Was your 2022 New Year’s resolutions to create more space for happiness in your life? Then we’ve got you covered! From creating new habits, to learning to clear your space from overwhelming clutter, we’ve got 6 easy to follow ways to bring joy into your life for 2022.

Building a New Hobby: Start with What You Already Like

Trying new activities has long been a way to keep yourself busy and mentally challenged.  But have you thought about adding “hobbies” into your professional life in addition to your personal life. When work or life gets hectic , overwhelming or stressful, hobbies create a space to help you relax and unwind from all the stress. Finding new hobbies can come from many different sparks of inspiration, such as cooking, dancing, exercise, or even organizing your space. The next time you are reading your favorite magazine, or cooking from your favorite cookbook, try incorporating one new thing into your already existing hobby.

Showing Up with Gratitude

Did your mother ever use the old quote “Gratitude turns what you have into enough”? She wasn’t wrong then and she still isn’t wrong today. Science has recently shown that gratitude can literally change the way your brain functions.  Creating time and space for a daily gratitude journal prompting  increased serotonin levels in your brain. You can even increase your serotonin levels with simple actions of gratitude too.  Like writing a quick thank you note, offering kind words or a sincere compliment or even starting a gratitude jar to drop small slips of paper into and collect throughout the year. Research has show that physically writing words of gratitude helps connect our brains to our actions.  Wouldn’t your Mom be so proud of you for writing thank you notes to everyone that gave you Christmas presents? It’s a great way to get started.

“When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves” -Buddha

Declutter Your Space

At the beginning of the new year, you get the chance for a fresh start. Why not look around your space and take a few minutes to declutter it. Some simple tools to implement would be the reverse hanger trick, where you turn all your hangers backwards and as you use the item and re-store it you hang it from the front again. After 30 days you will have a better idea of what you wear and what you no longer use. You can then pack these items away in a secure self storage unit for 60 days and if you still don’t need them you can give them to the Salvation Army. Marie Kondo method of allowing all items to spark joy is another great way to clear out items for your cabinets.  And finally “The Minimalists” Have a great blog and podcast about how to minizine items in your space and choose things with intention. One of the best pieces of advice they offer is the 20/20 rule. If you’re keeping something “just in case” you might need it later, they suggest asking yourself if you can replace that item at a later time for $20 or less, within 20 minutes or less. If the answer is yes, then you simply don’t need it to clutter up your life.  But if the answer is no, then maybe consider checking out a unit at your local self storage facility to help clean the space out of the items that would cost you much more to replace, but is also taking up precious space and mental resources to deal with.

Develop a Cleaning Routine

Standing in your home looking around might seem overwhelming.  Do you have any idea where to start, it’s all calling out for your attention. Youtubers like Amy Darley or Love Meg offer cleaning inspiration videos.  Sometimes it is really hard to get started on the project that you would prefer to do last, but these ladies will give you plenty of cleaning inspiration videos to help encourage you just to get started.  Maybe having a list would be better, with different items to tackle daily, weekly, or monthly? No worries! We’ve found a great website that offers a few different solutions for you. In your busy life creating a space that soothes your soul and uplifts your spirits when you walk in, that’s the truest form of self care.

Give Yourself a Spa Day!

Speaking of self care, happiness can be found in simple moments of allowing yourself to breathe.  What better way can you think of than a spa day? You can find amazing at home spa kits on amazon ranging in price from $10-$69.  You’re sure to find something to pamper yourself with. We loved this eye massage with heat, it even comes with a great storage case to save space in your night stand. If you need even more inspiration to help your think outside of the box, check out this blog with 10 DIY spa night suggestions.

Clear Your Mind with Daily Journaling

“The light has gone out of my life.”

Mental health professionals have long shared the benefits of journaling, along with many historical figures throughout history, such as Teddy Roosevelt, who never missed a day.  On January 14th, 1884 – 138 years ago today – he wrote “The light has gone out of my life.” This was written on the day he lost both his wife and his mother within hours of each other. Writing has been proven to reduce stress, improve immune function, help to keep the memory sharp, boost your mood and helps to strengthen emotional function.  In fact, journaling has been dubbed a mindfulness activity and helps to clear space in your mind for more important things. If journaling seems a little outside of your comfort zone, maybe give bullet journaling a try.  It’s a great place to start and still helps to create a mindful habit for creating happiness.

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Want to make room for what matters most in 2022? Renting self storage with Horizon Mini Storage can help you clear space at home and in your life to open up the possibilities for a better tomorrow. Find a storage location near you!