Happiness Rituals: Little Things to Make You Happy by Roxy James

Do you do things to make yourself happy? When I looked at my life, I realized that I wasn’t really doing things to make myself happy. It would be little things like saying “yes” when I really meant “no”. Putting everyone and their agendas above mine, dropping everything I’m doing for someone else, and always putting myself last.

At the end of all that, it always left me drained, tired, and annoyed tbh. Especially when I saw everyone else living their best life and I was always there left behind, just feeling “stuck” because I wasn’t giving myself a fair chance. I wasn’t happy and it really started affecting my mental health.

P.S. be sure you’re following me on Instagram @itsroxyjames for so much more exclusive lifestyle content over there.

Over time, I started reading more self-help books and doing a lot more self-reflection. I learnt that there was a feeling of guilt attached to putting myself first. Maybe it stemmed from a learned behaviour while I was growing up- but whatever it was, it really affected my mental health and eventually my life.

I needed to break this toxic habit ASAP, before it affected the quality of my life- for the rest of my life.

Here are 5 things/new habits that I started implementing into my life to make me feel happy.

1. Realize that you deserve to be happy

It is so important to acknowledge when you are self-sabotaging by not putting your happiness first. This was a problem I have had for a very long time where I would literally make myself unhappy and not live the life I am meant to live, because I was always thinking of someone else’s emotions.

This is understandable up to a point, but it becomes a form of self-harm when you realize that you are putting your life on hold for someone else. Acknowledging this toxic pattern of behaviour is the first step in healing.

When a situation comes up, you’ll be able to identify the feelings of guilt etc. and actively chose to not give it any attention.

2. Use crystals

I keep a few crystals on my desk since it’s where is get most of my inspiration. I keep crystals such as amethyst, rose quartz and clear quartz. All of them have different meanings and benefit your life in different ways.

Another way I have been incorporating crystals into my life is by drinking crystal infused water. I love using the Soji Energy Crystal Health Gem Elixir water bottle with their citrine crystal which I felt so drawn to. It was only when I did some research about this crystal, that it made total sense as to why I felt so connected to it.

Citrine is the crystal of manifestation– it encourages fullness of life, fresh beginnings and new pursuits and increases creativity and imagination. I love it and feel like it has brought a huge difference in my mindset and makes me more motivated to manifest the life that I want to live. It even inspired me to add the citrine crystal to my collection.

P.S. If you do get the water bottle, let me know which crystal you ended up getting.

3. Get Fresh Flowers

I love having fresh eucalyptus in my room. It’s like such a little luxury for me that immediately uplifts my mood. My room is such a jungle at this point with so much greenery all around- but I just felt as if fresh flowers were missing. I would always feel like I had to wait for someone to give me flowers-another habit instilled by society-but I realized that I could literally get myself a bunch of flowers whenever I wanted- and without any other reason than simply making myself feel happy.

It may not seem like a lot, but this was so helpful in reminding me that I don’t need permission from anyone else to do things to make me happy. This simple act of buying myself flowers because I wanted too, made me feel so empowered to have this outlook when it came to bigger life decisions.

4. Have inspiration all around you

Above my desk, I have a little lightbox with the quote “embrace the journey“. Every time I see it, no matter what season of my life I’m in, it’s a constant reminder that life doesn’t have a moment where things just stay fixed. It’s fluid and a journey, so even though you may not be having the best day- that’s just one moment of the journey. This little quote I see everyday, has made such a difference in my perspective and mood when I had some not too good moments.

That’s why I absolutely love surrounding myself with quotes and inspirational pieces like these, that are always in my field of view.

You can also use framed quotes or have wallpapers on your phone or laptop. (P.S. check out these posts on my boho and manifestation wallpapers to get your dose of digital inspiration). Every time I wake up, these are the first things I see and it makes me stop and be reminded about what it is saying and gives me that little burst of happy inspiration.

5. Burn Sage

I know this might seem a bit out there, but sage is used to cleanse negative energy from your space and I feel as though everyone just needs a little sage in their life to get rid of any toxic energy.

I look forward to my little ritual where I light my sage every once in a while to get rid of negative energy. Just the thought of getting out those unwanted thoughts and negative vibes, and welcoming positive energy into my space, is enough to immediately clear my mind and make me feel at peace.