I facilitate the Grief and Happiness Alliance every week on Zoom. Each week we do some writing related to our situations and we end with learning different happiness practices. Every gathering ends with the participants smiling. Being around people who are also grieving or dealing with loss is a great place to share and get support.
This week, instead of our usual format, we wrote about happiness. We started with a short meditation where I encouraged the participants to remember times in their lives when they were especially happy. Then I asked them to make a list of things they have been happy about. They didn’t need to write about each experience, just identify it. For instance, I was happy at my wedding to Ron and my wedding to Jacques. I could have written a big, long story about each of these and all the other things I thought of. But I stuck with making a list, and by the end of the meeting, I had over 70 items on my list!
We all wrote long lists and enjoyed sharing our favorite happy moments. All the participants found joy in our moments together. I am sharing this with you to encourage you to make a list like this too! Aim for at least 100 things. I know that sounds like a lot, but the more your write, the more you will think of, and the more you will smile.
And it doesn’t have to end there. If you get to a point where you are feeling a little down, get out your journal and your list. Pick one thing on the list and write about it in detail including everything that made you happy during that experience. The more often you do this, the more often you will feel yourself smiling and the longer that happiness will last.
Every morning when I write in my journal, I write about what brought me the most joy the day before. This is a great way to start my days. It also keeps me thinking throughout the day about what is bringing me happiness. What you focus on is what you experience. You can be so much happier just by focusing on happiness! Try it and let me know how good it feels.
Get your Awaken Your Happiness Journaling Guide at no charge by clicking here: https://www.griefandhappiness.com/pl/2147595767
You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance which meets weekly on Sundays by clicking here: https://www.griefandhappiness.com/offers/ytK7eLBa
You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here at Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Living-Your-Though-Grief/dp/1642504823/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1658356016&sr=8-1
You can listen to my podcast, Grief and Happiness, here. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/loving-and-living-your-way-through-grief-with/id1509589686?i=1000535381763
