Small Moments Happiness Challenge
We are in difficult times and the constant cycle of negative news and the uncertainty we often feel can make it hard to stay positive. In order to flip the tide of negativity and reframe things in our minds we’ve created the Small Moments Happiness Challenge. While there are many things we can’t do, due to the pandemic, there are still so many new and wonderful moments that we can create that bring joy into our lives. We’ll be listing a small challenge every few days. These challenges are meant to inspire small moments of joy for yourself and for others. We invite you to join us for the Small Moments Happiness Challenge – together we can lift each other up.
We look forward to hearing all about your small moments!
Our first challenge is to thank a healthcare worker! Let’s all show our gratitude for the long hours, stressful circumstances, brave faces, creative thinking and selfless acts the doctors and nurses are giving. At a time when most of us feel helpless in this struggle, the simple act of sharing a kind word can mean all the difference. ⠀
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These days are hard and I struggle with highs and lows like most people that I know but what I find that helps me is the simple act of creating. Since being stuck in our home it has forced me to think more creatively about the types of art projects that I am doing.⠀
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My kids and I have found it to be a lot of fun to think about what we can make from repurposing something old into something new. Lately we are on a tee shirt craze cutting up old tee shirts and making dog toys, friendship bracelets, jump ropes, baskets, headbands and more. My youngest daughter Kinsey has really taken to braiding, every time I look at her I see her with fabric tied to a door knob or drawer braiding away! ⠀
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Here are a few ideas on how to make things from old tees to get you started! Since the weather is getting warmer and we are all thinking about gardening and our patios I’ve also included a few outdoor ideas. We’d love to see what you make!⠀
How to Make Tee Shirt into Yarn⠀
https://buff.ly/2K6cwvs⠀
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Braided Basket from old Tee Shirts⠀
https://buff.ly/3cmVB3F⠀
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Braided Dog Toys⠀
https://buff.ly/2RXZ7Kn⠀
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Jump Rope from old Tee Shirts⠀
https://buff.ly/3beJeXb⠀
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Headbands from old Tee Shirts⠀
https://buff.ly/2K8S11h⠀
Just like anything else, we can fall into the same trap of not expanding our listening routines and default to the same podcast shows. Listening to someone new can inspire you and create happiness. Last week, I signed up for Yale's free online happiness course called "The Science of Well-Being" (I've listed this link below in case you are interested too!) and the instructor, Laurie Santos, is amazing and has a podcast called ”The Happiness Lab" that I started listening to and immediately loved it. She is doing a special series currently on a variety of issues that have arisen during this difficult time such as dealing with stress and anxiety.⠀
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In addition, I am a big fan of Brené Brown’s work and she just launched a new podcast series called “Unlocking Us” that is pretty amazing. ⠀
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Lastly, one of my favorite podcast series is “The Good Life Project” by Johnathan Fields. I always walk away feeling happier and inspired after listening to these episodes. The episode with Dr. Tererai Trent I thought was particularly interesting. ⠀
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Happy listening and please share some of your favorite podcast shows or a favorite espisode!⠀
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THE SCIENCE OF WELL-BEING COURSE⠀
https://buff.ly/2qjWvYt?⠀
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THE HAPPINESS LAB PODCAST (I was particularly inspired by espidsode #3 Rising to a Challenge)⠀
https://buff.ly/2UQNlC6⠀
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THE GOOD LIFE PROJECT PODCAST BY JONATHAN FIELDS:⠀
https://buff.ly/2FGm9gk⠀
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AWAKENING TO YOUR DREAM | DR. TERERAI TRENT (I loved this episode.)⠀
https://buff.ly/39usQAd⠀
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UNLOCKING US PODCAST BY BRENE BROWN:⠀
https://buff.ly/3725MI1⠀
I found myself scrolling through my photos early this morning and it was really bitter sweet. I am sad for all the wonderful moments missed but I also feel incredibly grateful for the amazing memories. And it has made me really appreciate the people in my life. Looking at my photos also made me realize how most things we worry about don’t matter at all and how joy is really found in the little things. Most of all, I miss laughing with friends and sharing in the simple moments of time spent together. It helps to know that while this is an extremely difficult time, it is temporary, and soon we’ll be sharing great times again.⠀
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While we can’t share moments with many of the people we love right now, we can share the happiness of a favorite memory together – today send or post a great memory to a friend or loved one and spread a little happiness around!⠀
Help spread kindness and show someone how much they mean to you by creating a simple card. Recently my kids and I learned a little about creating pop-up cards. It’s always been something I’ve admired but never taken the time to do. So I thought why not learn now! My kids at first seemed interested but not overjoyed to take on this new project but by the time they got cutting paper and gluing pieces together they were hooked. The best part was of course knowing that we were creating the cards for others to enjoy. You can bring so much unexpected joy just by sending someone a little note of kindness and in turn you can have a lot of fun too! If you’re not into pop-ups, write a simple note, create a poem or any kind of creative expression to show someone that you care.
HEART
https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/3d-heart-card/
GENERAL POPUPS
https://tinkerlab.com/simple-diy-pop-up-cards-for-creative-kids/
FLOWER
https://iheartcraftythings.com/pop-up-flower-card.html
UMBRELLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=856x2n0Nd70
We are all finding ourselves in situations that we’ve never before experienced. We all possess so many wonderful and different skills that if shared can make all of our lives a little easier. So today reach out to someone to offer a skill you have or maybe swap a skill with a friend! For instance, are you an artist or crafter? You could teach your grandkids how to paint online to give the parents a break. Or gather a group of ladies to teach them how do a night of online knitting. Or maybe you love to garden, you could share your knowledge with a friend that always struggles to keep those pesky critters away (that’s me!).