AMY HANSEN

A joy list is similar to a gratitude list, but it’s more than just listing things that you’re grateful for.  While a gratitude list may include your house, spouse, or pet, a joy list will dig deeper as to why those things bring you joy.  A joy list is more descriptive and specific.  Here is how to make a joy list.

Little Things

First, focus on the little things that bring you joy.  These could include warm clean sheets out of the dryer, the feeling of bright sunshine on your skin, or crisp fall leaves beneath your feet as you walk, etc.  There are plenty of little things to be joyful about.  Find joy in the little things because big life events can be harder to come by.  It’s much easier to focus on the little things in your life that bring you joy.

Be Specific

Your joy list should be specific as to why it brings you joy.  Use descriptive words that evoke the feeling of joy.  For example, the smell of warm coffee wakes you up in the morning.  Or, the fall leaves remind you th...

Life is full of ups and downs.  This year has been no exception.  When you’re feeling all the pain, worry, and stress, shift your focus to the positive.  You can still feel joy and sadness at the same time.  Do not dismiss the feeling of happiness just because you feel sadness.  If you’ve lost something this year and feel in despair, it’s okay to still laugh, smile, and feel a sense of joy in your life.  Both can be felt simultaneously.  If you want to get through your difficult time you must let some light in instead of holding onto the darkness.  When you choose joy, you will feel more equipped to get through the hard times.  Here is how to choose joy during hard times.

Schedule Your Joy

If it’s not scheduled, it’s not real and happening.  If you want to experience more joy in your life then you must schedule it on your calendar.  It won’t magically appear.  You must plan out time in your day to do things that will bring you joy.  Make these items easy to achieve by focusing on ...

Life is very uncertain.  Especially right now with a global pandemic.  The fear of the unknown is scary.  However, you don’t have to wallow in your fear of the unknown.  Here are five tips to help you make it through hard times.

1. Find Healthy Habits

When you experience a crisis, you begin to question a lot of your daily activities and what’s most important in your life.  Take a look at your daily life and assess what brings you joy.  Find things that remind you how important your life is.  Resolve to carry these things forward and make them habits that you include in your daily routine.  Then, let go of the habits that are not serving you.  Stick to your healthy habits and the things that make you feel good.  Your habits will provide you with a sense of certainty when everything has been turned upside down.  Your daily habits take out any decision making as you move through them without much thought.  These habits can be grounding for you when everything else seems so uncertain....

If you’ve ever struggled to maintain a daily planner, it could be because you don’t feel like you have enough variety of activities going on each day to fill one out.  But, even if you feel like your days are on repeat, it’s important to have a clear view of what’s happening each day.  If you’re wanting some more variety in your life, then there are a few things you can do that will spice up your daily routine.

New

If you feel like your days are stuck on repeat then spice things up by scheduling in something new and exciting.  This could be cooking a new recipe, taking a road trip, or trying a new hobby.  Do something that’s a new adventure for you.  This will give you something to look forward to.

Sometimes the easiest way to spice up your daily routine is just to give yourself a new look.  Instead of seeing the same old you in the mirror, spice things up by doing your makeup differently.  Get a haircut or simply style your hair in a new way.  Perhaps you could incorporate a ...

Setting yourself up for a successful day means starting the day off right to begin with.  Having a healthy morning routine will ensure that you get your day started on the right foot.  Increase your focus, productivity, and happiness by having a solid morning routine.  Use these three areas to help you create your successful morning routine.

Move

In the morning, start with a full glass of water to get hydrated.  Then wake up your body with some daily exercise.  Get your heart pumping and sweat.  You don’t have to do crazy cardio.  Even a nice brisk walk or yoga and stretching can energize your body after a full nights sleep.  Exercise not only gives you energy in the morning but it’s also a great way to reduce stress and make you feel good about your body.  Focus on your breathing while you work out.  Breathe deeply and increase the oxygen flow to your body.  Start your morning off by moving to get your blood pumping, wake you up, give yourself energy, and reduce your stress.  Yo...

Your perfectly planned day doesn’t have to be difficult.  Your morning and evening routines are the end caps to your perfectly planned day.  Then, you can start filling in the rest of your day based off your energy levels.  Here is how to create your perfectly planned day.

Morning Routine

Have a morning routine to wake yourself up and get you in the right headspace for the day ahead.  Drink a full glass of water to hydrate yourself after a long nights sleep.  Exercise to get your blood pumping and stretch out your muscles.  Fuel your body with healthy food like a green smoothie.  Listen to something inspirational to feel positive.  Avoid scrolling through social media first thing in the morning that may trigger comparison or negative thoughts.  Also, check your email later in the day so you don’t get sidetracked with other people’s agendas.  Set yourself up for success with a solid morning routine.

Morning Power Hour

Find your power hour.  This is the time when you’re the mos...

In a world that feels so uncertain, it’s important to give yourself some certainty by creating structure in your day.  Having structure in your day may seem mundane and boring.  However, having your day planned out allows you to choose how your day is going to look.  Plus, you’ll know exactly what you need to get accomplished.  Begin to create a sense of certainty with a structured day.

Freedom

You may believe that by having a structured day, you don’t have any schedule freedom.  You prefer the idea of having the freedom to do what you want, when you want, rather than being tied to a structured schedule.  Yet, there is still freedom in a structured day.  You have the power to choose what you decide to put on your schedule.  You are in control of planning your day.  Yes, there will be things that happen that are out of your control.  But, for the most part, you get to decide what you’re going to do.  You have the freedom to choose how you structure your day and what actions you tak...

Habits are created to give you a sense of predictable structure in your life.  Some of your habits may be great and other habits may need some improvement.  Perhaps you’ve been trying to break a bad habit and you haven’t had much luck.  Often times you quit a bad habit cold turkey, only to return to it a few days later.  Bad habits can be hard to break.  However, there are a few things you can do that will help you break a bad habit.

Your Why

The first place to start in breaking a bad habit is to acknowledge why you want to break this particular bad habit.  Think of the reason why you want to stop this bad habit.  The simple answer may be because you know it’s not good for you.  But, go a little bit deeper and think of what it will mean to you when you’ve quit this bad habit.  Maybe you’ll finally feel healthier or won’t be embarrassed because you’ve finally broken this habit.  Get in touch with that feeling.  Realize why you want to let go of this habit.  Write your why down on p...

You have many habits.  Habits of eating your favorite foods, taking certain roads to the store, to self care habits.  Some may be healthy habits and some may be not so healthy habits.  Either way, habits are part of your daily life.  If you’re wanting to create a new habit then use these four steps to create a new habit in your life.

Trigger

The first thing you need in order to create a new habit is to have a trigger.  This is what will trigger you to take the action of the new habit you want to create.  The easiest way to pick a trigger is to choose a habit that you already do on a daily basis.  Such as, brushing your teeth, having your morning coffee, etc.  Choose an already existing habit that you have and use this as your trigger.  For example, if you want to make exercising your daily habit then place your running shoes in on your bathroom sink so that you’ll put them on before you brush your teeth.  It’s much easier to create a new habit when you attach it to an existing hab...

Life feels good when you’re happy.  In order to create happiness in your day, it’s important to set aside specific time dedicated to doing things that will promote positivity and happiness in your life.  This means scheduling and planning out activities that make you happy throughout the day.  Your day should have a few elements carved into your schedule that focus on positivity and happiness.  Here are three elements you should include to create happiness in your day.

Down Time

First, schedule in some down time for yourself.  You need your own space to get away, escape, and relax.  This helps you reduce stress and gives you essential time to recharge.  This is time you’ve designated for a mental reset so that you can get your mind back into a positive state.  Use this time to let go of anything bothering you, stressing you out, or causing negative thoughts.  This time is meant for pure relaxation.  Sit in silence, meditate, take a nap, close your eyes for a few minutes and focus ...