Strive to maintain a ratio of 3 positive emotions to 1 negative one. These positive emotions do not just have to be experienced for big events, rather, they can be for mundane occurrences that spark feelings of happiness and joy. This can occur when you spend time with a friend that you haven’t seen in a while, read a good book, make a home-cooked meal, go for a walk when the weather is nice, etc. Events such as these that create feelings of interest, love, joy, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, etc. can be extremely beneficial for our overall health.
- Use a physical and/or digital planner; maintaining a sense of structure and flow in your day is important!
- Plan out classes and homework/studying time
- Plan meals for the week so you know exactly what to grocery shop for and cook each day
- Set aside time to spend time with friends and family
- Save time for yourself
- Monitor your moods
- Create a mood journal. This can easily help you realize if you are spending too much time experiencing negative emotions.
- Treat yourself every once in a while
- Order food out at a restaurant instead of cooking
- Watch your favorite television show or movie
- Buy something for yourself even if it is as small as treating yourself to a coffee and donut from Starbucks
- Find the joy in the little things
- Maybe you ran into a friend that you hadn’t seen in a while and were able to catch up with them
- Maybe someone held the door open for you or paid for your drink at Starbucks
- Take notice of small acts of kindness around you