10 Ways To Infuse Happiness Into Your Day

I’m no happiness guru, but I do try to stay positive. Dwelling in worry, negativity, and drama gets us nowhere. But in today’s world (and especially as a mama), we are faced with constant challenges.

However, we all know the saying, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.” And it’s so true. I’ve found that when I make a decision to be happy, I am actually happier. When I intend on having a positive experience, I am so much more likely to do so.

Lately, I’ve found myself gravitating toward little acts of positivity throughout each day to help me maintain an optimistic outlook. Here are some of my tricks that you can try:

Say yes to yourself. You know what you need and when you need it. And it’s so easy as a mom to put your needs last. So, improve your attitude by saying yes to yourself. If you need to veg out and watch “This is Us” instead of doing the dishes, go for it. If you need a triple espresso from Starbucks, make the trip. You don’t have to indulge at every turn, but just try to say yes to yourself at least once a day.

Call an old friend. It’s funny how hard it is to carve out time for a phone conversation when it was once the center of teenage me’s life! But it is so, so hard. However, there’s nothing like a chat with a friend you haven’t talked with in a while to bring a smile to your face.

Set happiness goals. Nothing says “intention” like setting actual goals. Set these for yourself or for your kids – just focus on doing a couple things each day that will make you happy. And you can even use the same ones over and over. These past few weeks in the drop-off line in school, my boys and I have talked about their two main goals for the day: 1) Make a new friend; and 2) Learn something new. How can you not be happy learning new things and making new friends?

Compliment someone. This is my absolute favorite happiness tactic. It feels so good to compliment someone else. And the world is full of great people doing great things, so it’s easy to do this often and still be genuine about it. It can be as simple as complimenting someone’s outfit or as complex as writing them a thank-you note for the difference they have made in your life. You will definitely bring some happiness to someone else’s day – and to yours too.

Meditate. Before you excuse this tip and say, “I don’t meditate,” please note that meditation can come in many forms. Even if you don’t want to actually meditate, there are many ways to calm your body and clear your mind. Maybe you choose to meditate on a daily Bible verse. Or maybe your meditation comes in the form of mindless exercise, like a run or a walk. Or maybe you just want to float in the pool. However you choose to do it, take a few minutes every day to breathe deeply, clear your mind, and just be still.

Journal. I’m a big fan of journaling for your kids, but you should consider journaling for yourself as well. Whether you choose to write in an actual book journal, type a collection of thoughts on your phone, or even start a blog, the practice of journaling is good for centering oneself and for focusing on gratitude.

Embrace a memory. Kids grow up fast, y’all, and lately, one of my favorite things to do is look at old pictures and videos of them when they were babies. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see their sweet little faces. I highly recommend it! And this tactic works for when you’re missing someone or even missing a particular era in your life. Embrace the good memories and tell happy stories about these people and places to anyone who will listen. It is a great way to replace sadness with joy.

Feed your soul. Seriously, I don’t understand people who can live without art, music, books, theater, poetry, good food, enrichment, religion, learning…the list goes on. Find something you love, something that feeds your soul, and infuse a little bit of it into your day every day. I love to paint, so I try to do that for at least 15 minutes every day. I love music, so I’m known to blast a song or two, especially while my kids are at school. And I love to look at art, so even my Instagram scrolling gives me joy because of the peeps I follow.

Try something new. Sometimes, it’s just the monotony of daily life that gets us down. If that’s the case for you, it’s time to try something new. Break yourself out of a dinner rut by making a new recipe. If you’re still wearing makeup these days, try to put your eyeshadow on a little differently. Add a new exercise to your workout routine. Or even sleep on the other side of the bed – ok, no … wait. That’s crazy talk.

Have a dance party. The end-all, be-all happiness tactic is the impromptu dance party. Do it at home with Alexa blasting your favorite tunes. Dance your booty off in the car with the windows down and the sun shining on your skin. Grab your kids and have a room-by-room dance party where you dance in every room in the house. Whatever you do, don’t forget to get your groove on. There’s something about shaking your booty that forces a giggle.

I hope some of these tricks work for you! And don’t forget to smile! Sometimes, it even takes our faces to fool our hearts. Hope you have a happy day today!