My Happy List

 

I loved writing about Bella, Archie and Shazmin in the books! They are three friends who set up a mindfulness club to help them understand and handle their feelings. I really hope the books help loads of readers to feel better and to have more resources at hand when the tough times comes along. If you haven’t tried mindfulness yet, it really is a fantastic way to get present, resilient and ready to face life – and to Feel Good!

But, guess what? Today I’m not feeling good. Not at all! I don’t feel well physically, and emotionally I’m a bit of a wreck, and to top that I’ve got some unhelpful thoughts going round and round in my mind, too. NOT much fun! I’m feeling sad and angry about some of the really difficult and terrible things going on in the world right now. And closer to home, I’m feeling worried and upset about a couple of tricky and awkward issues in my own life too. So, what can I do to help myself?

There are lots of brilliant mindfulness activities here on my website as well as in the back of The Feeling Good Club books (yes, if you enjoy Smash Your Worries, Bella!, more are on the way soon!). So, I’ve decided to share one of the activities with you, for when you’re feeling down, or bleugh, or a little bit completely lost, like I am today. Of course, I hope you’re feeling great today! But we all feel bad, blue or downright rubbish sometimes, and that’s completely natural and normal. This activity is called Make a Happy List, and it comes from my brilliant friend and mindfulness coach Tosh Brittan.

According to Tosh, a great way to make yourself feel happier and less worried is to write yourself a Happy List. This helps remind you of all the activities that can help you to feel better when you’ve had a tough or hard day. What you do it, write down seven happy activities that help you feel good, and pin your list up somewhere where you can see it. Right, so, I’m going to grab my journal and give it a go… See you in a few minutes!

Hi, I’m back! And here’s my Happy List…

Watching A Discovery of Witches or Better Things, with a cup of tea and chocolate, of course!

Going for a walk on the amazing heathland here, and maybe seeing the beautiful wild ponies

Chanting along to some of my favourite yoga chants – if you fancy a go, try this one: https://youtu.be/pOL66P0FdPQ

Dancing! I love it! Even just a little dance around the living room works wonders!

Playing catch with my son Freddie – so funny even though I’m terrible at it!

Doing yoga, especially going upside down – that can really help shift and move your feelings too!

Doing something with my lovely partner Tim - whether it’s setting a poem to music, or recording a video or painting the hallway, he’s really good at making things fun!

So that’s seven things! Has it worked? Well, you know what? Honestly? Yes, I feel much better than before I made the list! Not physically, but – wow, seriously, I am smiling! Maybe for the first time today. It won’t be long before I’m back to my usual cheerful self, I’m sure!

I hope you enjoy making a Happy List if you give it a try, and that you enjoy The Feeling Good Club if you get to have a read!

Loads of love, Kelly xx

 

This blog first appeared on The Book Activist