A guide to finding happiness in the mundane
What is happiness? What makes you happy? A person, place, activity, kind of food? Maybe that first sip of coffee you drink in the morning, or maybe a fun conversation with your roommate after a long day. A laugh that makes you double over and makes your abs hurt. Watching the sunset or sunrise and enjoying the beauty of the earth. The fresh smell spring brings when the days start to get warm. Stopping to look around at the budding trees as signs of spring. Getting a hug from your favorite person, or a small gift from your friend that boosts your mood. New people you meet and immediately click with and just know you want to be their friend. A nice smile from a stranger. Maybe even just the freshly washed sheets on your bed. Maybe when you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining into your room, and you later feel the sun on your skin. Maybe the feeling of a hot shower after being in the cold in the winter. Or a kind text from someone you don’t get to see often. Laying down on your bed after standing upright all day and letting yourself relax.
Sometimes happiness can be hard to find. Dark, short days of winter can take hope away from people and from those beautiful, endless summer days. And it’s a bit unreasonable to just wait all your winter days for summer. We might not have a cool elaborate trip planned or something crazy and cool to always look forward to. A lot of days are hard work, or mundane, or just boring. I think those days are the MOST important days to find small joys in life, because I think that’s what makes us truly happy. Not waiting around for a big event to happen to find joy in life. A freezing cold day that is filled with class, working out, going to your job and more homework isn’t always the most fun thing to do. But, pointing out those small things in your life that just bring you a bit of happiness is essential. After a long day of hard work, getting to spend it with a good friend, boyfriend or girlfriend, parent or sibling and just relax is so special and a gift. It is hard to be happy when you don’t recognize the little joys you feel from small things that happen on those hard days you go through.
Romanticizing your life can make life happier. Cold, dark days in winter when school starts to feel impossible and it feels like it’s not possible for it to get even colder is the perfect time to start on small things. It’s easy to get sad and feel like nothing good is coming in the future. Giving yourself some time before bed to read your favorite book after a hard day can make you feel just a bit more joy. Looking forward to reading your favorite book under your covers might just increase your mood the slightest bit. Taking time to make yourself a warm, yummy and nourishing meal and turning on your favorite cozy light and watching your favorite show can bring so much joy. I think this is the best thing to do with the cold dreary days of winter.