Something shifted in me in the past three months. Now it's particularly easy to feel effortlessly peaceful and content, there are many moments during my regular days where a wave of joy and gratitude suddenly rolls over me and I tear up. I flip through my journal pages over the past weeks and they are full of love for life. Irritation or sadness still comes but leaves quickly and doesn't linger. I keep thinking this high will end but it doesn't. I want it to last for the rest of my life. Being is... easy. It's so easy to be and to exist and to breathe and exhale love and to dance through life with this lightness. 

Things contributing to my happiness / peaceful contentment:

∙ Having a solid morning ritual and allowing myself space and time to move slowly and mindfully through my mornings. If I know I will be busy that day, I make sure to go to bed earlier so I have the time in the mornings. My morning ritual involves stretching in bed, washing my face, brewing loose leaf tea, doing yoga, cooking breakfast and eating outside. Only after that my day begins.

∙ Dancing. Every day, no matter what mood I am in. I didn’t dance for years, until a few months ago. I am in love with movement. I use it to work through emotions, to self express, to meditate through flowing or to magnify my bliss and gratitude for the moment.

∙ Being conscious and aware of what content I consume. I replaced phone scrolling with book reading and YouTube videos with podcasts. I try to consume 80% mindful content and 20% entertainment.

∙ Regular time with friends. Especially when living by myself, like I am at the moment, it is particularly important for me to get out of the house and surround myself with likeminded, supportive people. I try not to go 3 days in a row by myself. 

∙ The SUN. Time in the sun, at least an hour every day. Feeling morning light on my face. Sunset light as the sun goes down. It helps with circadian rhythm and quality of sleep as well as boosts my mood like nothing else.

∙ Here and Now. When I notice myself drifting away from the present, overthinking, or reminiscing on past or future, I repeat to myself ‘Here and Now’ - sometimes even out loud when I am alone. Here and Now. Here and Now. Here and Now.

The more I focus on this bliss, the more it grows and the more I want to share it. I have enough of it to envelop all of my past and future selves in its rays. This is true freedom. To be able to easily return to love, over and over again.

Creating from this place of love, infusing my art with this joy is a blessing in itself. I thank myself over and over again, for every step I made lead me to this bliss; lead me here, sharing this with you.