Gretch, we talk all the time about how important sleep is.
It matters so much.
And for me, now that Jack is back in school, I have to get up really early.
It's even more important that I get a good night's sleep.
Well, let me tell you about the greatest hack I have now for a good night's sleep, which is Coop Sleep Goods pillows.
I have the Eden adjustable pillow, and it has changed my life.
I love it.
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That's coopesleepgoods.com.
When our dogs thrive, we thrive too.
Prioritizing their health means more joyful moments together, whether it's with walks, play or just having them close by.
I have a new puppy, Taffy, and along with our dog, Barnaby, they make us so happy.
Now, with us humans, taking small consistent, daily actions to keep us healthy are so important to our happiness, and that's important for our dogs too.
That's why we love GetJoy's freeze-dried raw dog food.
GetJoy's freeze-dried raw dog food is made with real whole food ingredients like 100 USDA-sourced beef or chicken pumpkin for digestion, salmon oil for their skin and coat.
Plus, it includes belly biotic blend with pre-, pro-, and postbiotics for gut health.
Lemonada.com.
I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier.
One thing is clear about happiness.
Gratitude is a key to a happy life.
People who cultivate gratitude get a boost in happiness and optimism, feel more connected to other people, are better liked and have more friends and are more likely to give help to others.
They even sleep better and get fewer headaches.
Also, I've found when I consider my reasons to be grateful, I'm calmer and more lighthearted.
My grateful feelings crowd out negative emotions such as irritation and resentment.
I have so much to be grateful for that it seems utterly preposterous that I need to remind myself to be grateful.
But I do.
When things are taking their ordinary course, it's all too easy to take things for granted rather than cultivate that attitude of gratitude.
One of the most common happiness recommendations is to keep a gratitude journal.
Studies show that doing so raises people's life satisfaction, improves health, increases energy, reduces troublesome thoughts and even promotes good sleep.
For my book, The Happiness Project, I tried keeping a gratitude journal, but after two weeks I realized that, although gratitude boosts happiness, my gratitude notebook was not having that effect for me anymore.
It had started to feel forced and affected and, instead of putting me in a grateful frame of mind, it made me annoyed.
Later I read a study that suggested I might have had a better luck with my gratitude notebook if I'd kept it twice a week instead of every day.
Expressing gratitude less often seems to keep it more meaningful, but by then I'd soured on the task.
I gave it up.
But I know, as one of my Secrets of Adulthood says, no tool fits every hand.
Keeping a gratitude journal works really well for some people, but not for me.
Instead, I've developed several of my own gratitude rituals.
For instance, every time I sit down at my computer, I think how happy I am to be back at my computer doing the work I love.
In order to get into my apartment building, I have to punch in a code to unlock two doors and to walk through, which takes a bit of time.
Now I use this action and delay as a cue to remind me to think how fortunate I am to be crossing this threshold and to be returning to my cozy home.
When I walk out through those two doors, I think how grateful I am to be crossing this threshold, to go out into New York City, a city that I love with all my heart.
At different times in my life, I've suffered from persistent back or neck trouble.
It's usually not terrible, but it's constant and it makes any movement either uncomfortable or painful.
Nowadays, when I don't have back or neck problems, whenever I go for a walk, I think how grateful I am to have a body that is healthy and pain-free.
On the subject of gratitude practices, I really like this suggestion from author Kurt Vonnegut.
In his book, A Man Without a Country, he wrote about his late Uncle Alex.
His uncle's main complaint about other people was that they so seldom noticed when they were happy.
So at pleasant moments, Uncle Alex would suddenly exclaim, if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
Vonnegut writes, so I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids.
And I urge you to please notice when you are happy and exclaim or murmur or think at some point if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
It can be surprisingly hard to notice when things are going well, when we're having fun or when we're happy.
It's good to remember, if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
I'm Gretchen Rubin, and I hope this makes your week a little happier.
From the Onward Project.
Hi Gretchen, Craig Robinson, and my little sister Michelle here.
We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.
We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you.
Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes.
What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions?
Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you.
Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective.
So consider questions like this.
What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful or stimulating for me?
Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else but is not very important to me?
If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose?
And here's a question.
Would I like to have more time in solitude restorative solitude or would I like to have more time with friends?
You know, just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier.
With greater self-knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values.
In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get and the more grounded I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition.
For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson wherever you get podcasts.
You can listen to Issa Rae on letting go of certain friendships, Kiki Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success, Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents, and so many more.
