Happy Things- Revisited

I found a list I made of 40 things that make me happy from several years ago. I decided to revisit that list and add commentary to it to see if anything has changed a whole bunch of years later. 

40 Things That Make Me Happy - Revisited.

• Hockey. (Some days it makes me feel murderrageface but I still love it.)  -DUH YES OF COURSE.
• Warm showers. -YES.
• Music. -YES ALWAYS AND FOREVER.
• Hugs. -YES.
• Long walks. -Meh. Texas is hot, yo.
• Trips to the art museum. -YES. Probably always will. 
• Text messages. -I don't text much lately but that's not because I dislike texting.
• Dancing. -Yes, in my house, especially while I'm cleaning or whenever I feel like it. Clubs, no thank you, done with that noise.
• Ice cream. -YES. LOVE. ALWAYS. MMM.
• Sketching. -I stopped doing this for a while but my therapist has me sketching and doing art things again recently for different reasons but it's reminded me it's something I enjoy a lot.
• Sunshine and cool breezes. -YES. 
• Books. -YES. ALWAYS AND FOREVER. I don't even know what I'd do with downtime if I didn't have books to keep me amused.
• Paintball. -I still think it's fun once in a while but I don't dedicate much time to it and don't own equipment anymore. 
• Comic books/graphic novels. -YES. And recently discovered a few more really awesome comic book stores in my area. :D
• Racing go-karts. -Indifference, hello.
• Batman anything. -FOREVER.
• Sleeping in. -My body doesn't allow me to do this anymore. 
• Cooking and baking. -YES AND YES.
• Writing. -Yes but as I've talked about recently here, it's not something I've been doing a lot of though that's slowly changing. Huzzah.
• Laying in bed watching movies all day. -All day, no. Watching a movie or two is a good way to have a lazy night at home, though.
• Thunderstorms. -YES. Thunderstorms make me so happy. Or just rainy days. I love gloomy weather.
• Baseball. -YES. 
• Going to concerts. -YES ALL THE MUSIC PLEASE.
• Lazy Sundays. -Sometimes but they rarely happen. I always find things to do and prefer feeling productive.
• Puppies. -YES YES YES. 
• Watching my little brother play hockey. - YES. HOCKEY <3 font="">
• Hanging out with my siblings. -Yes. And I realize how lucky I am that as adults, we get along and enjoy spending time together when I know so many people that are always at odds or indifferent to their own.
• Doctor Who. -YES.
• Bubbles. -YES.
• Going to the driving range. -YES. I love golf and hitting some golf balls is fun for me. And yes, I get grief about loving golf and no I don't care. ;)
• Coffee. -YES. I drink it much less than I used to. Which isn't a bad thing except when it is. 
• Long conversations with lots of laughing. -Duh. This will always make me happy.
• Forehead kisses. -Yes please. 
• Disney movies. (Aladdin is my favorite, in case you were curious. ;)) -YES and Aladdin is still my #1. 
• Ice skating. -YES although I do it much less now that my best friend lives 1,300 miles away.
• Shoulder & back massages. -Another thing that will probably always make me happy.
• Pixar movies. -YES.  I will watch just about anything animated. 
• Swimming. -YES. WATER. LOVE.
• Playing board games. -Pretty sure I'll always love this. And now I know a handful of people that share this love so I can actually have board game parties now. Yes, it's as fucking rad as it sounds, thanks. :D
• Sunday brunch with friends. -Another thing I rarely do anymore but should probably do again once in a while because I like brunch. And friends. And brunch. Food. Yay.

That was an easy list to revisit, haha. Also a good reminder for a few things I should start doing again. 

Also, while we're on the subject of things that make me happy (doing good things makes me happy): it's Walk To End Alzheimer's time. Check out my story here and if you feel in the giving spirit, a donation to help me reach my goal by walk day would be pretty rad. Even $5 helps towards Alzheimer's  care, support and research. 

Happy Friday. 

Therapy and 20 things to be happy about.

*Dusts off blog*

I recently started seeing a therapist. I say recently because it hasn't seemed like long at all but now that I think about it, it's been several months since I made my first appointment. That's not really what this post is about though I mentioned it because therapy is what plays a role in me sitting here typing into this screen.

I love writing. I used to write often. I was even working on a book of short stories at some point last year. The worse the state of my mental health got, the less I wrote until I had stopped completely. Only a few people knew about the short stories I was writing and anyone ever asking how my writing was going once I had stopped was painful. I didn't want to admit that I'd lost my desire to do one of my favorite things. That my head was in such a dark place, all I could think to write was things I didn't want other people reading because it seemed so telling to me. So, I'd put on that fake smile I was so used to and oddly very comfortable wearing and would say it was going fine, that I just needed to make more time to write. Or some such nonsense to hide the fact that I'd stopped. 

In seeing a therapist, we got around to discussing why I wasn't writing. She suggested I try blogging again since I'd previously mentioned that before. She thought it would help, for a number of reasons. I sat down and tried more times than I can remember only to walk away sad and frustrated and angry at myself for not being able to put anything to paper. Once, she mentioned I could try blogging about mental health. I automatically rejected that because I hadn't even told anyone I was seeing a therapist. She mentioned it again a couple months later. I tried. Instead, I took to my Twitter account and started tweeting about mental health there more often, joining the #EndTheStigma crowd. 140 characters or less was pretty much all I could manage in terms about speaking about mental health but I was happy because I was making progress. My thoughts were coming together again and I was able to actually connect with several new people who were looking for people that understood what they were struggling with. 

So here I am today, writing this and feeling like a champ because this far exceeds a handful of 140 characters or less tweets. Though if you follow me on Twitter, don't think the mental health tweets will be going away because it's something I feel strongly about and I've found a little community on there where it's never discouraged to speak openly about mental health. I hope one day that's something that happens on a much larger scale and I think talking about it is a good way to break down stigma and encourage people to talk about it so it's not seen as something embarrassing or something to be ashamed of. I digress.

I decided that at least once a month, I'm going to post a list of things that make me happy because that gives me a goal to reach for in terms of getting some writing done. That's an easy subject because I've no shortage of good things in my life and oddly I haven't really lost sight of that. Which has made the struggle for mental health harder for a few reasons but that's another post for another day. Maybe. 

Anyway.... 20 things seemed like a bit of a challenge but not too difficult of a goal to reach so there's where I'll start. If you've ever done a list like this, you know it's never as easy as it sounds. 

20 Things To Be Happy About

1.) The rain finally stopping so I can get in some pool time. 

2.) I don't hate my job. So many people I know go to work every day dreading it so I'm thankful that the few days I do go in dreading it, it's just because I know the day ahead will be a particularly trying one or because I'm in a mood that has nothing to do with work itself.

3.) Short hair for the summer. 

4.) My birthday is June 15th and the boyfriend's is two weeks later. So we're having a joint birthday party on one of the weekends between the two. I'm looking forward to all the tasty food I'll get to make for that because I love cooking for others.

5.) Orange juice with a half a teaspoon of honey mixed in.

6.) Books, always and forever.

7.) An upcoming trip to Las Vegas.

8.) Our boyfriend and I just celebrated our 9th anniversary at the end of May.

9.) The smell of cinnamon rolls filling the apartment in the morning.

10.) How quiet the gym is at 6 AM.

11.) A friend is getting married next weekend and his pure excitement and happiness rises the closer the day gets and that's one of the sweetest things ever.

12.) My volunteer group. They're a bunch of weirdos but they make all the Saturday mornings I spend with them so much more enjoyable.

13.) S'more Oreos because I love almost all of the things that are S'mores.

14.) Supportive family.

15.) Having a handful of great people in my life that can always make me laugh.

16.) Vegetable and herb garden. Which is something I didn't ever think I'd enjoy but there's something awesome about being able to grow your own peppers and herbs.

17.) Board games and card games and all the games you can sit around a table playing. I grew up playing games with my family and thankfully I have a partner and a couple friends who enjoy playing games, too. 

18.) The days on the weekend where I actually manage to sleep in passed 6:30 AM.

19.) New running shoes that are actually comfortable from the start.

20.) Being comfortable in my own skin.

Happy Thursday!

25 Happy Things

The last couple months have been fairly rough going. I haven't been overly negative despite everything though I feel like I haven't put enough focus on things that make me happy and the majority of my most recent blogs have been about sad and/or unpleasant things. So, it's always good to remind yourself of things that make you happy and I haven't done this post in a while so it's definitely overdue.

25 Happy Things

1.) Laying in bed listening to a thunderstorm and watching the rain and lightning through the balcony doors.

2.) Raspberry lemonade green tea.

3.) Dallas Stars hockey isn't too far away.

4.) The Alzheimer's Walk is only 19 days away. 

5.) Supportive friends.

6.) Loud music.

7.) S'mores.

8.) A boyfriend that can always make you laugh, even when you don't think you have any laughter left in you.

9.) Books. Stacks of them, just waiting to be read.

10.) Playing with your best friend's puppy.

11.) Fingerpainting.

12.) Dancing around the apartment.

13.) Guardians of the Galaxy. 

14.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mugs.

15.) New pillows that are so comfy you don't know how you ever functioned without them.

16.) Swimming.

17.) Creating new dishes in the kitchen.

18.) Ice cream.

19.) Board game nights.

20.) Playing baseball in the park.

21.) Nature photography walks.

22.) Sleeping in late, even if "late" is only 7 AM.

23.) New Batman socks.

24.) Sketch books and colored pencils.

25.) Shiny new kitchen tools.

That's 25 things that make me happy. What are some of your happy things? I'm happy it didn't take too long to come up with the list. Which is great because I have to leave for work in two minutes. ;) 

Happy Monday!

50 Things That Make Me Smile...

Life has been pretty rough lately so I'm going to do one of my favorite writing exercises to lift my spirits a bit. Any time life hasn't been going so well, I like to write out a list of things that make me happy or make me smile. I don't put a lot of thought into it, just list of things as they come to mind. It's kind of an easy reminder that while things suck right now, there are still plenty of things to be happy about. Plus, I always end up feeling a little better spirit wise after doing this. Here we go.

50 Things That Make Me Smile.....

• The Dark Knight Rises being so so so good.
• Christian Bale.
• When people love the food I create.
• Swimming.
• My adorable niece always being so happy to see me. (And no, that doesn't change my mind in the least about wanting a kid. I still don't want one, at all. ;))
• Rollerblading.
• Cinnamon rolls.
• The smell of a brand new sketch pad.
• The Avengers.
• Ice skating.
• When a song I actually like gets stuck in my head but only for a little while.
• DIY Projects.
• Watching my youngest brother play hockey.
• Adorable bunnies.
• My new haircut. 
• The movie Brave, for having a lead female princess who isn't looking for her prince charming.
• Also, the beautiful soundtrack in Brave. Gorgeous Celtic music.
• Sweet tea.
• Sweet tea lemonade.
• Days where I can actually sleep in.
• Video games.
• Walking into a wonderfully air-conditioned house after being out in the Texas heat.
• Comic books.
• Finding Batman and Avengers socks at Target.
• S'mores. 
• Making people laugh.
• Getting an actual handwritten letter and/or a card in the mail.
• Sending a handwritten letter or a card to someone randomly.
• Finding gift cards I had long since forgotten I had.
• Boobs.
• Evenings with my boyfriend and friends at Top Golf driving range.
• New cookbooks.
• Unexpected gifts.
• Fruit.
• Comfy clothes.
• Lazy Sundays.
• Doing something nice for someone I care about.
• Thunderstorms.
• When my boyfriend has a day off & we spend all day doing fun stuff.
  
• Jello shots.
• Air hockey.
• Massages.
• Doing something nice for someone I don't know.
• Brunch.
• How good freshly cleaned sheets feel.
• Doctor Who.
• A shower after a long day.
• Hugs.
• Funny movies.
• Loud rock music.

Happy Wednesday!

Things That Make Me Happy...

I've had a pretty rough time the last couple weeks, mentally and emotionally. I have a lot going on that's been hard to deal with lately and it's been wearing me down to where I've just been stressed and upset a lot. Which isn't normal for me because it takes a LOT to wear me down like that which ends up irritating me even more because I hate letting things get to me to the point of where I feel so down. Anyway, to combat some of those negative feelings, I'm going to make a list of some things that make me happy lately.

• The Dallas Stars are 10-3-0 right now. They're first place in their division, first place in the Western Conference, second in the entire league and the first team in the NHL to reach ten wins so far this season. Hockey always makes me happy but seeing my team playing so well and winning makes me even happier. :D

• The movies "Horrible Bosses" and "Gnomeo & Juliet."

• Peppermint mochas & salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks.
  

• Bubbles.

• Getting to ice skate on a regular basis again.

• New art supplies.
  

• Sitting on the front porch enjoying the cooler weather, drinking pomegranate tea and reading a book. With the only noise being the sounds of nature and occasionally a passing car.

• New friends.

• Good friends that listen really well. :)

• Pumpkin cheesecake. And pumpkin spice coffee. And pumpkin bread. And pumpkin candles. Pumpkin stuff everywhere!
  

• The Black Keys.

• Hugs.
  

• Baking gingerbread cookies from scratch and making the house smell delicious.
  

• POMEGRANATE TEA.

• Overstuffed comfy chairs and super soft blankets.

• The weather being cool enough for me to bust out the fuzzy socks and hoodies again.

So, what are some things that make YOU happy lately? :)

Happy Monday!

Books, baseball, cooking, Weeds, etc....

Some things I'm loving right now....

• Mixing equal parts apple juice, cranberry juice and pomegranate juice together. It tastes so good. And if you add liquor, it tastes even better. ;)

• Tea Tree Oil Cooling Foot Scrub by Earth Therapeutics. I'm on my feet a LOT. I use this stuff a few times a week to keep my feet smooth and to help them feel better. This stuff soothes my aching, sore feet while also exfoliating them. Plus, it's only $4 at Target.

• Weeds. The TV show, not the things that grow in the ground. The Boyfriend started watching it on NetFlix (on season 1, no cable so we had never seen it before) and I ended up getting sucked in to it. I love a lot of the characters and find the show pretty amusing so far. Though, we're only on season 2 for now so we'll see.

• Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. It makes my lips feel awesomely soft and it smells good.

• NetFlix. We don't have cable and I don't like most of the crap shows that come on network TV. NetFlix has movies, documentaries and shows I'm missing on Discovery and Food Network by not having cable. Also, Power Rangers, the original stuff. Totally reliving childhood with an episode here and there, lol.

• Cooking. I've been stressing and worrying over a lot of things lately. Not to mention emotional stuff over some recent deaths that I'm still working through and other issues going on, I've just been having a rough time lately. Cooking is insanely therapeutic for me. I love being able to take a bunch of ingredients, put them together and create something that smells, looks and tastes wonderful.

• The Rangers shutting out the Red Sox last night, lol. I hate the Red Sox. Any time we beat them makes me smile. Shutting them out makes me smile even more. Now if only the rest of the games in this series (and the next one, and on and on) go well for the Rangers, I'll continue being happy. Yay winning.

• People sending me books. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to read. I started a book exchange with a few friends who live out of state now and a couple people off Twitter. We send books around to each other and I've gotten to read a couple really good ones so far. Totally one of the best ideas I've ever had. :D
  

Happy Tuesday!