A few days into my sabbatical, I noticed that the joy of staying at home had started diminishing. As a working mom, I had always imagined my days as a SAHM to be full of laughter, zero-stress and lots of positive energy. But I guess after the first few weeks of jubilation, the boredom of routine started to take over. I started noticing dust particles that had been deposited on the ceiling fan, the stack of old magazines that needed to be thrown, something left to expire at the back of my refrigerator. There was something that was ALWAYS in need of cleaning of my attention.
The silly little things started stealing happiness from my everyday life.
3 THINGS I DO NOW THAT MAKE MY EVERYDAY SPECIAL
#1 Be Present With Others
I try to engage in a heartwarming conversation every single day, at leisure. It’s usually with my mom who lives in a different city. In addition to that I try to strike a good conversation with friends, old colleagues, other moms at the school bus-stop while waiting for pickup. There are real conversations and not those done on whatsapp. I try to put away distractions and I try to give others time to answer rather than speaking at all times.
How it works: Sometime giggling, talking about not-so-important stuff helps offloads the boredom in a BIG way. Genuine conversation helps gain new perspective, it helps me reset and clear the clutter.
#2 Engage In a Creative Act
I focus on doing one creative act every single day. It’s this logic that got me started with baking. And believe me, most terrible of my migraines have been treated with some quality time spent dishing out new recipes. If there is a “Whisk” there is a “Way”. An afternoon spent doing an easy but interesting craft activity with my preschooler or helping my older child paint is very refreshing. I have a small green patch in my house and I can bury a lot of troubles by just digging soil and watering them. Reading, singing, dancing or even quilling can be very therapeutic for many.
How it works: I feel very good about accomplishing these simple tasks upon completion. It’s the equivalent of quality time spent with what I value and people I cherish the most in my life. Creativity can be contagious, try it. Albert Einstein once said – “Creativity is intelligence having fun”
Also read these Happiness Quotes That Will Make You SMILE Now
#3 Get Up With a Smile
Last but not the least, this is the first thing I don’t forget to do every single morning. I get up and smile. Despite the breakfast that needs to be made at steadfast speed, the kids that are waiting to be awoken and become cranky, the 100 tasks that need to be accomplished, my first thought are ALWAYS – Rise & Shine, to start each day with a grateful heart. I read once that practicing gratitude trains the brain to focus on positive things and makes you think of all the wonderful things that you already HAVE in your life. It also makes you less focused on what others have and you don’t, which in my opinion is a HUGE waste of time anyways.
How it works: If you are going to rise, you might as well shine. Try a big smile right now and see for yourself how wonderful you feel instantly.
“Keep the Smile, leave the Tension, feel the Joy, forget the Worry, hold the Peace , leave the Pain and always be HAPPY “ – livelifehappy.com
An Urban Nomadic 