We don’t remove clutter, reject busyness and reduce stress to have a simple life. We do it to have a life. Simplicity is just the tool. Use it create a life of what matters most to you and a life where you feel most like you.
I’ve written a zillion articles about simplifying your life, decluttering your home, creating capsule wardrobes and prioritizing health and wellness. Today, I wanted to share a few things to encourage happiness, joy, fun and creativity in your life. I hope you enjoy them.
7 fun things to encourage happiness
These fun things aren’t expensive. They range from free to $3.99. They have all made me smile and encouraged happiness in my life. Except for maybe the first one, they aren’t time sensitive so take your time. Share them with people you love. Instead of sending them the latest breaking news, send them this and encourage their happiness.
1. My latest book is only $3.99.
Gentle, Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually Want is the “don’t do it all” self-help book you need to live with less stress and more ease, less overwhelm and more joy by uncovering the Gentle You.
Grounded in self-compassion and a fierce commitment to less, becoming the Gentle You isn’t about taking the easy road. It’s a practice of real self-care that, over time, will soothe your nervous system and strengthen your relationships.
Organized into three parts—Rest, Less, and Rise—30 challenges and simple practices will help readers radically and (yes) gently shift their pace, headspace, and heart. It’s time to find strength in your softness, fierceness in your flexibility, and to finally rise—not by pushing through but by connecting with the Gentle You, standing in your light and honoring the person you are.
2. A totally free course on happiness.
Laurie Santos is a Yale professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast, Laurie helps people improve their well-being with the science of happiness. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking on a panel with Laurie and she is wonderful.
You can take The Science of Well-Being (the most popular class in Yale University’s history) for free.
3. My 10 secrets to feeling happier.
If you are wondering how to be happy, these little secrets can help. Use these 10 secrets to smile more and stress less. They won’t fix everything but they will help you learn how to be happy.
I know we can’t always feel happy or make ourselves happy, but I’ve also learned that looking for happiness in everything but ourselves isn’t working. While we wait for other people to make us happy, we trust ourselves less. The validation we hope will come from around us must come from within us. It’s our only chance of knowing what actually makes us feel happy and learning how to connect with it.
4. Give yourself permission to be creative.
Creativity comes in so many forms and, at least for me, it leads to joy and happiness and a fulfilling life. In this TED Talk, Ethan Hawke asks, “Do you think human creativity matters?”
5. A map full of happy moments.
I shared this in Weekend Favorites, and it was definitely a favorite Favorite. As part of a 2017 research project, more than 10,000 people shared their moments of happiness. The creator, Alvin Chang said, “The world feels quite precarious right now—and sometimes I forgot what it feels like to pursue happiness so I dug into this data because I wanted to better understand what makes people happy.”
The map is divided into different categories of happiness. I definitely recommend checking this out instead of your next social media scroll.
6. Ring the fish doorbell.
I read about this one in the NYT Good Things series. “It’s springtime, and fish in the Dutch city of Utrecht are swimming the canals, seeking a place to spawn. Won’t you help them?
When fish arrive at the closed gates of a lock in a canal, they’re forced to wait. You can watch this, from March to May, via livestream from an underwater camera. When you see a fish at the door, you ring a digital bell to alert the lock keeper in the Netherlands that they have customers. Then the lock keeper can open the passage to let the fish swim through. When the fish are made to wait, they waste energy and are more susceptible to birds and predatory fish.”
7. Send your future self a note.
“FutureMe is a quiet little corner of the internet with a simple premise: you write an email to your future self, and the site delivers it later.” says Tina from Swissmiss.
All you do is choose a date to receive the message, write what you’d like future you to know and hit send. Someday in the future, probably after you’ve forgotten about writing your message, you’ll get it. Perhaps it shows up exactly when you need it.
Other things that make me feel happy include watching this or this and any Nancy Myers’ Movie. I even had a Nancy Meyers Day! (IG)
Encourage your own happiness with a list of things that make you smile, simple pleasures and little joys. Try new things, do things that make you feel silly, spend time with people you love and make space to enjoy your life.
