With the start of a brand new school year, I wanted to stress how important it is to not only take care of our physical health but also our mental health.
Many of us associate health in the physical form, but there are many other forms of health: mental and emotional health being one of them.
I read an incredible book this past year with a group of my friends that I wanted to share with all of you.
1. The How of Happiness written by Sonja Lyubomirsky
Let me give you a little intro to the book:
It starts off with a happiness quiz that will help you determine what are your strengths and weaknesses based on 12 different characteristics of "happiness".
From there each chapter focuses on one trait at a time. The Twelve traits of happiness are:
- Expressing Gratitude
- Cultivating Optimism
- Avoid Overthinking and Social Comparison
- Practice Acts of Kindness
- Nurturing Social Relationships
- Developing Strategies for Coping
- Learning to Forgive
- Increasing Flow Experiences
- Savoring Life's Joys
- Practicing Religion and Spirituality
- Taking Care of Your Body (Mediation)
- Taking Care of Your Body (Physical Activity)
- Taking Care of Your Body (Acting like a Happy Person)
Perhaps the greatest thing I got from reading this book was a simple idea: YOU can create your OWN happiness! It does not have to be a search for that new dress, or maybe even a new pet.
You have the ability to create your own happiness whenever YOU choose.
This concept is so simple, however, for a long time I felt that I was continuinally searching for that "something".
This book was a wakeup call for me, and allowed me to look into myself and realize that I can choose to be happy whenever I want!
2. This book impacted me so greatly because I read it with an amazing group of best friends.
(THIS IS ALL OF US)
Each week we read a chapter at the start of the week and make sure our mission was to address the goals within that chapter. We would meet at the end of the week and discuss our experiences and what we had learned.
This was a great experience for us all to really try to improve our lives in a supportive group setting.
If you are interested in reading The How of Happiness. I highly suggest you pick it up with a group of friends who you trust. I encourage you to take the first step on an powerful journey towards achieving your own happiness.
Till next week,
-Kate
