My Self Improvement: Do things that make you happy.
This is my current list of things that make me happy, and make me feel fulfilled and productive.
When your alarm goes off, stretch something! Stretch your shoulders. Sit up and stretch your back. Stick a leg straight up in the air and stretch your hamstrings. The sudden bloodflow wakes you up in a refreshing way and makes the morning brighter + easier to jump into.
WASH UR FACE. It’s refreshing AS FUCK. Use 3 different moisturizers and pretend you’re a Kpop star who needs perfect skin.
Brush yo teeth my homies. Dental work is expensive af and tooth-brushing shit is cheap.
Look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re cute as hell. Say it threateningly. “You are a cute motherfucker.”
Do a half-minute of exercise. 30 seconds. That’s hardly anything. Lift something over your head and wiggle it. Do a wallsit. Lunge your way across the hall and back. Lay down and do some lazy crunches or sit-ups. Ta daaaa! Elevated heart rate! Extra energy for the day! - You can do more if you want, but this is for perking up, not working out.
Write down 3 things you need to complete today. Just 3 small things. Maybe it’s ‘Wash Dishes’ ‘Put away Dishes’ and ‘Do Laundry’ - If you’re low on spoons, go smaller. “wash 3 dishes” or “Put laundry in washer, Feed pets, Feed self” - Try to get those 3 things done before going to sleep. - I like to write “Time this will take” next to it. Usually each thing is only 5-10 minutes, but it’s super fulfilling to check an entire list off.
Keep a running list of the projects you’ve started. This is just to reference in case you’re bored af and want to do something but don’t want to start something new necessarily. My list is long as hellll.
Look for nice things! Keep your eyes peeled for the silver lining of things, and the bright spots on other people. Compliment people who put effort into their appearance. Try to be genuinely appreciative of people helping you - Not just by thanking them, but feel it in your heart.
Idk about y’all, but I have trouble remembering to eat, so I use a meal tracker to remind me to stop for lunch. Calorie counter apps are useful for making sure you’ve reached a threshold, not just staying under a limit. Looking at the app and realizing I’ve had a week streak of having solid meals is lovely. I’ve been doing so well!
Missing a meal isn’t bad/wrong/failing - it’s just an accident. Like dropping a slice of cheese on the floor. Whoops! Well, that’s gone, better be a little more careful moving forward. Forgive yourself for mistakes and accidents. Think of how you can do better next time, don’t linger and ruminate over the mistake
Take a moment to appreciate the world around you. Take 30 seconds to pause by a window and watch the clouds. Listen to birdsong. Let your shoulders relax. Brush your fingertips over a bush as you pass it. Watch a squirrel do its thing. I’m just a small part of a big-ass world, and the problems in my life really aren’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. The world isn’t actually ending. I find it centering.
Have something that someone else holds you to, outside of work. Every Tuesday I meet with friends for ‘Writer’s Group’ to go over things we’ve written for editing and suggestions. Often I bring fanfics, but other times it’s bits of novels or short stories. Every Sunday I volunteer at a drug/alcohol/homeless recovery center to serve lunch. Tbh these things are selfish. I’ve found I need structure in my life. I volunteer for a sense of fulfilled duty + a solid anchor in the liminal space of my time-fluxy mind.
For me, none of this happened all at once. None of this is perfect daily habits. They’re things that I realized I needed to be happy, so I try to do them regularly for that sweet, sweet dopamine. Maybe you need meditation every day, to be happy. Maybe you need to call your friends and talk, or have a certain amount of time with animals.
Find out what makes you happy, and try your best to make those moments a feature in your life. Even if it’s a little bit of happiness at a time, after a while it can build up until you realize you’ve got a LOT of little things making you feel at peace.
And sometimes it can all build up until you realize you’re a TRIUMPHANT MOTHERFUCKER WHO CAN KICK THE WHOLE WORLD IN ITS FACE! CROW YOUR BATTLECRY TO THE HEAVENS AND LUNGE INTO THE NEXT ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE! DESTROY THE VILLAINS WHO OPPOSE YOU! DRINK FROM THE CHALICE OF VICTORY!
WEAPONIZE YOUR POSITIVITY UNTIL YOU CAN CURSE EVERYONE AROUND YOU INTO FEELING JOYOUS AND HAPPY TO BE ALIVE!
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