Hello everyone! It’s time for the fourth and final installment for this year of #ProjectHappyJanuary. Over the last month, we’ve been bringing you daily activities and tips to make the start of your 2018 a much brighter, happier one.
Now, just 10 days of January remain – but we’ve got some great stuff still left for you to do. It’s been so nice to see so many getting on board with this initiative of ours that we’ll definitely be doing this again next year. Don’t forget as always, to Tweet us or comment below if you’ve done any of things we’ve suggested! Here’s to a continued happy 2018 beyond January!
Alex 😄🎆📆❄👍
DAY 22 – do some light exercise
We touched on this a couple of weeks ago, but it’s so important even though it’s this time of year, to make sure you don’t stay sedentary. It’s so much easier to get some exercise into your day than you may think as well.
McFly drummer and Strictly champ Harry Judd has tackled this very philosophy of everyday exercise that’s fun and mood boosting without your bank account being drained of £25 a month for a gym membership, in his new book titled Get Fit, Get Happy.
On his YouTube channel, he has shared some of the workouts from the book – our personal favourite being the Selfie Workout. Give it a go using the video below and see how you get on – but remember to warm up and cool down for at least 5-10 minutes before and after you do!
DAY 23 – positive creativity
Not for nothing is my Twitter handle The Pensmith! Today’s activity is about putting pen to paper – and card – and doing some positive creativity, using mood boards and notebooks.
If you missed our guide to making a mood boards of inspirational quotes last year, you can find it again at this part of the blog. But what about the notebooks, I hear you ask?
Well, having a small notebook to hand is a great place to store some positive affirmations. Particularly on those days where we might not be feeling so secure about ourselves, or we need a little pick me up, we need those reminders that well, we’re doing good despite that and we’re actually pretty damn awesome.
Think back to times when someone has thanked you for doing something for them, or you’ve achieved something brilliant, or someone has complimented you. Note these down and look at these whenever you feel down – and remember that you have a lot to offer the world!
DAY 24 – bath night
In this day and age when the power shower and wet room seem to reign supreme, we say it’s time to bring back the bath night!
Treat yourself tonight and have a nice, relaxing bath when you come in from a long day. Put some complementary music on – Enya or Norah Jones is always perfect for this, we find – and light a few tealights to set a nice ambience.
Epsom salt is always a fail safe for relaxing baths – it’s not only a good anti bacterial agent, but it’s also a good relaxant for sore, aching muscles – and it’s even kind on sensitive skin too (bonus for us, then).
DAY 25 – declutter
I will put my hands up here and say that I’ve been guilty of hoarding, more so than in recent years. So even with spring still some weeks away, now is as good a time as any to sort out, declutter and get a nice clean living space.
My wardrobe is going to be one of the first areas I tackle, and it’s an excellent place to start if you’re looking to declutter. Get a couple of bin liners or bags, and start sorting through your wardrobe, categorizing three specific piles: clothes to keep, and clothes to donate to charity.
High street fashion store H&M have taken this idea one step further, and launched their clothes recycling scheme in 2013 – since when over 55,000 tonnes has been donated to ensure none of it ends up in landfill. Head here to their website to find out more.
DAY 26 – sing along to a song in public
Probably for the more adventurous amongst you, this one – but very life affirming regardless. With your headphones on and your song of choice blaring away, we challenge you to sing along to it with wild abandon, even if you’re on the commute in. Hell, even bow for some applause at the end like you’re at Wembley!
DAY 27 – have a games night
Of a similar style to our movie night we suggested back in the first week, for most people this is the first payday of 2018. So celebrate in style and invite some friends around for a games night!
Whether you go in for card games, or the old classics like Monopoly or Scrabble, get the snacks and drinks in, and get playing! If it’s a success, you can always use our idea from movie night of one of your mates choosing the games for each night.
Remember though that’s it meant to be fun, so don’t get too competitive!
DAY 28 – share some good news with people
It is so easy these days to get bogged down in and drawn down by many of the bad news headlines that greet us in the papers or on the TV news bulletins. Today’s activity is about bringing some good news to our lives and to others.
Websites like The Good News Network and Positive News cherry pick and publish uplifting and inspiring news stories from around the world. Have a look on there and see if you can find any stories that lift you up, and share them on your social media accounts and spread the positivity!
DAY 29 – have a throwback day
We have a throwback every Tuesday on our blog, with #ThrowbackTunesday, and also with #BlastfromthePast every Saturday. But why limit the retrospectives to just those days?
Fancy rocking some double denim a la Justin and Britney in the early 00s? Blasting that Spice Girls album like it’s 1996? Watching the fourth series of Friends again on Netflix? Go for it. Throw it back today!
DAY 30 – random acts of kindness
One of our big things for positivity, especially at this time of year, is kindness, and practicing this as often as possible.
Quite a few of our suggested activities from this last month – complimenting someone, volunteering, are all excellent acts of kindness, but so too are the more spontaneous ones. Buying flowers to cheer up your mum. Offering to pay for the coffee for the person in front of you. Helping someone close to you who might be struggling. These are the small but great acts that make the world go round.
DAY 31 – reflect on the month
So that’s it. 31 days of fun and positivity to make the start of your new year a happier one. Take time today to reflect on all that you’ve tried and done this last month.
If you’ve gained a new skill or hobby from the last 31 days – good for you! Hopefully you’ll be carrying these forward into the remaining 11 months to come.
If it’s lifted your mood or inspired you in any way, I’m so delighted for you that it has! Until next January…stay positive and keep happy!
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