There is a lot of negativity, suffering, and sorrow in the world. I have known people in my life that focus only on the negative and that they thrive in it. Negativity begets more negativity. At some point, we need to cast off and let go of negativity, sorrow, and suffering.

Even in the darkest of times, there are still chances to embrace happiness.

I do not mean to belittle anyone’s problems or to say that we need to ignore them.

Instead, how can we embrace happiness in our lives each day?

What type of activities help bring happiness and joy to your life?

Have you taken stock of what makes you happy?

Many of us who grew up in alcoholic and dysfunctional families spend an inordinate amount of time in taking care of others and ensuring that others are happy. We sacrifice our happiness for others.

By making such sacrifices, we think that we’re being selfless but that path leads toward codependency and enabling.

Before we do anything in life, we need to take care of our own lives first.

When I was young and first went on an airplane, I never understood why airline stewards told passengers to put their own oxygen masks on first. I kept thinking of parents wanting to help their kids first and then take care of themselves. But as I listened to the stewards, I realized that if passengers didn’t take care of themselves first, they wouldn’t be able to help those around them.

But what about now?

For today, what time can your carve out of your day to be happy?

Is it something simple like sitting and having a cup of coffee in the morning? Or taking a walk? Or, if you’re homebound, what activities can you take part in to be happy in your life?

Listening to music, read a poem, write a letter, journal each day?

The small habits that we build into our daily lives become the glue that helps us find balance in our lives.

When misfortune comes our way (as it will at some point), having the strength to build a network of friends, family, and positive activities help us to stay strong in the face of adversity.

What’s key here is that I’m not saying that we need to put a smile on our face just to make others happy. I’m saying that having a strong foundation of positivity and happiness in our lives allows us to have the strength and fortitude to deal with negativity and the challenges that we all face in our lives.

Just as doctors recommend that we stand up and walk around throughout the day, I’m recommending that we also exercise our happiness centers within us.

As I write this, I’m weeks in quarantine due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Mentally, my family and I are working hard to do our best with work and school as well as learning to live together while dealing with all the stress and unknowns in our lives (we don’t know when the quarantine will end, and it’s unclear what happens next after we leave sheltering-in-home).

To handle the stress and anxiety, I’ve been a toolkit of activities that help me to be happy: Meditation, exercise, listening to music and podcasts, spending time with my family, and reading.

Each day I modulate and either increase a specific activity as needed or focus on another to help me deal with the stress.

When you go about your day, and you work on embracing happiness, what does that translate to you? And most importantly, how can you embrace happiness daily?

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.