Happiness…what does it mean to you? What are things that make you happy? When was the last time you felt truly happy? Do the stresses of everyday life prevent you from feeling happiness?

Enjoying things that bring you happiness can actually help your stress levels and help the healing processes in your body. Our lives are so chaotic and busy. Demands of everyday life, work, kids, school functions, family obligations, cleaning, errands, cooking…all of these things add up to major stress…so who has time to be happy?

The way the world is right now makes it very hard to be happy too. If you watch the news, it is so much negativity, heartache and sadness. If you only listen to these types of things, you will not feel the happiness that comes your way.

Well, it is all in the mindset! Sounds simple right?

It takes time and practice, but when you are mindful of small things throughout your day that bring you happiness, you will feel it in your whole body!

So how do you change how you see things through your day to bring happiness to yourself?

Think about when you were young, what little things made you happy, made you smile? Was it seeing a pretty flower? Seeing a butterfly? Wearing your favorite shirt? A hug from your mom or dad? A note from a friend? The smell of your favorite meal being made? Playing with your cat or dog?

These small things made you happy as a child, and if you took the time to just see these same small things throughout your day as an adult, you will smile and feel the happiness! Just simply slowing down and opening your eyes, you can find the joy in these simple things, even when times are tough. Being aware, being present, this is how you can see these things.

Try and not dwell on all of the negative things out there…and they are out there, there is no denying that! You cannot unsee or unhear the negative things that are out there, but when you focus on your attention on the things that make you happy, it changes something inside of you.

Constant negativity creates stress in your body. Negative thoughts can block energy in your body, we are made of energy. When the energy is not flowing in the body, our organs cannot function the way they should. Disease can surface when our body is not in balance. If we are under extreme stress, feeling a lot of negativities all day and do not take the time to see the small things that make us happy, then our energy is stuck. Day after day of feeling this way can create disease. It could be anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, stomach issues, migraines. Then over time more chronic things like pain, autoimmunity and even cancer can surface. Not feeling happy is obviously not the main cause of these diseases, but it can be a piece of the puzzle of your body being out of balance.

I would like to think that everyone wants to feel happiness. Some people just have a hard time seeing it and feeling it, so let’s paint a picture….

You wake up, your first thought is “Ah…what a great night sleep…I am so happy to be awake for another day”. You get out of bed, stretch and get moving for your day. As you are getting ready, you notice a smile on your child’s face. You start getting breakfast and lunches ready, and you feel happy that you are able to pack a healthy lunch for you and your family.

Happiness…

You walk out your front door and notice your lavender plants flourishing and you feel the joy of seeing and smelling that beautiful lavender.

Happiness…

You meet someone at work who you connect with right away…a feeling like your paths were supposed to meet. You have a lovely conversation and feel really good once you walk away. You have this feeling that some people you are meant to cross paths with through life, and this is one of those moments.

Happiness…

You come home and make dinner for your family. As you are preparing the food, you look at the food and feel gratitude and happiness that you are able to provide for your family and cook beautiful food for your family. As you sit down as a family to eat this beautiful meal, you feel happiness that your family is together, eating and sharing things about their days.

Happiness….

So, as you can see, the happy moments are there each and every day. We just have to see them and let these moments give us those happy feelings!

Your body, mind and soul will feel the effects of this happiness!