Happiness Blog

New Year’s Eve marks the last day of the 2019 calendar year, and a reason to create a new beginning when you ring in the new year on January 1, 2020 at 12:01am. Although many of you may not remember the last time you were up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, you all remember waking up the next morning with goals and ambitions that you would like to see happen within the next year. Use this as an excuse to create positive change for a future containing more happiness than one feels they deserve. We can never have too much happiness in our lives.

There are so many things to love about Christmas: the winter-themed drinks, the festive parties, the outrageous decorations, the silly traditions, and the delicious food. The great thing about Christmas is that there is a joyful festivity for everyone to enjoy. Every year on December 25th, we celebrate Christmas, a day for spending time with family, honoring Christ’s birth if this is your religious belief, partaking in lighthearted traditions, or just spreading some holiday cheer!

Winter is here. The cold brisk air blowing through our hair, and the only option we have is to snuggle up next to the fire, drink hot cocoa and reminisce in how we are feeling. Take this time to share with others about what is going on in your life, where you may benefit from some support, and what you may need help doing. If you do not feel comfortable speaking these thoughts out loud, write them down. Get the struggles and stressors off your mind, to create space to focus on the happiness in the world around you.

December is known by most as a month for giving time, gifts, and food to share with those we love. This is a great way to feel happiness inside ourselves, as well as share it with those around us. Every year, on the Tuesday after Black Friday, people take the time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community. Whether it be donating money to a charitable cause, or volunteering your time, Giving Tuesday is a day set to benefit the community. Let’s take this week and this month to share our love with friends, family and our community, giving them the best gift, the joy of happiness.

Thanksgiving: Americans celebrate this special day on the fourth Thursday in November to give thanks for the many opportunities, people, and blessings that we are fortunate enough to have in our lives. This is a great time to celebrate togetherness with family and be grateful for all that we have accomplished in our lives, as well as all we have done for others. Happiness is often developed from a giving heart.

This week let’s encourage each other to get outdoors. Yes, I know it is beginning to get cooler, but we live in North Carolina, it does not get that cold. Put a sweater on and grab a friend and go for a hike. Fresh air is proven to be good for your digestive system, improves blood pressure and heart rate, strengthens your immune system, cleans your lungs, and gives you more energy and a sharper mind. Overall, the more fresh air you get, the more oxygen you will breathe which will increase the amount of serotonin (the happy hormone) you inhale, consequently making you happier.

I get it, we just went through daylight savings, and you are wondering why this is still a process we find important to continue with, twice a year every year. It screws up schedules, routines, and creates for mass confusion country wide. But what good does it do? We need to take these points of negativity and reframe our focus to be on the positive. All summer long we got to enjoy more light in the evening, for outdoor picnics when the weather was warm. The crime rates drop significantly by an average of 7%. It minimizes energy consumption, saving us money on our energy bill. Lastly, it lowers the incidences of traffic accidents. There are always positives to focus on even when they are not our first thoughts. I would encourage everyone to take the time to focus on the good, in turn creating a happier thought process.

Well, I learned about my absolute favorite holiday this month “National Men Make Dinner Day”. I love this day for man and woman alike. Traditionally in American culture, women are largely responsible for meal prep, and getting food on the table for their families. However, gender roles have begun to change, and what used to be traditional is no longer. Two keys to happiness are empowerment and confidence, and what more empowering way then to have men put on an apron, get out their knife set, and create a delicious meal for those they love. This day is all about giving those men the confidence to get in the kitchen and creating happiness for themselves and those surrounding them!