inspired
How to keep
friends
close over
the years
I
n 2012 Bronnie Ware, a palliative nurse released a book
called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, detailing the
most common regrets of her patients. The book went on to
become immensely popular worldwide, and opened up a new
avenue of conversation for many. She discussed the incredible
growth her patients experienced at this point in their lives, and
how they found peace in reflection. One of the regrets she found
most surprising was, “I wish that I had let myself be happier”,
which brings about an important question: How do we allow
ourselves to be happy? Consider these as some starting points:»Think about what
happiness is to you
What does happiness look like
to you? Some quiet time alone
with a book? Cycling at the
crack of dawn? Having one-
sided conversations with your
pet, or perhaps sharing a meal
with loved ones? Taking note
of the small things that bring
you joy and making time for
them in your day is a great
way to pursue meaningful
engagement with yourself
and those around you.»Understand
that yes, you
deserve to be happy
Learning to prioritise your
happiness can be challenging,
but it doesn’t mean that you’re
ignoring the needs of those
around you. Oftentimes we
focus on lifting others up,
unintentionally neglecting
ourselves, but it’s important to
recognise that it’s okay to put
yourself first. Although you
may feel a certain sense of
duty to those around you –
remember that you also
have a duty to yourself.Make a point of telling yourself
that you deserve to be happy;
because the only permission
you need is from you.»it doesn’t
need to come
from struggle
So often people think of
achieving happiness as
something that comes at
the end of a long road or
struggle; as though happiness
is something you have to earn.
For generations, social norms
have taught us to believe that
if we work hard to achieve
our goals we’ll be happy and
successful, but often once
we reach that point, our brain
can push out the goalpost.
Over the last two decades,
researchers in neuroscience
and positive psychology
(the scientific study of human
satisfaction) have found
that happiness is actually
a precursor to rather than
a result of success, and that
focusing on finding happiness
within ourselves can translate
to successful outcomes in
other parts of our lives.It’s important to
recognise that it’s okay
to put yourself first