How I Made Happiness Happen

It's truly the little things.

Selfie in a dirty Target mirror because, why not?

After surviving a shitty 31st birthday and the even shittier week that preceded it, I was determined not to drag that dread and disappointment into another week. Nothing had drastically turned around for me, but after reflecting on that profound message from the birthday card, I decided that I wasn’t going to let the unpredictability and ugliness of life defeat me anymore. I was on a mission every day of the week to find ways to cultivate happiness — and it totally worked! I was smiling and laughing more. I felt less stressed and depressed about my day job. I was more present and engaged on social media. I was speaking more positively about myself and my current situation. Most importantly, though, it was the first in a very long time that I felt hopeful and happy about my future.

Here are some of the ways I created happiness for myself:

• Journaling by candlelight for 10 minutes each morning while sipping coffee.

• Reading this amazing book by Iyanla Vanzant.*

• Listening to Savannah Cristina’s “Self Care” and Emily King’s “Seven” album.

• Writing out my meals for each day.

• Discovering the honey almond milk flat white at Starbucks.

• Doing my hair and makeup and putting on real clothes every day before work.

• Signing out of Gmail and Slack exactly at 5:00 p.m. and feeling zero shame.

• Praying and talking to God while taking Bella for morning walks around the neighborhood.

• Watching “Girlfriends” while enjoying dinner.

• Pigging out on a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream before bedtime ’cause that’s my business.

What about you?

How did you create happiness for yourself last week? How are you planning to do it this week? You can respond directly to this email (only I can see the reply) or leave a comment and we can discuss as a community!

Until the next cup! ☕️

—Andrea

P.S. Did you read my 31st birthday recap?

Editor's note: Items marked with [*] are affiliate links, which means if you click the link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no added cost to you. :)

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