16 - How We Frame Our Circumstances Matters

Asking ourselves the “right” questions can actually help us increase our happiness.  This episode uses the global pandemic as an example, but this re-frame can be applied to anything, and is especially important when we have big changes in our lives. 

Transcript:

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and today we’re talking about our circumstances.  I was listening to a seminar by Authur Brooks, who writes for The Atlantic.  He says we can re-frame and mitigate our unhappiness by asking ourselves - and our friends - the right questions.  

This is especially important as the United States starts to move its way out of the global pandemic.   But we don’t need a pandemic to highlight this important re-frame. 

Instead of asking “what do you miss about pre-pandemic times?” 

We could ask ourselves and our friends, 

“what do you not miss about pre-pandemic times and you do not want to go back to? 

We could even celebrate this once in a lifetime chance to be away from things that did not bring us happiness and not go back to them. 

There is so much trauma, heartache, emotion around the pandemic and I am certainly not trying to minimize that.  We need to walk through those emotions.  But we can also, as complex humans, look for the good. 

Ask yourself, what are the 6-7 things that you LIKE during the pandemic? What will you miss?  

Some examples for me include: 

• Lunch with kids 
• Walk around neighborhood 
• Family game night
• Intentional time with friends 

If you can do these two questions, you will come out ahead. 

What will you NOT go back to? 

What will you KEEP? 

This is an enormous chance to re-set.  I invite you to ask yourself those two questions, 

What will you NOT go back to?  

What will you KEEP? 

And then, let me know over on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram