Building Your Bucket List

As the main idea or theme of my blog is self-improvement and happiness, I felt as if a post about bucket lists was vital. Creating a list of your biggest dreams is one of the best ways to improve your mood and excitement for life. If you don't have a bucket list of your own yet or haven't never at least thought about what you would put on it, I highly recommend making one. It is easy to find ourselves focusing on the negatives rather than the positives. Creating a bucket list is one thing that can help to remind you of the greater things in life and, even better, give you something to look forward to!

In my opinion, there should be no limits when it comes to your bucket list. No matter how crazy, far away, far fetched or out of your comfort zone something may be, if it is something you want to do and would make you happy, then go for it! Not sure where to start? Think of what makes you happy; what excites you, something that would give you that rush of doing something new.

I think it can be easily agreed upon that no one makes it a goal of theirs to live a life full of regrets. One of the worst feelings can be looking back and wishing you would have done something differently, or taken a chance when you had the opportunity but knowing that its too late now. Life is meant for building dreams and following them. Wealth, fame, material items, while these things might provide temporary happiness, truly being happy and satisfied with your life comes from doing the things you love with the people you love. You can deal with the mess later, but for now, focus on you, think of what you want to accomplish in your life and what you would love to see or do within the time you have here, and start that list.

 

http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2015/06/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-your-bucket-list/

The above link is a story of a couple living life the way I believe we all should: fulfilling their dreams together, and doing crazy and spontaneous activities with no regrets. While my bucket list hasn't been updated in a while, I plan on adding to it quite a bit and not leaving out any ideas, no matter how crazy. When it comes to self-improvement, making yourself happy by fulfilling your dreams is extremely important, and a bucket list is one of the greatest ways to start, give yourself something exciting to look forward to!

Run Your Stress Away

Stress is something that affects each and every one of us at some point in our lives, some of us more than others. Just as stress affects every person differently, there is no one "correct" way to deal with it. It is easy to sometimes catch ourselves turning to stress outlets are not the most positive. It can be hard to know which way to turn, especially when we become desperate to feel better. For this post, I'd like to discuss exercise as a coping method for relieving stress.

It is easy to relate to the rush of frustration or anxiety that can come from a stressful situation. Both the physical and mental side affects can almost be exhausting, while at the same time almost surging you with energy or anger; what better way to exhaust this energy than going for a run or hitting the gym for an hour or so? By using exercise as a stress outlet, you are not only improving your mental health but physical as well, which in turn can also add to a more positive attitude and self-image.

As discussed in an article posted by the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America), exercise is vital to maintaining one's mental health. When your brain and mind become stressed out, the effects of this spread throughout your body, causing physical effects as well. Improvements in mood and sleep consistency, decreased levels of tension and higher self-esteem are all positive side affects of turning to exercise to exhaust your stress levels. These and other benefits, as well as other stress relieving tactics are discussed in further detail in the following article: https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st

 

The Best Personal Strength's Survey To Take

When someone asks you to describe yourself, or to list your top strengths, have you ever struggled? It can feel a bit weird to just start talking about how great you are, and at times it can even be hard to come up with an answer to this type of question. It seems easier and more acceptable for someone else to tell you what they think you are good at, rather than feeling as if you are bragging about yourself.

I feel as we are overlooking an important part here, though. Knowing yourself is just as important, if not more so than others knowing you. It is essential to be able to personally identify yourself, to know your strengths and weaknesses. The VIA Character Strengths Survey is approximately a fifteen minute long survey of which at the end provides you with a list of 24 strengths, ranked in order of your top strengths all the way to the end, which are traits that may not describe you very well if at all.

I was required to take this survey for a class of mine, and I realized soon thereafter just how beneficial it was to me and have even recommended it to a few friends. When you receive your results, you are able to click on each trait and a description will pop up, giving you a more detailed definition of what that particular trait reflects about you. Given that you take your time on the survey and provide honest responses, the results can be quite intriguing. This survey is a great way to identify and discover things about yourself, some you may have known already and some new. Looking at this list highlights what you do well, and reflecting on this can help you to view yourself in a more positive light - related to my previous blog about self-compassion.

Though we might think we already know what we are good at and what we value the most, this is not something most people keep consistently active in their brains. It is a helpful tool to have these traits refreshed in your mind, providing you with the opportunity to focus on those particular traits and continuing to incorporate them into your daily life. Taking what you are good at - and ensuring that you uphold those traits and begin to use them even more is a wonderful way to self-improve.

On the other hand, it can be even more difficult to face our weaknesses, or areas that could use some work. Though the results of this survey do not state them to be weaknesses, the traits at the bottom of your list are those that least represent you. I believe a vital part of self-improvement revolves around taking your weaknesses and working to improve them. If after reviewing your results you notice some traits low on your list that you would like to see higher, it is then in your hands to make the change. Being able to recognize something that you would like to see change, and taking it upon yourself to actively make that change shows that you are ready and capable of improving yourself and moving towards becoming the person you hope to be.

I highly recommend taking 15 minutes out of your day to complete this survey, and begin using your results to better yourself day by day! You can reach the survey at the following link: http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-Survey

Self-Compassion: Learn To Stop Beating Yourself Up

As my blog is centered around self improvement, self-compassion is one of my most passionate topics. Sounds pretty simple, right? Be nice to yourself. You would be surprised how often we do not practice this. Especially being a college student, I am nowhere near perfect and, whether I like to admit it or not, I tend to screw up quite often. People make mistakes, both big and small, and it is extremely easy for us to spend time beating ourselves up after we do something wrong or mess up. In fact, practicing self-compassion has shown to be highly beneficial to mental health.

 

For some reason, in our society it is too easy to focus in on all of the negatives and mistakes we have made until it takes over our thinking and leaves no room for positive thinking or improvement thoughts. Learning to "look on the bright side" or "don't sweat the small stuff" needs to make a comeback in my opinion. One of the main components of self-compassion is centered around Common Humanity. Common Humanity means realizing that yes, you have struggles in our life, but so does everyone else in the world; it is recognizing that all people stumble in life and that is completely normal. Loving yourself, thinking highly of yourself, and most importantly forgiving yourself. Practicing self-compassion can be extremely difficult. If you do something wrong, something bad or frowned upon, something embarrassing, it can be very easy to sit and reflect on the negative action or experience, to replay the situation and pick out every little thing you did wrong or what you should have done. This type of thinking/reflection can lead to regret, blame, and even negative views of yourself. It becomes a problem when we get so upset at ourselves for doing something wrong that we begin to attribute it to who we are as a person, rather than being human and making a mistake.

Training ourselves to practice self-compassion and to love and forgive ourselves is a very important milestone on the pathway to self-improvement and your overall happiness. The following link provides additional information on the topic of self-compassion, its benefits as well as relation to mindfulness - which is what my first blog is focused around! I highly recommend checking it out, and practicing loving yourself on a daily basis can truly make a difference. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201610/the-many-benefits-self-compassion

Mindfulness & What It Can Do For You

I think we all know how easy it can be to get caught up in our busy schedules or daily routines, especially in today's society. Day by day, it just becomes automatic to repeat the same tasks we know best and not even think about it. In a psychology class of mine, I have recently learned about the topic of mindfulness- one that I had not previously heard of, and I suspect I am not alone there. So, what exactly is mindfulness? Mindfulness is being entirely attentive to what is happening in your life, where you are and what you are doing. The main components to mindfulness (but definitely not limited and are open to expansion) are:

1) Being present in your life, and being non-judgmental
2) Be curious, open, accepting, trying to be at peace

This might sound silly or easy, but it can be pretty difficult at times. I myself am still working on it, and it is easy to lose your attention after a few minutes, or let your mind wander to that test you have tomorrow, or the fight you had with your roommate that day, or what you're going to have for dinner. Moving past those distractions and truly being there in the present moment is what we struggle with. Two tactics that can be used to practice mindfulness...

1) Meditation
2) Body awareness

The two tactics build off of one another in a way, as mindfulness meditation promotes body awareness. Being aware of your body is a great way to keep yourself in the present moment, feeling your feet on the ground, your lungs breathing and your heart beating, focusing on the fact that you are truly present in your life at that point in time.

It amazes me how putting myself into this one, simple mental state can improve my life. I find that I am much happier in my life since I started practicing this. Something as simple as looking around you while walking to class and noticing the color of the leaves on the trees, the newly budding flowers or a crack in the sidewalk. It may sound silly, but it can truly better your life. Mindfulness makes that routine drive to work or class every single day less routine. You know that car ride where you arrive at your destination and somehow don't remember the drive there? I think we have all been there before, and it can almost be scary at times. Mindfulness can help you to notice something you may not have previously, or pick out something new every day amid your daily commute.

To live a happy, full life does not mean just going through the motions. Mindfulness not only raises your awareness, but can improve mental health and overall well being, leading you on the path to a happier and healthier life. For more information on mindfulness, its benefits, and how to practice it I highly recommend visiting the following: https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm. This site provides great insights into the state of being mindful, and how it can boost you in the right direction. Continue checking back for more posts on happiness and self-improvement!