When life becomes really difficult and it’s hard to not stress about the future or worry about the past, it’s important to stay focused on the present moment. From personal experience, I know that this isn’t the easiest thing to do, but one method I use is to think of five reasons I am happy to be alive. There are many more than five, but here’s a shortened list.
1. My Family
My family is the one constant in my life. I can always rely on them to make me happy during the worst times. I laugh more with my family than I do with anyone else and I’ve had some of my most favorite memories with them. Knowing that I can cook risotto in the kitchen with my grandma or play Scrabble with my parents and sisters makes me unbelievably happy to be alive.
2. Nature
I love going on a long run alongside the lake. I love hiking with my friends. I love sitting outside on a sunny day just watching the clouds form and pass. Nature is so beautiful and I am in love with all of its intricacies and the way it’s both static and dynamic at the same time. I am happy to be living within its beauty and so grateful that I can experience the marvels of nature every single day.
3. Learning
Every day, I have the opportunity to learn something new. Whether it’s in the classroom, online, or with friends, I am constantly learning something new about myself, something about the way the world works, and something way beyond my grasp of understanding. Acquiring knowledge gives me such pleasure and I am so happy that life is full of moments of reflection and learning.
4. Music
Nothing makes me happier than music. It’s the fact that there’s so much music out there with different genres and styles. I can listen to a highly-processed pop song one minute and the next I can jam to a folk punk song with beautiful instrumentation. I listen to music the majority of my day because it provides such a great background to my life. I can dance along to it, I can listen to it while reading or doing work, and I can listen to it while hanging with my friends or my family. It’s truly such an incredible thing.
5. Writing
I love writing. When I write, I can be creative and express myself in words that I could never say out loud. I love the beauty of language and how there are many unique ways to say the same thing. Putting all my feelings and emotions into a poem makes me happy to be alive because I know that I can fight through whatever I’m dealing with in that moment with words. It’s a simple and effective way of fighting sadness.
After reading this, try to think of some reasons why you’re happy to be alive. They could be similar to mine or completely different. It is a really helpful tool to keep you grounded in the moment and not stress about all the extraneous factors in your life.
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