Happiness In 10 Steps
Author: Sara B. Levi
On the web, there are hundreds of articles, blogs, book titles and research on this topic.
We are always all in constant search of a magic formula that allows us to be delighted and satisfied, in the shortest possible time.
We no longer want to read between the lines; we only want to read a few lines!
With the advent of APPs in the role of General Manager of our lives, everything becomes a “single portion”. Single portion meal, single portion travel, only portion friend, single portion sex, only portion health, apartment, gym. . . God is also served in a single portion.
In this spiral of rationality and apparent obsessive compulsive order, a positive side comes to the fore: we are all “in search”. The more we become “organized”, the higher the demand for tools to support this organization. As if the very fact of aiming fantastically at the external form of perfection was simultaneously sucking us towards a no longer so secret need to rediscover the side of life that is full of mystery.
In the last year, I interviewed 500 people, of all ethnic groups and belonging to the most different social classes, in an age group that goes from 10 to 90 years. People were living in the city, in the countryside, family, singles, of all religions and not belonging to any religion. The theme was simple: “What never fails in your happy day”. Putting together the collected testimonies, I tried to enclose in the following points, the essence of the research. This article is a description of what brings the western and eastern worlds together, the child and the elderly, the man with the modest life and the man of power.
In my opinion, the result is surprising. Shocking in its simplicity and at the same time in the difficulty that human beings encounter in accepting this simplicity and letting go.
WHAT YOU NEVER MISS IN MY HAPPY DAY
1.Early wake up
Mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. A good morning routine leaves you feeling centred, energized, and ready to take on the world. When you wake up, spend the first 5 minutes moving back to yourself. Pay attention to your physical sensations, and breathe deeply into your body.
Moving out of your bedroom, be sure to have enough time to make your way. You will find your gestures becomes rituals, and these rituals become your source of peace for the rest of the day.
The world in the morning is calmer, and you can access to this calmness, learning how to avoid the short cuts! Calmness will set you up for a great day!
2. Regularly help others
There is no need to take on the role of wonder woman or Superman. We have no idea what people around us are going through: it is not possible to know for sure for those we think we know or we attend every day at work, let alone for those we don’t know. Smile as you walk, as a natural expression. Truly thank the cashier. Give way on the bus or at the entrance of the metro and leave a coffee already paid for those who will come after you! The effect of a butterfly flutter in Brazil will become the perfect storm in Indonesia.
3. Do Exercise You LIKE
We all know it, the physical aspect is important: indeed, we all practice some sport.
What comes clear on the surface of these million people makes efforts sweating, and pumping is that the real reason why we feel better is not the size of the trousers we can wear again, but the fact that we give ourselves some time to have fun. Physical activity produces endorphin, which translates as pure pleasure for the brain. The brain sends the same message back to the body, and all the organs respond positively to the positive stimulus. Regardless of physical intensity, the more we like what we do in terms of sports, the more pleasure our body has, the more effective our efforts will be. Practising a sport or an activity that involves the movement of the body we love is essential, as the pleasure itself dramatically enhances the positive results, both emotionally and physically / aesthetically.
DON’T FORGET TO PLAY
4. Do nothing for 2 minutes
. . . at least!
Can you stop during the day, and take two minutes without doing anything at all? No phone scrolling, email, social networks, no checking breaking news. Do this experiment.
Take 2 to 5 minutes of your time to sit comfortably anywhere. In a park, a bar, at home, among the people, in the office. A place you feel is comfortable, no matter why. No music, or TV. Only you and your thoughts. We may not realize it, but when a thought becomes uncomfortable, we automatically react in two ways. The first, we find an activity that distracts; the second, we focus more attention on that thought, which most of the time accompanies us on dark journeys made of anxieties, assumptions and daydreams (or nightmares). It is common, there is nothing wrong with you.
Just practice.
Practice the capacity to let everything “out” for a few minutes. Few minutes in which to educate the body to relax, the mind to slow down, and then learn to empty itself.
It’s incredibly recharging.
5. Move slowly. Take time to breath
Another secret to quickly access a space of calm during everyday life is to disconnect the autopilot. We walk, we drive, we eat, we write, we also breathe, letting all this go unnoticed.
The body moves through the autopilot, which is convenient in some ways, but counterproductive at the moment when, again, we are overwhelmed by a sea of thoughts that are not so productive.
Take the autopilot off!
Slow down your movements.
Consciously observe the process that involves each step, follow it carefully, learn what the right foot step naturally differs from the left. Evaluate the quality of every bite you chew. Learn how your body breathes. Did you ever notice how you hold your breath unknowingly?
6. Attend to the real world
STAY IN THE PRESENT.
As soon as you feel that what you are experiencing, it overcomes you emotionally and physically, switch off the phone, close your laptop, book, newspaper. Observe the people around you, the colour of the sky today, the smell of the wind, the density of the clouds. The noises.
Create a genuine connection with whatever situation surrounds you, without judgment or criticism. Stay in the present.
7. Journaling
Take a small notepad with you. Write. Whether it’s a sentence or 4 pages, the story of a dream or the repetition of the same word. Write down your life. Giving space to the subconscious, you will learn that day after day, you have much to teach yourself.
8. Before dinner, every night, think about at least one thing you are grateful for
Think about it. Declare it. Repeat it like a little mantra, if you think fit. Close the day by celebrating the dinner ritual, with a moment of gratitude and gratitude for any little big thing you have experienced or noticed.
9. Develop a mindset of abundance
Gratitude, calm and rituality are the secrets that all the great men and women of history have in common. Why?
Because of this mindset, whether you are aware of it or not, represents abundance. Thanks for the little things, it makes them infinitely valuable. Rejoice at what we eat makes food special. Keeping calm during daily turbulence makes us strong and confident. All this is also called abundance. Moreover, you know, abundance, it calls more abundance. . .
10. Last But not Least: COMMIT TO YOUR PRACTICE
In Yoga Tradition, it takes the name of Shadana, which means daily practice. We will see in the next article how to dedicate ourselves successfully to a daily practice, step by step; for now, it is enough to know this: the practice makes perfect. There is no magic formula for overcoming pain, boredom or frustration: to enrich ourselves, to strengthen ourselves, to understand each other. The magic lies in these daily moments that engage us in a small or smaller activity, which become rituals.
The ritual is a space beyond just making a mechanical gesture. Something ritual becomes a personal space in which to feel, through which to establish contact with what we are and we truly need, no matter what society or family wants from us or for us. In ritual, we can let ourselves go and relax even during the hardest days, without having to feel shame, sense of judgment, or guilt. The space of your daily rituals is a crystal bubble, in which you can see everyone, but nobody sees you.
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