roof over my head.
🌟Have Something to Look Forward to
After thinking of the 3 things above, I always think of 1 thing that I look forward to tomorrow. This can also be great things like "I'm looking forward to going to New York tomorrow" but it could also be looking forward to what breakfast you will have tomorrow. I always have a holiday or a smaller trip to look forward to, it motivates me to work hard until the travels come.
When you want something more than anything - say it like it's already done. Do not spend time thinking about anything opposite to what you want. See it, smell it, feel it, hear it. If it's real in your brain, it will be real in the physical.
Find the kind of meditation that works for you and do it on a daily basis. It can be sitting down, laying down, chanting or simply listening to your breath. For 5 minutes, 10 minutes or 1 hour. It can even be walking in the forest in silence, just listening to the birds and feeling the air on your skin. There are no right or wrong type of meditation, find what suits you and your lifestyle.
When I started to get serious about my Yoga practise I couldn't really get my head around what it was that made me so content and calm. Recently, I learned that there is eight specific reasons to this: External disciplines and ethical practise, Internal disciplines, Posture for meditation, Breath regulation, Withdrawal for the senses, Concentration, Meditative absorption and Oneness.
🌟Exercise or Workout Of Your Choice
There is no faster way to happiness than exercising - instant endorphins, confidence and the rewards. Improved sleep and energy boosting. When I really don't feel like going on a Yoga class, I just visualise the feeling afterwards - it will all be worth it. Try as many different types of exercises you can and then pick one that you're enjoying so much that time flies. Do that workout from minimum 3 times a week up to everyday.
If you think about how bad you're feeling when you don't get enough sleep, it's easier to picture what 8-9 hours sleep does to you. From easily irritable, stressed, restless or angry - to clear-headed, happy, energised and light-hearted. Did you know that the deep sleep is between 22.00pm-02.00am, so you ideally want to be asleep by 21.30pm.
This is my favourite one because I used to be so bad at this that I had to book it into my calendar - but at least then I made time for it. Schedule it in your calendar until you do it naturally everyday for yourself. Self-Care can be going for a walk, do a hair mask, write a letter to your future yourself, have a date night with you, compliment yourself, buy yourself something nice, cry, clean and say NO to something you don't want to do.
🌟Do Something for Someone Else
There is nothing as selfish as doing something for someone else. Why? Because there is no quicker, more efficient way to instant happiness. Studies shows that when we help someone or make someone else happy, it instantly releases dopamine and endorphins in our brain which makes us happy and motivated.
Write down how far you have come. Where you were and what you have become. How much you have achieved. What you used to dream about and all the things you have now. Read this out load to yourself. Over and over again.
