Did you ever wonder when you became so busy? When was the moment that life speeded up?
When I spend time on public transport I’m always intrigued by the folk around me on their mobile phones telling their caller, and the rest of the carriage, very loudly, just how busy they are. It seems that ‘busy’ has become a national epidemic and slowing down doesn’t always feel like an easy cure. Being busy can have some pretty nasty side effects too – stress, lack of sleep, lethargy, lack of confidence, grumpiness to name but a few.
It seems we’re all busy and when we’re busy we rarely take the time to notice what is happening around us, even the small things. When do we give ourselves the space to enjoy the moments that fill us with the confidence to achieve greater fulfillment in our lives. We don’t!
Some of us are naturally more reflective than others, but for those of us that aren’t; the deliberate act of self-reflection is definitely something worth engaging in especially if you are busy. It doesn’t have to be hard; in fact there are studies that suggest that noticing the smaller everyday things reaps even greater rewards.
A few years ago, when I started to explore the benefits of positive psychology, I came across a great App called Happier, founded by an impressive lady called Nataly Kogan.
Kogan suggests, “To focus on, capture and appreciate small positive moments in your life, expressing gratitude has been shown to do more than improve your mood. People who write down a few positive things about their day are healthier, more energetic, less stressed and anxious, and get better sleep.”
I’m not going to use this post to waffle on about all the benefits, instead I would like to challenge you try it for yourself by downloading Happier. Each day you receive a prompt at 9pm that allows you to focus on just three things that were good about your day.
It really couldn’t be simpler, why not give it a go and see what happens, and hopefully in and amongst your ‘busy’ you might find some small moments of brilliance!
Enjoy!