what do you do to lift your spirits?
i saw this question in an oprah magazine. i cut it out because it is a question i ask people in my workshops, and in one-on-one sessions. what do you do to lift your spirits? what makes you happy? we all have things we do that are guaranteed happiness-makers. making a detailed list of these things, and keeping it somewhere handy, can be a real lifesaver for those times when we’re in the dumps. when we’re sad or depressed or lonely or bored or whatever it’s like a fog descends and we forget that there are all of these things we really love to do.
so i find keeping a list of these things in my journal a really fantastic tool. it reminds me of all of the happy things in my life, and more importantly it motivates me to do them more often.
so i made a really happily coloured page in my art journal and stuck the quote in there and next i will fill in the page with the things that lift my spirits. this reminds me of an abraham-hicks quote “there is nothing more important than that you feel good.” i love that one, and whenever i find myself not feeling good, i love being able to go to my list of happy things, pick one out, and do it.
it’s important to think of things that are both easy and not as easy, some that take lots of time and some that take a little time, some that are cheap and some that are expensive, etc. this way you can have a guaranteed happy maker for any situation you find yourself in. a few of mine:
spa day
knit and listen to inspiring podcasts
take a nap
meditate
road trip to my favourite town for the weekend
walk in nature
plan a vacation
gardening
phone a supportive and loving friend
watch a favourite movie
read
go into my art room and make a mess
buy fun new eyeshadow or lush bath stuff
as you work on your list in your art journal, decorating your page and playing with colour, you are inviting more happy-makers into your life. remember that you deserve all the happiness in the world. please share your favourite happy-makers in the comments section. let’s inspire each other with our lists and expand happiness everywhere.
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My favorite happy maker is immersing myself in nature, usually at a local park. There’s something about it just being me, the trees, water and occasional forest animal that makes my spirit calmer and happier. In fact, it’s where I’m headed to start my day right now :) Thanks for this idea, Andrea ~ I think I’m going to make a colorful journal of happy making ideas!
that is so pertinent right now for me…i am blessed because looking out my window brings me back to happy – seeing that intense green, that shadowy green in all the curves and crannies of the land around me… that brings me back to happy, so does painting (although i still tie a bit of happy to the “success” of that )holding words in my heart like mollie’s “love is always waiting to be chosen” that brings me joy too… and can i let you into a secret ???
your little dolls make me happy – my daughter said today when i was looking on twitter, where is ABC Creativity? i love the look of her…
she is a wise 8 year old!
I have forgotten (constantly) about things that make me. Thank you for the reminder. Right now … I’m thinking of:
- To “hold” (that means to play without mistake) a newly learn short Djembe drum rhythm for about 15 mins. That would make me very happy!
- To pick one of the sketches I did on my little sketch book and draw up one Hybrid Tiles
- To read with pleasure, not reading for technique
I love this post. I just did the same thing in my art journal. Since I am new to this whole art journalling thing, I am wondering how you get your page backgrounds to look so nice? I have tried watercolor pencils…I color the page with one or two and then use a damp paper towel over it. Mostly though it just takes the color right off the paper. I don’t get the nice, even backgrounds that you have. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Diane
Thank you for this. I need to lift my spirits, and now I have ideas. =)
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