“Happiness is intrinsic. It's an internal thing. When you build it
into yourself, no external circumstances can take it away”
I came across this interesting thought today while surfing the internet. How incredibly true it is!
In my daily life I sincerely try to follow the mantra – make yourself feel good. Do atleast one thing in the whole day that’s only for yourself. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something time taking. It could be spending the extra 5 mins in the morning on yourself to make sure you look good. I love dressing up. It always makes me feel good about myself and also adds a nice spring to my step, the whole day long.
Another thing that always brightens me up is water. I am a complete water freak. I love playing in water. Depending on my mood I at times treat myself to a nice luxurious bath with scented candles lit around or at times it’s just a fun filled swim in the pool, or a quiet walk in the rains (sometimes with my beloved) or playing with the waves at the lakeshore. Water always rejuvenates me.
Being human, we all are by nature - social. Being social, helps me feel connected. It makes me feel counted. I love catching up with my old friends and laughing about good old times. Reliving some past experience, brings with it a feeling of nostalgia. And nostalgia makes me feel good, it makes me feel comfortable. I love hanging out with my girlfriends. Discussing what they have been upto. Things that we talk about at times end up inspiring me to try new things. Besides the joy of spending a good time with our friends always makes one feel good. I also feel good whenever I get a compliment for any of my efforts. Appreciation never fails to cheer me up and hence I make conscious efforts to appreciate all the little things that people around me do. I am sure we all love a bit of appreciation and acknowledgement in our lives.
Another peculiar habit I have is that whenever I feel anxious or am frustrated due to some reason, I put on some of my favorite (Bollywood) songs and sing aloud with the music playing. Kind of like a karaoke. Singing out loud helps release the knots of frustration within me and helps me relax. I can’t exactly explain the logic behind this but this exercise works for me.
Whenever I feel a bit low and not so good about myself, I set myself some tasks/goals and work hard to achieve them. Once I complete those tasks, I derive a great sense of achievement. And achievement leads to happiness in me. It also re-boosts within me a sense of confidence (which is usually at an all-time low when I feel down) and gives me a new strength.
One of the activities that I indulge in most is shopping. It’s a complete mood lifter for me. I love to shop, be it personal or household stuff. I love to shop for myself, my family and friends, for my home. Every time I buy something nice I keep feeling good about it for a long time.
As I read through all of the activities I have listed so far, I realize that these activities indicate that I am vain. But come to think about it, if being a bit vain once in a while keeps me happy, then I think being vain is really not that bad. I believe that nothing can bring you happiness but yourself. While doing our daily chores I think it’s important that we not forget ourselves. Giving ourselves time is the best thing we can do for ourselves. And only when we are happy can we truly give happiness to all around us. May we all find it within ourselves to make ourselves happy!!
