Believe it or not, there are actually easy simple ways to tackle stress eating, overwhelm, and getting healthier and happier. Healthy thinking and mindset are critical pieces to making effective changes that last—without willpower and feeling deprived. Even better, easy simple changes are the ones that are most likely to stick around and become habits that you do without even giving them much thought. Sound appealing? Here’s a quick recipe for lowering stress, boosting happiness, and creating more effectiveness in your life.
An Easy Recipe for Less Stress and More Happiness
- Before you leap out of bed and start your day, stop. Lie still and take one deep breath.
- After your big breath, make a decision. How do you intend to approach your day? Pick a word that fits—confident, happy, exasperated, stressed, sluggish, uncertain, passive, energized, cautious—you choose. Truth be told, we make the choice every day, so today, do it deliberately.
- While you brush your teeth, mentally list five things you are grateful for. Begin your day by setting your sites on things that go right.
- Ask yourself what you want to accomplish or feel by the end of the day. Say it to yourself in a sentence. “By the end of the day I will _______________.” Hint: focus helps. You should be able to speak your sentence in one breath.
- Before you eat, take another deep breath and pause.
- Ask yourself how you’d like the food you are about to eat to be of service to you. Will it nourish, comfort, provide pleasure or happiness, give you a break, fill you up, or something else? Before you eat, stop and give thanks that you have this food and the opportunity to choose this experience—whatever it is.
- End your day with a ritual. Before you close your eyes for the night, tell yourself one thing you feel good or proud about that happened this day.
Have you created easy rituals that became daily habits? What has worked for you? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving,
