The Daily Happy List

To help me keep on track with my commitment to be happy, I devised this happy to-do list. It serves as a reminder that my happiness is a priority that should be taken seriously above everything else. I try to read it each morning, attempt to practice the techniques outlined below throughout the day, and then give myself a self evaluation, as well as a sort of “pep talk” if needed, along with visualizations and affirmations at the end of the night.

So far this has been great at keeping me focused on being happy. In fact, I think the simple act of planning and writing out the list has, in itself, caused my mind to focus more on happiness. In other words, the intention to be happy has probably had more effect than the list itself. But this list is still essential to have around during those times that I lose track and start to become depressed.

The check list at the end exists for that very reason because, most of the time, I start to fall into a depression without even realizing it. But now I know myself well enough to recognize the warning signs: irritation, feeling rejected by others, not as excited by music, etc. This is the first time I’ve ever tried any sort of system for happiness maintenance AND depression prevention, and I think both are essential for people who suffer from any type of chronic or situational depression.

By the way, some of my ideas for the first section of this list came from 20 Simple Tips to Be Happy Now (.pdf) from The Happiness Institute. This is such an excellent web site with lots of fantastic free resources on being happy. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Anyway, here is the list…

DAILY HAPPY LIST

• Happiness is a priority.
• Make a commitment to myself to FEEL GOOD.
• Make plans to be happy.
• Do things that make you happy; play and have fun.
• Be grateful and appreciate what you have.
• Invest time and energy in to your key relationships; socialize and interact with others as much as possible.
• Create happier, optimistic thoughts.

TO-DO THROUGHOUT THE DAY

• Turn my mood around into something BETTER. Be intentionally CHEERFUL for the moment. (This means taking myself out of the moment and bringing myself to a higher state of joy for no particular reason. Push myself to a higher level, often.)
• Look for opportunities for HUMOR and FUN.
• Be with fun people; do fun things; think fun thoughts.
• Connect with the people around me.
• Congratulate myself for the good things I create in life.
• Just breathe.

TO-DO AT NIGHT

• Assess how you did the “to-dos” throughout the day. Did you remember, forget, do well or poorly?
• List the events of the day that went bad
• Ask yourself, “Is it really a big deal?” The answer is no.
• Think of the things that bothered you.
• Stop caring about those things so they become inconsequential.
• You don’t need those things to be happy. Decide to be happy without them.
• Now that you don’t care, think of how you would ideally like to improve those things.
• Use affirmations and visualizations on the things you want.
• List the things you appreciate and have manifested in your life.
• Do the love visualization. [Edit: This is basically where I mentally say to myself, "I am loved, adored and appreciated" and actually feel the love from various people, both imagined and real, as I think this. Then I repeat saying, "I love, adore and appreciate myself." I stay with this feeling of love for a few minutes, or as long as feels comfortable. I have to say, it feels awesome!]

DEPRESSION CHECK LIST
Have I felt any of the following lately?

• Irritated or annoyed at anyone or anything
• Sad or gloomy for any reason
• Felt “trapped” for any reason (the opposite of feeling free)
• Felt like someone doesn’t like me, rejected by people, or lonely
• Bothered by what someone said or did to me
• Threatened or panicky (by a person or situation)
• Disconnected from people
• I don’t sing along to music
• I get annoyed with my cat meowing
• I ate junk food for more than two days in a row without good reason (like being on vacation)
• I have stopped exercising
• I can’t find anything to do that makes me happy
• I’m bored

This last section, the Depression Check List, is just to gauge whether I’m starting to slip into a funk. We all get annoyed or irritated over things once in a while. However, for me, feeling annoyed at various things throughout the day or over the period of a few days is the start of a slippery slope of negativity. Recognizing the signs from this list will allow me to nip depression in the bud by taking any number of steps to put myself in a more positive frame of mind. I can either use the To Do at Night techniques listed above or break out one of my many self help books.