Happiness Seems So Easy

I’m focusing on living a better life. Here are a few things I’ve tried this week to put me in a better state of mind.

• Relish eating – Life is so fast paced. Do you sit down and enjoy the food you cook? Do you eat it slowly and thoughtfully? Up until a week or so ago I didn’t, but I’m slowly trying to change my ways. Lately I’ve been focused on eating a quiet lunch while my son is napping.  I don’t turn on the TV or the computer. I simply sit in a quiet corner of my kitchen and enjoy the meal before me. I find myself eating fewer calories throughout the day and I’m savoring the ones I’m ingesting. Rather than foraging for random food in the fridge I’m thoughtfully preparing salads filled with chicken, nuts, hard boiled eggs and a plethora of fresh veggies. I feel so much more satisfied.
• Enjoy the good that each moment has to offer –  I now include my son in just about everything I do, from making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to flattening out pizza dough. He’s so fascinated by all that life has to offer. I don’t want to rush through the tasks of every day life I want to treasure the tiny little hands that help me. After all they won’t be small forever.
• Focus on feeling grateful – I really have more than I could have ever hoped for in life. If I can’t find happiness in my current blessings I never will. Whenever I feel petty and small I run through a list of the things most important to me. I suddenly have much fewer negative thoughts throughout the day.
• Breathe – What else can I say about this one? My goal is to be slightly less reactionary. To take a moment to react to something that upsets me. I still need a lot of work on this one.