Celebration! A Key Ingredient to Feeling Happy and More Positive

How can you lift your spirits, shift a bad mood, and feel happier? CELEBRATE yourself!

It may seem odd to celebrate yourself right now. At this moment, you might be feeling stressed, tired, in self-doubt, just too busy — or feeling that you don’t “deserve” a celebration.  

But there are instant benefits that celebration can bring to you! You only have to think of a fun birthday party you went to, watching the Olympics award ceremonies, or the feeling you had when someone complimented or awarded YOU, to have an experience of those benefits.

Feeling better already? That’s your brain sending “happy hormones” throughout your body. If that hasn’t happened yet, keep reading.

Celebrating in everyday life

We often think of celebrations as just birthdays or holidays or significant life events. There’s more to celebrating you than you think!

Celebrating is the acknowledgment of progress, an achievement, or a milestone. It also can be an act of acknowledging the person you are, just as you are. 

Why celebrate? Because celebrating:

• Can have you thinking and feeling more positive.
• Builds new neural pathways of feeling accomplished, satisfied, and good about yourself.
• Reminds you to be grateful, and gratitude, according to research, increases your happiness and well-being.
• Is an acknowledgment that you are worthy of, and deserve the experience of being celebrated.

Celebrating can take on many forms, large and small:

• A moment of gratitude for being, being you, being alive
• Appreciating your body, how miraculous it is, and how it supports you
• Acknowledging progress and how far you’ve come, in any area of your life 
• Gratitude and self-congratulations for winning a game, finishing a project, conquering a fear, checking off a bucket-list dream, or other “small” win

What can you celebrate today? Right now? 

Even if it’s just for a few moments, celebrating may change the way you feel about yourself, shifting negative self-talk or a negative self-image to a more positive one. 

What can you celebrate today — right now? 

Try this:

Give yourself a pat on the back, literally, take your hand and pat yourself on the back right now as you think of one thing to celebrate. 

You’re worth celebrating!