the happiness dare

Is that the title of a book? Wherever I’ve heard that phrase from, here’s my happiness dare to you: Stay happy–even when your day doesn’t go as planned.

A week ago, I felt discouraged. The beginning of my day started great, but everything from there spiraled downward. The social event didn’t work out, I’m discouraged about a tea party, I’m sad about Christmas (!) and the room smells like barf. So how do you free yourself from discouragement when plans fail?

1. Take a walk. A change of scenery doesn’t hurt. Separating yourself, even for a bit, from the source of stress–might help clear your head.
2. Remember, God has a plan. Why do I say this? Because it works. For planners like me, accepting that I’m part of a bigger story is a huge relief. Whether you’re in a small situation or a big one, remind yourself of this.
3. Do something calming. Some ideas: take a deep breath, Bible journal, make an iced coffee, or read a book. Visiting inspiring blogs is a nice idea, but I don’t recommend the Internet as a stress reliever. Usually it ends up wasting time and exacerbating stress.
4. Focus on the good. What went well about today? I remembered this on my bad day, and made a mental list: I was actually able to sleep at night, I listened to the harp yesterday, I had tea, I stretched and exercised, I helped my dad with a project. Then, write those things down in a colorful and inspiring list–if you have a bullet journal, that’s a great way to use it. 🙂

There’s something good about every day.