Little Things That Bring Joy In Overwhelm
To me, February came with overwhelming frustration, mood swings, and exhaustion. I have been tracking my mood and I see a profound difference in my happiness levels in January and February. To keep me more hopeful, I have been looking at the little things around me that make me happy. Whatever situation that you are in, gratitude will always help you see the little things that bring joy in overwhelm.
I chalk up my mood-swings and frustration on the extreme weather conditions. With demanding work, virtual schooling, and being cooped up within four walls, my mental health was at its lowest. I love stepping out for a walk but even that was not possible for many days. Many of you know that my word for the year is hope. But just one month into the year, I just couldn’t stay optimistic 🙂
Little things that bring joy in overwhelm
To be more optimistic and remain hopeful for the best to come, I started looking out for simple things that bring me joy. I purposely avoided picking food as my “little pleasure” because I’m an emotional eater and I don’t want to abuse food for happiness. Some of my little pleasures include listening to my favorite podcasts (I wish my fav podcasters release a show every day!), watching comedy shows, time to exercise without interruptions, a good book, quality time with my spouse, cuddle with my kids, and a good night’s sleep. Here are 3 little things that brought joy in overwhelm over the past month.
It’s a tough life, and It’s the little things that get us through the day. –
Jeffery Deaver
Finding my favorite magazine in Library’s Libby app
As a budgeting mom, I avoid spending money on magazines and use my library card to its fullest. If you don’t know about the Libby app, check with your library. You can find tons of magazines with unlimited checkouts! By the end of January, I noticed that my local library’s contract with a digital magazine portal had ended. I missed reading my favorite magazines and was disappointed. Well, it wouldn’t cost me a fortune to buy the magazines, but I didn’t want to spend extra bucks $$ each month on what I was getting for free! I was hoping that my library would add the series back but I was blown away to see almost 200 magazine titles added to the Libby app. Oh boy! so many books to choose from and that definitely made my day 🙂
Heart cookies for my valentine
We were gearing up for a (read nth) snowstorm on Valentine’s day. To make my life a little easier, I went grocery shopping the day before and stocked the fridge with all yummy goodies to treat our kids. But the snowy day kicked in the baking mood and the boys begged if we could bake some cookies at home. Didn’t have the heart to say no to their puppy dog eyes and gave in to their request. Cooking with kids is joyful and for sure creates lots of memories, but the clean-up is hard! We made eggless Nan Khatai cookies and they tasted awesome. The best part was letting the kids do the work and see the glee in their eyes when they ate their creation!
Calm after the storm
Getting outside and being in nature is a simple yet the most powerful way to unwind and beat the blues. Over the last week, the temperature has been hovering above freezing and I made good use of it. Though I love all four seasons of the year, after seeing frigid temperatures for days together, I guess I’m ready for spring 🙂
Did you pause today to look out for your little pleasure of the day? If not, go ahead and look around. I’m sure you can find little things around you that can make your day a little happier!