Well, friends, we’ve made it to the end of January. That’s both the good news and the bad news because we still have to make it through February before we can really say that the majority of winter is behind us.
In some ways February is better than January – it’s physically shorter, and we start to have more light in the evenings, but here in Nova Scotia, we also tend to have the bulk of our nasty winter weather during that short 4 week period.
This is why having a HAPPY LIST is something that I think is so darn important. When it’s dark and cold and dreary, we need to be able to make your own little pockets of joy, and your happy list is such an important part of that!
What’s on your HAPPY list?
There are two types of lists that I talk about in today’s podcast. The “happy list”, and the “looking forward to” list. And both are equally important if you ask me, one allows you to find those things to cheer you up on a dark day, the other gives you something to look forward to, just as the name suggests.
The happy list
You know how some people describe a cup of hot chocolate, a nice latte, or a really good dessert as feeling like a warm hug? Things that give you that type of feelings are what I want you to add to your happy list. Some things that are on my own personal happy list include:
- a hot bath
- a good latte
- a snuggle with a kitty (or puppy – or bunny, I’m not picky!)
- an afternoon curled up with a book
- a cup of tea
- cozy slippers
Notice what’s NOT on this list – expensive things that you need to budget or plan for. Arguably, I could say I need to plan for an afternoon off to read, but I think we can agree that it’s easier to plan that on a whim on a Saturday than it is to drop everything and go for a spa day! The point of your happy list is to give you things you can fall back on when you are in need of a little extra TLC and joy, but that won’t break the bank or take a lot of your time.
These should be things that you could enjoy on a daily basis – and in fact, I want you to enjoy at least one thing from your happy list every day!
Today in my Instagram stories I’m going to be sharing this slide so you can share your happy list! If you miss it in my stories, you can save the photo below and upload it yourself, but be sure to tag me @suziconfesses so I can see it!
The looking forward to list
As great as the happy list is, I think it’s also important to have something to look forward to on the horizon. Maybe you have a trip planned for late winter/early spring. Maybe there is a movie you are excited to see, a day trip with your friends you are looking forward to, maybe it’s something as simple as your next massage appointment. This is the place to put those bigger, more expensive (money or time-wise), and more time-sensitive things I told you didn’t fit on your happy list.
Some examples of items on my “looking forward to” list include:
- The release of “P.S. I Still Love You” on Netflix next month. Yup, I’m afraid I’m still fully invested in this series lol
I’m 38 years old and I’m not even sorry about this.
And truthfully, at the moment, aside from a couple of upcoming day-dates with my husband and some with my friends, I’ve got nothing else really on my looking forward to” list. But that’s ok! Daydreaming about summer vacation trips that aren’t yet planned still counts!
I also whipped up a little graphic for you to share on Instagram for your “looking forward to” list because I really want to see what it is that YOU are looking forward to!
If you can’t think of three, that’s ok! But try to come up with at least one thing you are looking forward to between now and the end of March.
Sharing is caring
We’re all in this together, so let’s share our lists to help inspire one another. You never know, the items on your happy list could inspire someone else’s. And wouldn’t it be great if we all felt a little bit happier?
Not on Instagram? Come share your lists in my Facebook Group!
And I’ll leave you with the post from Lori’s Instagram feed that I mentioned in the podcast because we’ve all got a little (or a lot) more snow in our future, we may as well make the most of it!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7DwU50nRpn/
