Celebrate little victories everyday

The past few months seem to be a time when many of my close friends are having trouble in their work and personal lives. I dedicate this post to them (you know who you are *hug*).

If you are going through a difficult time in your life or at work, you probably feel like you will never get out of that rut. As hard as it is to believe, there IS light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel is. It is a long and arduous process, but there are ways to help make the journey easier. One of them is to celebrate little victories everyday.

For example, if you have a huge project to complete at work, or even just overcoming personal challenges (e.g. new personal exercise goal), break the tasks up into bite-sized pieces -- small goals that can be completed within a span of one, or a few, day(s). It may help to have the to-do list printed as well. As you achieve each goal, cross it out on the sheet! Imagine how satisfying it feels! This can also help to refresh your mental stamina after each task.

The same concept applies to getting through a difficult time in your personal life (feeling lost in your direction, heartbreak, etc.), though not for the purpose of satisfaction, but in raising your happiness and contentment level. You need some way to move past the sadness phase, and start enjoying life again. To do that, you can try the following:

1. At the end of the day, write down one thing that you appreciated over that day. (a stranger's kindness, a nice cup of coffee, a good book, a warm gesture etc.) This will help you remember that life isn't all gloomy, and there is a bigger, and kind, world out there.
2. Make yourself appreciate, smile, or even do a little victory dance, whenever something good happens, no matter how small. This can include finding the last parking spot, making a surprisingly nice omelette for breakfast, finding an empty line at the cafe, performing well at a task at work. In short, anything you can find a reason to celebrate! Make little climbs up the happiness ladder.
3. Force yourself to simply smile. There is a psychology study that has shown that a forced smile, though ungenuine, can subtly affect your subconscious to uplift your mood. So, fake it till you make it.

And of course, spend time with people who care for and support you, no matter what happens =). Celebrate those people as well, and you will feel happier and more content too.

Hope this helps you feel better!