How Happy is Your (Inner) Home?
Do you have a happy home?
*Looks around at my living room with the bags and piles of belongings to sort* šµāš«
Uhh.. Not actual home, but how happy is your INNER home? š
Last week I shared that in celebration of Mental Health Awareness May, I recently completed an e-learning course provided by Zumba called "Happiness Unleashed." A portion of the training heavily featured the work of a bestselling authorĀ (AND Zumba instructor!!) Marci Shimoff from her book, Happy For No Reason-- 7 Steps to Being Happy From the Inside Out.
Based on her research and observations, Shimoff developed an "inner home of happiness" model where each component of our "house" can be built or strengthened by actionable steps and habits. I've found this metaphor has been particularly helpful as I'm feeling extra stressed by my upcoming move!
Shimoffās āInner Home of Happinessā
The foundation: Take responsibility for your own happiness. Ex. Look at a challenging situation and list concrete steps to finding solutions rather than blaming, shaming or complaining.
The pillar of the mind: Take note of your thoughts. Ex. Be aware that we are programmed to notice the negative (on average 80% of our daily thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts today are the same as yesterday!!), so work to look for the positive and be aware of your self-talk.
The pillar of the heart: Open your heart! Ex. Express gratitude and forgiveness to others or by journaling.
The pillar of the body:Ā Prime your body to feel great! Ex.Focus on the big three: sleep, nutrition, and exercise.
The pillar of the soul:Ā Nurture meaningful connection to yourself or a higher being. Ex. Take 10 minutes of quiet to meditate, pray, or listen to your own inner voice.
The roof:Ā Practice your life purpose. Ex. Seek out moments while you work, perform a hobby or engage with others that incite feelings of living with passion and purpose.
The garden:Ā Cultivate positive relationships with those that surround you . Ex. Make time for a friend whose energy uplifts you.
How's your home looking now?
Here's the thing-- it's not humanly possible to optimize and attend to each area of our "home" at all times. Maybe our sleep suffers when we make more time for relationships. Or pursuing a passion means we skimp on time to mindfully reflect. Seeing our happiness as supported through multiple means allows us to have a robust toolkit to bolster our moods and build happiness that withstands the ever-changing circumstances around us.
Want to feel happier at your home?! Join me for June's Unlimited On-Demand Package featuring 4 new classes:
Rhythm Rainbow š 彩č¹åę»ę“¾å°
Confi-DANCE Cure 30 mins š čåŗčŖäæ”ę“¾å° (30m)
Lower Body Burn- 15 mins š„ ēēå§(äøåčŗ«)ę“¾å° (15m)
Balance Boost- 10 mins ā å¹³č””ęęæåę“¾å° (10m)
Here's to a week of happy habits ahead!
Keep moving!
Xx,
Katie
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