Try This Happiness Challenge To Start Enjoying Life In Sobriety 

I have a happiness challenge for you. It’s sentimental, doesn’t take too long (unless you want it to), and helps to bring that spark back. 

You may not be in a funk, but it’s still nice to bring in a little extra excitement and joy. It’s also fun when we get to, in a sense, bring back what once was and reconnect with parts of ourselves that we’ve lost or buried deep within. 

Before we get into it, I wanted to share my own inspiration behind this. If you want to skip it, you can just scroll down to “Revisit the past.” So, if you haven’t already, grab a cup of coffee or tea and get comfy. 

RELATED: HOW SUBLIMINALS CAN CHANGE YOUR MINDSET IN SOBRIETY + FREE DOWNLOAD

THE INSPIRATION

I used to go back to Taiwan in the summers to visit my family. Moments with them are some of my fondest memories. They shielded and protected me from so much. 

I missed those days, spending time with my Chinese family. Taiwan was where I grew up and a part of me will always recognize that as home. I haven’t been back in years. Things happened. Life happened. I know I’ll go back to visit when the time is right. 

Anyway, I had this obsession with buying hair accessories when I went back. I would buy hair sticks, hair ties, claw clips, bun makers- anything I could get my hands on. 

I’m not sure why I was so fascinated with them. They’re definitely cheaper over there (a large claw clip was about 30 cents) and I just loved everything about hair accessories. I also only bought them in Taiwan, never here. And I barely used them- my hair is too thick and I have so much of it that anything other than elastic was out of my realm. 

RELATED: YOU CAN FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW: HERE’S HOW

I was getting nostalgic about those times. And I was brought back to buying hair accessories at night markets, flea markets, dollar stores, department stores, pharmacies, boutiques- anywhere and everywhere. 

I wanted to recreate it. Not in a sense of wishing for the past, but to feel the joy from my youth. So I gave myself a challenge and had one rule- I had to like what I was buying. 

It seems obvious to have to like something, but when our minds intervene, we tend to choose practical over liking. Practicality, not getting much use, or even if my hair would take to them didn’t matter to me. Fun isn’t practical or convenient. It’s spontaneous and being in the moment. 

I wound up buying a decent amount of hair accessories and when they arrived, all the excitement I used to feel came back. It brought me back to Taiwan, just for a moment. But that was all I needed to feel it again. 

REVISIT THE PAST

Try a challenge. Be intentionally and nostalgically happy. Recreate something you used to love as a kid, adolescent, or even as an adult but stopped. 

Maybe you used to visit a donut shop. Or you used to ride your bike along a river in the autumn and admire the changing colors of leaves. Or you would bake pumpkin spice cookies. Maybe you used to sit outside at nights, bundled up in a cozy blanket and make s’mores. Or you had a favorite bookstore you used to unwind in. 

Whatever fond memory you have, relive it. Again, this isn’t to wish for the past. This is to help us find the joy and happiness that was once a part of who we were. The things that once excited us, and for whatever reason, we stopped doing. 

Take that bike ride, visit the donut shop, bake the cookies, make the s’mores, go to the bookstore…whatever it is that you used to love doing, do it. You find freedom in happiness. 

THIS IS HOW:

Think of a time in your life you used to love- where were you, how old were you, who were you with, what was your personality like? This doesn’t have to be one particular memory, but a time in your life. Or it can be moments collected throughout the years. 

What did you love to do during this time- what made you happy?

Do it again. Whatever you used to love, do it. Recreate it. Use your imagination. Give yourself that magic again. 

TIPS:

This doesn’t have to take long, but be intentional with your time. You want to be present and not do this because you feel like you have to. This is about doing it because it makes you happy and you want to. 

You can do this challenge any time you feel called. If you decide to do this challenge again, you may want to recreate something else. And you should. This is about living life the way you want to live it. 

We only get one life but we get so many chances to be happy, to be really happy. So choose happiness. 

I’ll see you soon…in the meantime, love yourself so much that even a Hallmark Christmas movie would be jealous.