"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." - Dalai Lama
This year I have been trying to cultivate happiness. My resolutions, which form the Romeo Project, have aimed to increase my happiness, despite my mental illness. So this month I am accepting responsibility for my own happiness.
As the Dalai Lama points out, we are responsible for our own hapiness. Nothing struck me more than this quote while I was feeling severely depressed last week. I found that leve of responsibility for my own experiences terribly burdening. I couldn't cope under the heavy weight of knowing only I could pull myself out of my downward spiral and back into (at least some level of) happiness.
But the Dalai Lama is right.
You make yourself happy – your actions, your choices, your reactions. We choose how we look after ourselves, how we react to hurtful and frustrating situations. But we can also choose to be happy. So that is exactly what I am doing; Choosing happiness. There are ways to make your days really great days. Here's how I've been trying to do that this month.
How I have accepted responsibility for my own happiness this month:
I am so sick of the usual complaining that I have nothing to do on my birthday every year. Instead, this year I proactively made arrangements and birthday plans.
- Keeping busy
Staying busy is essential for maintaining my sanity. I had a day off work on annual leave last Monday, but no one to spent it with. The loneliness was rather upsetting, but I didn't want to miss the good weather so I arranged a long walk into town to get some small jobs done.
It really was sink or swim time as my deadline approached and I hadn't yet practiced for my interview.
Realizing what accepting responsibility was really about motivated me to dedicate myself to preparations.
- Ensuring I have me-time
Having some evenings with no plans, not even my laundry, to distract me help me to unwind.
-Referring to my Life Handbook
Stay on track sense of being productive even when I feel like crap
- Making a wellbeing plan
Because physical, mental and social wellbeing are essential for good health
- Sticking to my morning routine
Getting up early and having a productive morning makes me a much happier and effectively-functioning person. I am a morning person.
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