1. Do your most daunting task first thing in the morning
It's tempting to start your day with easy tasks. Don't. Pushing a daunting task back is like holding a glass of water in an outstretched arm.
At first nothing happens, but if you do it for hours or even days, you will soon feel the stress.
Do the most annoying task first thing in the morning, and enjoy increased productivity and peace of mind for the rest of the day.
2. Let go of things you don't control
You make plans to go outside with friends. But at the last minute, it starts raining. What's your reaction?
Some people upset and angry, and find the nearest person and start complaining to them. “It's not FAIR that it's raining. This _always_ happens to me!…”
That's not going to accomplish anything – the rain won't stop just because you throw a tantrum. *The rain doesn't care.*
So make the best of the situation.
What I do in such situation is go for a quick walk in the park (because rain has its own awesomeness), or just lie in bed reading a good Terry Pratchett book, listening to the rain beating on my window.3. Don't worry about what others are thinking
I used to be very self-conscious about my dancing.
I would rarely go out with my friends, and even if I did, I wouldn't dance, instead just standing awkwardly by the side, because I was worried of what others would think.
Then, one day in high school, I decided that enough was enough.
So the next time I went out with my friends, I just went to the dance floor, and danced like nobody was watching. And the funny thing was – nobody cared. In fact, people only liked me MORE, because I was having fun.
Don't worry about what others are thinking of you – most likely they're too busy wondering what others are thinking of them.
4. List 3 things you love about your situation right now
I first shared this technique with the Positivity Blog readers in my post The Plague of Happiness Ever After (it's got a dragon and everything in it, read it!)
Just list 3 simple things about any part of your life that you love. Like “3 simple things I love about the room I'm in right now”, or “3 simple things I love about this week”, or anything else.
This is a great technique if you're ever bored while stuck in traffic, or waiting in the grocery store checkout lane. You can immediately transform boredom into happiness and peace of mind!
5. Walk to a window, look outside, and take a single deep breath
I got this technique from the Zen master Mary Jaksch.
Just walk to a window, look outside, and then take a single deep breath, focusing only on that breath and nothing else in the whole world.
This technique sounds extremely simple, but you won't believe how much it can instantaneously increase your peace of mind.
And because this is the last tip, you can try it immediately when you finish reading this blog post.
Just walk to a window, look outside, and take a single deep breath, focusing on the air going in and out of your lungs, and nothing else.
Check out Vlad’s blog to get even more happiness in the now! It’s got psychology, personal growth, and a crapton of attitude!
Image by kwerfeldein (license).
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