Have you ever stood underneath a cherry tree that is at its peak bloom? Boy howdy! It really is something to behold!
Every spring I make a point to walk past cherry trees and savor the moments under those trees. Let’s translate these life-affirming moments into formal well-being terms. Savoring moments like this protects against negativity bias and promotes positive emotions. An activity like this can also be a gratitude practice (boosts positive emotions, reverses depression). This can also be a spiritual/gratitude practice (improves sense of meaning). From a strengths based approach creating a way to Appreciate Beauty and tethering gratitude with a Spirituality approach also puts people into flow state (engagement), which also creates a sense of fulfillment.
So consider getting outside today!
Now, what does it take for a busy professional to get outside? It takes a time commitment. It turns out one of the keys to happiness is giving yourself the gift of time. I heard Laurie Santos PhD call this the Affluence of Time. People who give themselves the gift of time tend to be happier.
As a busy professional myself, I just came back from a family vacation. I took a variety of steps to protect my family time from work time. For people facing burnout, I often ask them when was the last time they took a 2 week vacation with a complete break from work?
Once you get back to the grind of work, protect some creative time. Give yourself permission to work on creative endeavors. Sometimes these important endeavors are crowded out by the urgent. I encourage you to find ways to protect that creative time. It’s a gift with great rewards!
Want a partner who helps you get this set-up? Sign up for a coaching journey with me!
-Dr. Joe
