As I look outside, the Brisbane sun is shining and temp is probably around 20 degrees yet I search for clues as to why I feel unusually flat these days. Is it that winter slump (people do go into hibernation you know), is it that I have put so much into the first half of the year my mind and body are craving some respite or perhaps giving up the red wine was not the best move! But seriously, we all feel this way from time to time. So I turned to the wise writings of Steven Covey for some inspiration and direction.

Being a great advocate of Steven’s work (author of 7 Habits of High Successful People) I thought I would share with you 11 easy tips to help get the sunshine back into your life.

  1.  Express gratitude – when you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Start with the little things – having shelter, enough to eat.
  2.  Cultivate Optimism – people who think optimistically see the world packed with opportunity
  3.  Avoid over thinking and social comparison – it can be both poisonous and self destructive to compare yourself to others!  The only person you should compare yourself to is the you you were before now.
  4.  Nurture Social Relationships – The happiest people on the planet are those who have deep and meaningful relationships
  5.  Develop Strategies for Coping – have these healthy strategies ready,  on call and pre-rehersed in your arsenal of coping tools and techniques
  6.  Learn to forgive – anger, regret and blame will never make you feel good. Forgiveness if all about taking your power back and letting go of the past
  7.  Practice Acts of Kindness – find ways to show compassion and kindness in a random way and notice how good you feel inside
  8.  Increase flow experiences – flow is an experience where you feel like time is standing still – other terms used are mindfulness and in the “now”. Notice how good it feels when nothing is distracting you or competing for your thoughts
  9. Savour Life’s joys – connect and notice the joy around you – whether in your own sphere or observing someone else’s joy, this can go a long way to lifting your mood
  10. Commit to your goals – when we make commitments, magical things can happen
  11. Look After Your Body – the saying “you are what you eat” is truer than you think. A healthy body is a happy body.

Get a free colourful Happy People PDF August2015 to put up on your wall.  For information on help on working through any of the above suggestions contact Elaine for a confidential chat.