Making time for the things that make you happy

When was the last time you did something just because it made you happy?

Happiness for me is something I aspire to and often talk about but I don’t spend much time thinking about doing the things that actually make me happy. Happiness for me tends to be almost incidental and usually determined by external factors such as workload, how my children are behaving and the state of our finances for example. I am generally quite a cheery person (my husband might disagree) and I do have a positive outlook in life which I think helps enormously but I am guilty of not taking action to directly influence my happiness levels on a regular basis.

These ideas have been buzzing around in my head for some time, particularly since I made the decision to start my own business. I have had some incredible opportunities and some real pinch-me moments but I have also experienced a fair amount dark and unhappy days because my future feels so uncertain sometimes. Learning to work for myself and from home is still a huge challenge and my happiness levels take a bashing on a regular basis because I allow things I can’t always control dictate how I feel.

Take time to make your soul happy

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I am evangelical about Sara Tasker from Me and Orla, she is an incredibly successful creative and an authority on all things blogging and Instagram related. Sara recently interviewed Sas Petherick on her podcast Hashtag Authentic. In this particular episode both women discuss a range of topics such as self-doubt and impostor syndrome, they also talked about happiness and the importance of working out what actually makes you happy. This idea resonated with me and prompted me to abandon the to-do list and head out on an unplanned day out with the family.

Columbia Road is definitely one of my happy places, Simon and I discovered it shortly after moving in together. I remember travelling back to our flat on the back of our Vespa carrying a huge bag of new plants in one arm and holding on for dear life with the other!

It’s not quite as romantic these days with our daughters in tow but I love it all the same. An early start is a must if you want to avoid the crowds and really enjoy the flowers and plants on sale – cue lots of groaning from the kids but the promise of a salt beef beigel from Brick Lane soon gets them going! We don’t visit nearly enough because most weekends end up flashing by in a blur of extracurricular activities and household chores. When I stop to think about it, prioritising laundry over doing things that I really enjoy is downright stupid!

So I’ve made a little promise to myself that I’ll spend some unscheduled time thinking about all the things that make me happy (little and big) and do them more often.

What makes you happy? I’d love to know!

Antonia

PS: The top I am wearing in this post makes me insanely happy so I’ll be wearing it a lot!

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