Week #275 – Have a “Happy Heart-mas!”
Greetings Happyness Tribe!
The holidays arrive in full force this week! So Blessed Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, and Merry Christmas to you all!
Once again, I’ve been keeping up with my own “Gratitude Challenge” in the days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. It’s always a great way for me to ensure I’m keeping my own heart happy during one of the most busy and stressful times of the year.
(And it makes for great “memories” to pop up in my Facebook feed!)
As I wrote during the first Gratitude Challenge (Week #119), keeping focused on finding one thing a day to be grateful for actually primes me for keeping an eye out ALL DAY for the things that I appreciate, the things that are going well, and the things that make my heart happy.
Whatever holidays you are celebrating, we’re about to enter one of the most stressful weeks of the year. If you are grieving a loss, a relocation, or a big life change — it may be even more stressful than usual. Before you focus on trying to make others happy (or expecting others to magically return the favor) — take some time to figure out what makes YOUR own heart happy!
Which reminded me again of this challenge from Week #14 — just a few weeks after Rob passed (and worth repeating):
Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: Have a “Happy Heart-mas!” It will be easy to focus on the things that go wrong this holiday week. Instead, pay attention to what makes your heart happy! It may be as simple as your silly niece or nephew (or cat or dog), words to an old song that take you back, an irreverent or inappropriate joke you can share only with dear friend, or a quiet star-lit night…or maybe it’s a bigger challenge like limiting your time to only people you enjoy, getting that extra sleep your body is craving, or saying no to something you honestly don’t want to do. Take note of the moments when you feel your heart lift and your body relax. Keep a list of what makes you happy…and check it. Twice! (And then do more of THAT!)
It may be the difference between naughty and nice this holiday week!
Spread Happyness — tell me again, what makes YOUR heart happy?
I wish each and every one of you a “Happy Heart-mas!”
12/20/19 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com