Everyday Happiness - Finding Harmony and Bliss
Education:Self-Improvement
In this mini-series on Why Christmas Makes Us Happy, we dive into the fuzzy feelings of Christmas and why they are present year after year. Today, we wrap up with some words of advice on how to be prepared to get smacked with Christmas cheer!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and we’ve spent the past three episodes discussing the science behind Christmas cheer. If you didn’t get a chance to hear them, I highly recommend going back. With Christmas fast approaching, I have two recommendations on how to improve your happiness and those around you as you proceed to get smacked by Christmas cheer!
First, make time for happiness. During this joyous season, I encourage you to dedicate time to the theories we’ve talked about: executing ritual practices, forging social connections, performing charitable giving, and completing random acts of kindness. Whether this means taking a couple of days off of work, skipping a party to spend more time with your family, or whatever allows you the time to do the things that matter most to you and yours, make it happen. Through Intentional Margins and appropriate time management, you can do all the stuff at the top of your priority list.
Second, try not to get bogged down by expectations. Yes, Christmas can be amazing, but I caution everyone to be realistic about it. Holidays can often get bogged down by expectations. Everyone wants the perfect Christmas, but perfection is rarely a guarantee. There will likely be family drama, impossible-to-find gifts, unexpected situations, and other happenstances that could ruin the holiday season if you let them.
One of my teammates is the perfect example of this. Her self-proclaimed “family curse” is that something terrible happens on almost every holiday, and she isn’t being dramatic. She can recount deaths, accidents, and other horrible situations that always seem to occur on a major holiday every single year. However, she doesn’t let it get her down. She says that such tragedies have allowed herself and her family to become more adaptive during the holidays and to truly appreciate every moment with loved ones. They have no glitter shield, but that clarity makes the happy moments even more special.
So, with that in mind, I suggest that everyone practice accepting internally that things will not go according to plan, adapt as best you can when they happen, allow negative emotions to roll off your back, and remember what the season is all about for you.
Until next time, Happy Holidays from all of us at Everyday Happiness.
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Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
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