Category: Gratitude

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Gratitude

Procrastination

We all do it in one form of another. Wether it’s waiting to do the dishes, calling your mom, getting a paper done, or getting your taxes ready. Why do we do it though?

Just as we all know the familiar peril of procrastination, we are also just as familiar with that feeling of relief of completing a daunting task that has been haunting us. That rush of dopamine you get when you have folded and put away that pile of laundry in the corner of the room that has relentless been taunting you. The “good job” you tell yourself when you have finally cleared out that pile of water bottles that have been rattling around at every turn and stop on the road. 

If our pleasure principle is set ablaze after a job well done- why do we do it if we know that we will be psychologically rewarded at the end of a to-do list task?

It’s been awhile since we have posted an article on here as procrastination has stopped our presses. Procrastination is the pause of progress- but is there a process to stop procrastination? 

Prioratize-

Don’t start with the biggest task first. This is the saboteur of productivity. Start with with something you know can be competed in quickest amount of time. You’ll get the endorphin release from job completed and will give you the feeling of accomplishment and control as you make your way through the bigger projects. 

A little at a time-

The incremental approach can be highly effective for two reasons: 

Reason 1 -the idea of the whole task can seem overwhelming. You don’t have to commit by getting it all done in one clean swoop. Tell yourself I’m going to spend an hour today organizing the closet(or any other task you have been avoiding). This could even be broken up into two 30 minute sessions in a day. Go at it for a designated amount of time, take a break, and then return to again for a designated amount of time. This can take the pressure off of such a heavy task but still putting your productive foot forward

Reason 2- Watching your progress can be just as rewarding as completing it. Seeing that closet slowly transform from a heap of this and that into a functioning area can might give you that push. Seeing your progress shows you that the end goal is attainable. “Look what I’ve accomplished!”

Before trying any of the procratination busters the universal first step is to rip that bandaid off and just START.

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Change Gratitude Mindfulness

New year resolutions for 2024

Are New Year’s goals BS resolutions or real life solutions? Every year people count down those last 10 seconds before the clock hands (those long pointy things that circle the numbers to dictate the hours and minutes on old timey clocks) strike midnight on December 31st. It’s been a tradition to stay up, have a glass of bubbly, watch the ball drop, have a New Year kiss, and welcome the New Year with a new plan for a “new you”. The term “clock hands” has come and gone, but has the time honored tradition of New Year’s resolutions gone out like a baby with the bath water (another old timey saying)?

It was definitely cringe AF to say “New Year New Me” when January 1st 2023 came, and inevitably the terms “cringe” and “AF” will meet the same linguistic fate and be a blip in history like those old clock hands. Certain traditions will inevitably become a moment in time, and as every generation adopts or exiles vocabulary and traditions, where does the idea of New Year’s resolutions stand as we approach New Year 2024? Will this NYE have a same hold on the collective sentient experience? Or, is that too, a thing of yesterday?

While our language may be ever evolving, our wants and desires seem to remain the same come the New Year. For decades the top 2 leaders on the board of New Year resolutions have been to have better control over our bodies and our wallets. While most of us have often placed the longing for betterment in the areas of diet and finances as priority at this time of year, it would seem that happiness is joining those ideals with some serious competitive spirit. They do seem inexplicably intertwined after all. Who among us hasn’t had the thought that if we met a certain physical or fiscal goal that we would suddenly be happy.? Sure, being fit and financially sound could bring feelings of happiness, but figures don’t last forever. Happieness, much like our weight and wallet, are constantly in a fluid state. You nurture your body and your wallet, and your happiness is no different. Here are our top 4 ideas to start nurturing your happiness in 2024.

— Number 1

Journaling

Journaling is such a great way to organize your thoughts and emotions. Sometimes when you allow yourself the ability to speak freely you can confront your thoughts and feelings in a safe place. You’re also documenting your journey which allows you not only to reflect in the moment but also later down the road. It gives you the opportunity to look back at how far you have come and to recognize if you are stuck and how to plan a course of action.

— Number 2

Talk

This could be to a friend or a professional depending on where you are and what is going on in your own personal situation. While some of us need to recharge alone and don’t need to talk ALL the time, fostering communication and connection can do the spirit wonders.

— Number 3

Diet and exercise

Diet and exercise – Yes this is a cliche, but we all know that it can be beneficial when the goal’s intention is health over appearance. We all want to look good, but you can jump the shark when you focus on the vehicles paint job and not the engine performance. Exercise could be anything from yoga to learning a TikTok dance. Not everyone wants to (or can) run or do dead lifts. Move to the best of your ability. Find something that works that is active… whatever works for YOU. Sometimes even a simple stroll can change your headspace. Diet and exercise will not solve everything but it can propel you into a more positive headspace.

— Number 4

Meditation

Meditation – Cliche #2. Meditation doesn’t always mean sitting pretzel legged with your hands on your lap, palms to the sky. It could be sitting in the shower letting the water rain on you in silence for a few minutes. It could be laying your head down on your desk. Meditation is taking time however it works for you to just be still.

We all seek to be the best version of ourselves. We are constantly evaluating and taking inventory of our own personal and spiritual stock/crypto/currency. Much like slang (do we still call the evolution of words that?) the root or meaning of something remains the same even if we call it something different. We are all individuals who are doing things on our own terms and in our own way. Maybe your New Year is actually YOUR new year… like your birthday. Maybe your new year is tomorrow or maybe even today. Whatever defines YOUR New Year’s resolutions, there is so much power in setting a date, stating what your goals are, and defining how YOU want to change or accomplish them. It doesn’t have to be January 1st of 2024. Wether it’s January 1st, your birthday, or even tomorrow, your new year or New Year resolutions can start now.

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Gratitude

Gratitude spawns more happiness?

Switching our focus is a powerful tool in building a happy life.

We often tell ourself the things that we should do to live a happier life. Yoga, diet, a gratitude journal? There are countless videos on YouTube and many articles written to inspire to live a self-helped life, but a gratitude journal seems kind of absurd. Or is it? The idea is that if you write down everyday what you are grateful for it will inspire you to be happier.

Let’s think about it for a moment. You wake up on Monday, you’re tired and you don’t want to go to work, or class, or whatever daunting thing you have required of you. You get out of bed and you stub your toe. “%^$#” you yell out loud. And like an electrical shock radiating from your throbbing toe to your brain you hear that inner voice say “today is going to be a bad day”. And then you get the snow ball effect. The toilet seat up. The last of the milk is gone. Someone took your charger. No clean socks.You can’t find your keys. Every light is red. There’s no parking. You miss your bus or train. You’re late. You spilled coffee on yourself. You forgot your lunch. So many different scenarios that could culminate in to a day that just keeps getting worse. And to think it all started in your stupid toe. How is that possible? Because in that moment you decided how you were going to perceive your day. You made an agreement with that voice in your head. The voice said “today is going be bad”, and you said “yup”.

We can all agree that stubbing your toe is a microcosm but we make it as macro as macro can get. It’s one tiny moment that sent the day into a downward spiral. So in that same way of thinking let’s apply it to gratitude. What is a moment of gratitude? It’s also just a tiny little thought or action right? If a tiny negative moment could send you spiraling down, then couldn’t a tiny positive moment spiral you up? Take sometime to sit down with your thoughts and think about what you have to be grateful for today. Did a coworker bring you a coffee? Did you realize that you didn’t forget your wallet on the cafe counter after all? Did your partner take out the trash AND do the dishes? Are your parents still alive? Did your dog finally starting using the back yard to do their business instead of the carpet? These moments of gratitude could be anything.

If you aren’t the type to journal in the traditional sense start making notes in your phone. Or what about creating voice memos in your phone. Maybe put up post-its in a designated wall in your home or office. When you are feeling down and everything is going wrong you could look at your wall, pick up that journal/phone and read your lists, or listen to all the things you have recorded that are amazing. It’s a two fold win. Not only are you taking the time to be present and appreciative of the positives things in life, you’re also documenting it and you can come back to it later to remind yourself that there is so much for each of us to be grateful for. We are all going have those mornings where we stub our toe and we are all fully capable of letting that set the tone for our day, but there is an alternative. Take a moment to redirect, regroup, and refocus. Changing our focus to what we have to be grateful for will surely help us to spiral up instead of down.