Step one to being a better you: add psychologist Gretchen Rubin’s, Happier podcast to your daily mix. I plug into this uplifting daily podcast a few times a week while walking to class or rowing at the gym.
Each episode Rubin provides a “Try this at home” tip. Recently, episode 147 adopted a listener’s birthday trick to write a list of 35 things she wanted to achieve that year. Rubin went on to write her own “18 for 2018” list for the New Year. The list is meant to be a healthy mix of long-term goals and “easy” goals that will give you a quick happiness boost, rather than looking at a hefty list of intimidating long-term goals.
I absolutely loved the concept and immediately wrote a list for myself. I have already begun working on four items: start volunteering, eat meat 4x a week, go to the gym 185 minutes a week, and clear out my closet. I’ve noticed that having specific aspirations woven into daily life can stretch beyond the original intention.
For instance, eating less meat drove me towards a generally healthier diet. Plant-based meals aren’t really found in places like Steak n’ Shake, and I have had fun trying to have a creative diet under the restrictions of a meal plan. Reduction of meat consumption also reduces one’s carbon footprint. Did you know it takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef?!
We’ve all been there…too many beloved items and not enough use for them. The closet clear-out was especially helpful after the holidays. I went deep into the bowls of my childhood bedroom expecting doom…but came up with joy! Spending a few hours reminiscing over found photos and mementos was only made better by the feeling of a fresh start after I chucked or donated items are no longer needed.
If you’re a sentimental one, use Jenna Marbles’ great idea of packing up a few shoe boxes for each life stage. I now have three compact memory boxes for each stage of my life tucked away. It felt like taking a mental shower to throw out a few objects with not-so-good memories attached. Ridding oneself of links to long-gone interests allows headspace to focus on the fantastic present-day you!
In general, I’ve found the “18 for 2018” method of self-improvement to (so far) have the most lasting success. It has been a blast to return to hobbies shoved to the dusty corners of my schedule, as well as discover new activities. One of the causes I have to return to is reading and/or listening to the news. In high school I edited for our newspaper and the teacher gave us free time before each meeting to inform ourselves online. My personal choice was usually the “unusual news” tab as relief from the stressful headliner stories. I loved that short dose of whacky daily news.The best result from this journey, however, has obviously been the choice to join Her Campus at Bloomsburg! I didn’t realize how much I had been missing writing lately. Joining HC resolves two goals, “write more often” and to “join a social club”. Writing, even a short poem or story, has always been a huge stress reliever for me. Repetition of such a vital skill has improved my academic papers as well. It feels as though I am slipping back into a cozy old blanket. The ambition to join a social club has been there since September. The group I chose in the fall unfortunately turned out to not have many members and they didn’t hold many activities. It was disappointing to not click with a whole bunch of new people as I’d hoped.We all can pause being too cool and admit no matter how old you are, finding a social group is an important key to happiness. It can be a little difficult to stick oneself into a group of people who’re already close, but don’t knock it until you try it, right? Her Campus happened to have a table at our Spring Activities and Involvement fair. I was hooked the second one of them said, “Wine Wednesday”! There is no pressure from HC to write millions of perfect articles each week, and the other girls have been so welcoming. I can’t wait to see how the semester will play out with HC Bloom!