International Day of Happiness: is that a real thing?
On June 28th, 2012, the United Nations declared that March 20th would be the International Day of Happiness. Ever since this day is celebrated all over the world. The goal is to highlight the importance of happiness and wellbeing in everyone’s life.
March 20th, 2021 shouldn’t be different. We should also celebrate this day and remind ourselves about the importance of being happy and feeling well. The past 12 months have been hard for many of us, with the pandemic, uncertainties, lockdown, social distancing, and economic crisis, making this March 20th even more special.
However, how can we celebrate this day? The idea is that you can celebrate as you wish, as long as it makes you happy. If your imagination isn’t helping you, I would like to share some ideas:
1. Take the day to yourself
Who says that we have to be surrounded by many people to be happy? Sometimes being by ourselves is a great way to feel happy also! I personally like to be alone sometimes because it means I can do whatever I want without thinking about anyone else other than me! I usually oversleep, go for a run or practice some yoga, watch those soft and old tv shows, read a book, and cook my favorite meals.
2. Enjoy a home spa
It is not because everything is closed that we can’t take care of ourselves. Taking the morning to do a home spa can be very relaxing and great for your mind, body, and skin! I would start the day exfoliating my body with body scrubs, followed by a long shower — that would also include a hair mascara –, and finish with some face mask — obviously laying down while it works. If you don’t know where to buy the body scrubs nor the face mask, I found some DIY recipes for both: face masks and body scrubs. It is important to highlight that I haven’t tested them yet (maybe I will on March 20th).
3. Arrange a game tournament with your friends
I know we can’t be together with our friends now, but there are some online games that can be played with our friends. My friends and I play Mario Kart (Android and iOS app) championships sometimes and, at the same time, we set a Zoom call. This way it seems like we are all together, even though we are all in one place! We laugh, we make fun of each other, we compete, and we are happy while playing!
4. Prepare a homemade dish
I don’t mean any dish, it needs to be a special one. We all have that dish that reminds us of our childhood and our beloved ones. Unfortunately, we can’t be with most of the people we love now, but preparing a homemade meal with those dishes that remind ourselves of our beloved one is a great way to feel closer. In my case, my favorite dish that reminds me of my family is Brigadeiro! It is not really a meal, but it is something I always make when I want to feel closer to my family!
5. Make your bucket list
The idea of a bucket list came from the English expression “kicking the bucket”. This list was originally thought to be everything you want to do before you “kick the bucket” (die). Thus, with the years, the bucket list became the list of everything we want to do. It can be a bucket list of trips we want to take, people we want to meet, amusement parks we want to visit, deals we want to close, almost anything. As many people haven’t done their bucket list, I'd recommend starting with 100 things you want to do before you “kick the bucket”, things that now you think will make you happy. It can be a car you want to buy, a language you want to learn, a trip you want to make, a weight you want to achieve,.. anything is possible, as long as they are items that will make you happy. Just by thinking about them, you will feel good already!
6. Start one item on your bucket list
If the suggestion on item 5 is to create a bucket list, now the idea is to make one item possible. If the items on the bucket list are things we want to do that we say will make us happy, why aren’t we focusing on them now? Why are we postponing our happiness? Thus, to celebrate International Day of Happiness I recommend selecting one item on your bucket list and make it come true. You might not be able to put it into practice on March 20th, but you can start planning it. For example, if one of your items is “going to dinner on a Michelin Star restaurant”, you can find out if there is any Michelin Star restaurant in your city and check when the next available date is. These restaurants usually have a long waiting list, so you might be able to book a table for later this year! This is already the first step to cross one item on your bucket list!
7. Take a walk around your city
Many cities are still in lockdown, but they allow you to leave your house to practice some sports. Walking is a sport that is allowed in many cities. Taking some hours of this day to walk around, enjoy the beauty of your city, and remind yourself how happy you are to be living in this city is a great start for your day. If you manage to combine this with some nature, for example, including a park on your route, I’m sure the result will be even better!
8. Prepare a gratitude list
I know it might be hard for many of us to think about everything good that has been happening in our lives. However, I believe it is important to try. Preparing a gratitude list helps our brains focus on everything good that has been happening and forget, even for a moment, about the problems and issues we have been facing lately. It doesn’t always have to be a major project/accomplishment. You should try listing small events that have happened lately, such as a nice ice-cream flavor you found, a tasty cake you learned to bake, a cozy afternoon you had with your better-half, an interesting conversation you had with your parents, anything. We should also be thankful for those daily situations we rarely pay attention to, after all these might be the ones we will miss the most when we can’t have them.
These are just some nice ideas I had on ways to celebrate March 20th!
I would also like to challenge you to try to celebrate happiness not just on March 20th but every day! I’m sure amazing things will happen in your life as soon as you start seeing the bright side of life. Try it for 2 weeks and then let me know how it went!
