March 20th is the "International Day of Happiness" which encourages people to do something for themselves to make them happy and a day to remember the importance of taking care of yourself, including your mental health. You can start by practicing energy management!
What is energy management? Think of your energy as a limited resource, like money in an account. You begin the day with a certain amount to spend. The amount varies from person to person based on factors, such as age, sleep, stress levels, medical conditions and lifestyle. While you may not always have control over activities that deplete your energy, you can take steps to deposit more energy into your account.
Monitor Your Energy
Take your energy "temperature" at various points throughout the day, assigning it a number from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest energy level. Pay attention to the details of your day so you can identify the people or events that impact you the most.
Make Incremental Changes
Once you are aware of some of the people or events that sabotage your energy, consider your next steps. Rather than tackling everything at once, choose an area that is important to you, and be realistic with the goals you set.
11 Amazing (And Free) Apps That Make You Happy
The Budding Optimist has a list of free apps in various categories:
- Apps that cultivate gratitude
- Apps to track your mood
- Apps to train your mindset
- Apps to reduce stress and anxiety
40 Happy Facts That'll Make Your Day a Little Better
These heartwarming animal trivia facts will make you smile :)
- Sea otters hold hands when they sleep to prevent them from floating away
- Cows have best friends and they tend to have lower stress levels when they are together
- Squirrels will adopt abandoned squirrel babies so everyone has a family
- The quokka is the happiest animal because it is always smiling and very friendly
- Ducks shake their tails when they're happy, especially when eating
