“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
| 1. Make your bed: 1 minute |
| Every morning make your bed to your own satisfaction, the white duvet perfectly aligned and pillows nicely plumped in my case. Eliminate any clutter from your bedroom to create a peaceful retreat. Having accomplished and managed something as soon as you get up sets the stage for you to maintain control over the course of the day. |
| 2. Block one nostril: 10 seconds |
| We breathe quickly and shallowly when we are nervous. Our speeding minds have to settle down as we breathe more slowly. Closing one nostril with a fingertip can be helpful; this causes us to breathe half as quickly as usual, much like when we have a cold. You can only breathe in the present, so it’s the best way to be calm and centred. Think about anxiety – you worry about the future, you regret the past. Breathing keeps us in the present. |
| 3. Be kind and practice a random act of kindness, preferably to a stranger: 1 minute |
| There is a very real correlation between kindness and happiness. We become kinder to ourselves and develop a more compassionate, accepting inner voice, which you can call upon to help you counteract negative thinking. Concepts consist of: |
| Pay a coffee forward |
| Smile |
| Say hi to the doorman, waiter, ticket collector, store worker, and barista. |
| Say “thank you” for being patient when you are running late instead of “I’m sorry.” |
| When someone speaks with you, listen carefully to what they have to say. Listen not to respond, but to understand. We have one mouth and two ears for a reason. |
| 4. Wash your hands in a new way: 1 minute |
| You can focus attention on what we are experiencing in the moment by practicing mindfulness, which is a non-judgmental method. The hardest thing for me to do has been to integrate this into my daily life. The solution has been to incorporate mindfulness into a routine activity: I use hand washing. I pay particular attention to the sensation of cold water, the sound of the tap, the smell of the soap. These mindful moments provide full stops amid the rush, and a reminder to slow down. |
| 5. Use the word ‘yet’: 1 second |
| Keep an eye on your language and consider how you could phrase any claims about your own helplessness. Language alone has the ability to empower others and increase our sense of victimization. So instead of saying, ‘I can’t deal with this,’ say ‘I can’t deal with this, yet.’ |
| 6. Learn this poem |
| We appreciate good times more by having experienced the bad. In fact, we would not appreciate sunnier times without living through the rainy ones. I adore how Scottish author Charles Mackay, who lived in the 19th century, conveys this idea in this poem. Every time life becomes tough, memorize and repeat this. |
| Oh, you tears, |
| I’m thankful that you run, |
| Though you trickle in the darkness, |
| You shall glitter in the sun |
| The rainbow could not shine if the rain |
| refused to fall, |
| And the eyes that cannot weep are the |
| saddest eyes of all. |
| 7. Adopt an appreciation pause: 3 seconds |
| This is about appreciating those you wouldn’t routinely thank or notice in the busy rush to get things done. It could be the person at the till who serves you lunch, the office cleaner, the teacher who helped you solve a problem after class, a doctor who worked out why you haven’t been feeling well or the police officer patrolling your neighbourhood. |
| Just take a moment to consider all the people in your life who, while they are undoubtedly just going about their daily business, you may have forgotten about or taken for granted. |
| Think about how our lives would unravel without these people who take care of our environment, communities, education, and health. Maybe you will remember to thank them in the future. Although taking an appreciation pause is intended to help you pay attention to those you don’t know well, it also benefits close friends, family, and long-term partners—people we frequently forget about! Take one last moment to consider them as well, and silently thank them in your mind. |
Anna Godfrey 