We hear the word sustainability being tossed around all the time these days. We often hear this word with environmental issues, but rarely do we hear it within our wellbeing practice. We understand that sustainability means to create a reality that is maintainable, but why not include this on our path to better health for ourselves too?
Have you tried a new “diet”, but been corrected on the terminology you should use? Someone might say “you should call it a lifestyle change instead..?” Just as some people would prefer to make their “diet” include wording that makes it feel more like a longterm definition, we can continue this concept with our happiness. Happiness is not just a short term moment in time, but we should strive for a more sustainable practice. So what can we do to create a long term and maintainable wellbeing?
Identify:
Identify your current wellbeing practice. What’s serving you and alternatively what is causing you stress?
Identifying our behaviors within our work life, culture, stress management, physical fitness and mental health are key to figuring out how to create more long term habits. Happiness is a constant ebb and flow of emotions so it’s easy to find yourself just moving through life and not realizing what actually fills your cup up and what drains you.
Purpose:
When we have something to fulfill us, we are creating a deeper happiness. Having a sense of purpose or having an impact on others leads to a happiness that goes beyond the instant moment. If we help others and help the planet, we are in return helping ourselves (that’s when sustainability for the environment comes in!) Therefore, when we think beyond ourselves, it creates deeper relationships, satisfaction in achievement and appreciating the beauty around us which leading to the happiness of future generations as well as our own.
Habits:
Let’s talk about our habits. In a world of today, we often wear the word “busy” on our chest like a badge of honor and we hear the word “burnout” and know it all too well. Having a sense of purpose can help combat burnout and creating better habits can help us take charge of our routine instead of just letting it pass us by. Don’t be a robot to your habits, design them and curate them with care and intention for what serves you.
Little Moments:
Seek out the little moments! It’s the little moments in life that make up our happiness, not the big moments we search for. Good Days aims to show us this and remind us to be more offline while appreciating what we have. Let’s put down our phones and put pen to paper, gather with a few close friends, play games, connect with a community and reflect on how you got out of a bad mood when you were younger. So, what exactly are these little moments you can focus on? Join the Good Days Club and write down what you’re grateful for and focus on how you can continue to welcome those things in your life. Print out what you can and write down your thoughts, do a word search, crossword, write your monthly intentions and draw. When we put pen to paper we retain knowledge better, understand things in a new way and improve our brain development for long term happiness.
Happiness I have come to realize isn’t about that perfect day or the hard climb to the top to finally have that forever state of wellness. Happiness is a constant ebb and flow and maintaining our wellbeing will be the same. We can be sad one day and happy the next, but we need to start realizing that when deciding the next diet to choose, the next workout plan that will work for you, how your work life will fit into your reality – we should consider this – Is it sustainable?
