Welcome back to another blog on some tips on how to stay happy when life may get in the way. I know I personally struggle to balance everything life throws at me, but I use these tips to help and I hope they help you too.
Tip #1: Self-Care
I know I have mentioned self-care in my previous blogs, but it is so important. If we were to keep pushing through each week without time to yourself, a burnout is just waiting to happen. A burnout can include less energy, no interest in current job or activities, or having the need to sleep more. These are just some of the symptoms that can be seen. A good tip to offer is to set one day, one night, or even one hour a day to dedicate to yourself. Take a bath, get your nails done, go out with friends, etc. that makes you happy. You’ll start to see that your thoughts won’t be so negative and gives you something to look forward to during the stressful situations.
Tip #2: Date Nights
I cannot express the importance of date nights. My boyfriend and I are so busy with our schedules that we are lucky to get an hour or two a day together. It does cause stress on our relationship, but we use date nights to make sure we dedicate all our time to each other without interruptions. Every Saturday, we plan a couple hours to go to eat, go to a movie (or buy a movie because of COVID), or even go for a drive/walk together with our dog (which is this blog’s featured picture). This gives us something to look forward to each week when times get rough. All we talk about is our date night and how excited we are to spend quality time together.
Tip #3: Go Treat Yourself
Yes, I said it, go treat yourself to that purse or shirt or game station that you have been wanting. Of course, consider finances but you deserve to make yourself feel like all the work you put in is worth it. I know I personally give myself a budget for each month that I can treat myself to a coffee, a shirt, or whatever I like. It may vary per person but see what you can budget to be able to treat yourself to something nice. This boosts the dopamine and serotonin levels which brings us happiness.
Stay tuned to part two coming soon! Until then stay healthy, stay positive, and stay mentally strong!
Written by Serena Norris – A volunteer at Le Chéile and our monthly guest blogger. A graduate from St. John Fisher College in Psychology, Serena is currently undergoing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counselling and runs her own online blog. To see her blog click here.