Do you have a birthday coming up?
Don't Skip Your Birthday Celebrations
Either you’ve already had your birthday during this pandemic, or you will soon. Did you celebrate it? If not, science tells us you should have. Why? Because celebrations of birthdays and other rituals are crucial to our well-being. But don’t worry if you didn’t celebrate! It’s tough to get in the celebratory mood these days...Nevertheless! From now on, look for more rituals to celebrate. Whether it’s your friend’s birthday or a holiday, don’t skip it.
Benefits of celebrating birthdays and other rituals:
Structure: Social rituals give us a sense of meaning and control over our lives. At a time when we feel at an ultimate loss of control, birthdays can bring structure and order back into our lives.
Connection: Celebrations bring us together, it makes us feel loved and connected. These positive emotions contribute to your well-being and that of those who celebrate you.
Community: We are all going through this thing called life together. When you celebrate a birthday together, you feel you’re part of a community, it reminds you that people care about you, and you feel less alone in your process of aging.
Motivation: Another year has gone by and you ask yourself, am I the best version of me I can be? If not, you might take this as an opportunity to set new goals for yourself. Weight loss, relationship building, career change. Whatever it is, birthdays tend to be a catalyst for change.
You might think, how do I get people together without risking everyone’s health and safety? Thankfully, technology has provided us with a myriad of ways! That doesn’t mean there won’t be a compromise. If you’re one of my more extroverted readers who usually celebrates with tons of friends, things will probably look different for you this next birthday. But that difference doesn’t mean you can’t still find the joy and connection this year even with a modified way of celebrating.
Ideas for celebrating during a pandemic:
Organize a video hangout: By now, you might be very sick of Zoom, but when it has the purpose of celebrating YOU, it can bring more meaning and fun to the interactions.
Ideas for Zoom hang:
Ask everyone to talk about their favorite memory with you, how they first met you, or any other random fact they love about you.
Play games! There are some online games that allow you to play with others virtually.
Start a competition: race to find an item in your house, first person back wins! Or try a best dressed, costumes, Zoom backgrounds, and/or art project competition.
Surprise video montage: If your loved one is having a birthday soon, reach out to their friends and family to record themselves wishing them a happy birthday and other kind words.
Surprise car parade: You’ve hopefully seen tons of these adorable car parades for kids. COVID-19 has interrupted their birthdays, graduations, and other achievements. But even if you’re not a kid, a car parade is very fun for all involved and witnessing it! (Warning: know your celebrant. Do they like this kind of attention? If yes, great! If not, maybe choose something less focused on them.)
Whatever you do, I highly recommend that you find a way to record it! That way whenever you get the COVID blues, you can relive these experiences as part of your happiness habits routine.
Keep finding your ways to develop your Happiness Habits!
Sincerely,
Dr. Tal Leead, Psy.D.
happierbeing.com
P.S. I recently started a Facebook group! If you're interested in developing yourself through happiness habits for a growth mindset, I'd love for you to join!
Remember: Little Habits, Big Difference
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