Making Mums Happy: day 1
Thought for the day: A journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step ...
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10 Happiness principles
- Count your blessings
- Have a good laugh every day
- Do a good turn with a daily kindness
- Treat yourself every day
- Cut your TV viewing and make time
- Say hello to a stranger
- Look after something you've planted
- Get physical
- Phone a friend
- Indulge in some talk time
- Day to day happiness
Welcome to Day 1 of Making Mums Happy
Over the next few weeks we want you to take time out every other day to look at the tasks in this Making Mums Happy programme and find suggestions about some of the things you can do to improve your lot. Don't dismiss any of these ideas as overly simplistic - they are all rooted in some scientifically proven happiness principle... instead just shrug your shoulders, keep an open mind (what have you got to lose?) and go with the flow.
Do as many daily tasks as you can - print out the list and tick them off at the end of the day if it helps!
Along the way talk to other mums taking part in Making Mums Happy, in the Happiness Club.
So let's get started. Following our 10 basic principles, here are your happiness tasks for the day ...
Start a happiness diary
Get yourself a little notebook or pad and call it 'My Happiness Diary.' On the first page, under day 1, write 10 things you like about yourself. Don't feel self conscious: this is your chance to think about the best bits about being you.
If you had to write an advert about yourself, what might you say? Are you kind? Clever? A good mum? A loyal friend? Good fun? Thoughtful? If you find it very hard, think about what your closest family (Mum, sister, best friend, partner) might say about you? 10 wonderful things about you!
Turn off your TV
When you next catch yourself watching something that you could really do without wasting your time on, turn it off and do something else - not housework, there's no incentive there! - but something nice. One of those things you think you'll get round to "one day" when you've got time. Or maybe even one of these suggestions ...
- Sort out your photos ready to go into albums
- Got through your wardrobe and move all your Winter stuff into storage/the loft, then hang your Summer stuff ready for the sun
- Write a letter to someone you haven't been in touch with for ages - an old school friend perhaps, or your cousin. We seem to have lost the art of letter writing these days, which is a shame as it's so lovely to receive something in the post
- Go for a 15-minute walk
- Do a little easy gardening
- Play a board game with your children
- Just sit outside if it's a fine day and listen to the sounds
- Phone a friend
- Apply some fake tan
- Talk to your partner
- Read a magazine or a book
- Have a lovely relaxing bath
Have a daily laugh
Your ‘Happiness Prescription' includes having a daily laugh. Laughter releases all sorts of feel-good chemicals into our system which stay there for some time. A smile is good, while a big belly laugh is fantastic. There are even courses in laughter therapy - they say that even by pretending to laugh, you get most of the same benefits. Find something funny in your day today and try to have a laugh with your partner, kids or a good friend.
Pop into our Happiness Club where there will be lots of sharing of funny stuff trying to encourage that daily laugh.
The science: therapeutic benefits of laughter
Dr. Lee Berk and fellow Researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system. To date their published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells and disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.
Be friendly
Say hello to an elderly person you have never met before: at the supermarket, on the street or wherever. Make a point of saying a nice clear "hello" and smile as you say so. It takes a bit of practice, the first few times you might find yourself smiling a stiff sort of smile - but go for it! Give a nice sunny smile. Don't worry if they don't smile back - it's sadly so rare these days to be smiled at by a passing stranger, it might just take a bit of time to sink in!
Daily kindness - do something nice for someone else ...
... even if you don't feel like it:
- Offer your partner a 5-minute shoulder massage (he'll wonder what on earth you want!)
- Do something nice for someone in your extended family, like ringing your Grandmother/ Grandfather or dropping in for a short visit with some flowers or a bit of shopping to cheer them up
- Do something for a complete stranger - perform a gesture in your car and let somebody out or let them have your parking space when you are driving with a big smile and grand gesture of the hand.
Have a go at doing something kind for someone else and see how it makes you feel.
Treat yourself - do something nice for you
A home pedicure
Summer's coming and who doesn't need to give their poor feet some attention - they've been cooped up all Winter. Just think, next stop - hunting out the perfect pair of Summer sandals!
First collect everything you will need:
- Some light reading (magazine, paper, cookery book)
- Nail file
- Pumice stone
- Clippers
- Nail buffer
- Nail polish
- Moisturiser
- Snuggly socks
- Tissue (to put nail clippings in - euwww!)
- Soft towel
- Big glass of red wine or daytime equivalent (maybe a piece of chocolate)
Run a basin of warm water and if you have it, put in something like some lemongrass foot spa soak. Alternatively add a good squirt of olive oil and a few drops of an essential oil (peppermint or lavender work well).
Soak your feet for ten minutes (This is where the reading matter comes in).
Pop the towel on your lap and lift one foot out and pumice it, cut toe nails and push back cuticles. Then pop that foot back in the water and do the same with the other foot.
After 5 minutes or so remove the first foot and lightly dab dry, then moisturise and put on your sock, then do the same with the other foot. (Before putting your sock on, you could try asking your Partner to massage your feet!) Make sure you don't forget to sup on your wine/ coffee and eat a few chocolates whilst this is taking place.
After 20 minutes or so take the sock off one foot and buff your nails. If you don't fancy polish, then that foot is done; just put on more moisturiser and put your sock back on.
If you want to put polish on, then first put on a basecoat. Neaten the toenails on the other foot and buff them whilst this dries, then apply a couple of coats of colour and finally more basecoat to hold the colour in place. Doing it this way makes the polish stay as good as new for a couple of weeks.
Once the polish is dry put on more moisturiser and put your socks back on until morning.
Obviously, shorten as necessary - its better to get it all done in 10 minutes than not at all, so please try to find at least 10 interruption-free minutes!
