Unapologetically Marie

Writer, podcaster, mental health advocate

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30-Day Happiness Challenge

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How to Rewire Your Brain to Bring More Happiness Into Your Life

We’re all living through unique and challenging times right now. To make matters worse, a lot of our stresses are completely out of our control.

But there are certain things that are 100 per cent within your control and you can do to build your resiliency and happiness.

Follow the 30-day Happiness Challenge and Rewire Your Brain to Bring More Happiness Into Your Life!

The challenge is divided into activities under the three resiliency and happiness foundations: purpose, social connection and healthy mind and body. If any activity doesn’t speak to you, try to replace it with a similar activity that motivated you.

Before you get started:

  • You’ve got to be all in! It’s only 30 days, and what if it works? Go on, commit and see where it will take you.
  • Prepare to set aside time each day to complete your activity in a mindful, distraction-free way.
  • Plan ahead. Take a look at the activities for the upcoming week so you can plan anything that needs planning. Set things up in your diary early to lock it in.
  • Do it with a friend! Find a friend to complete the challenge with, and you can hold each other accountable.
  • Need inspiration? Click on the links if you want more help, ideas or explanations.

Start the 30-day Happiness Challenge now!

Day 1 – Plan a dinner date with a friend or loved one

Day 2 – No sugar day

Day 3 – Start a gratitude journal

Day 4 – Set aside time to find flow

Day 5 – Call your Mum or a sibling for a chat

Day 6 – Go for a 30-minute walk with a friend or family

Day 7 – Rest and relax

Day 8 – Learn something new – try a podcast, book or Ted Talk

Day 9 – Organise a dinner party

Day 10 – Drink 8 glasses of water

Day 11 – Write in your gratitude journal

Day 12 – Bring awe into your life

Day 13 – Hug a pet, partner or friend

Day 14 – Go to bed 1 hour earlier

Day 15 – Sit outside in nature for 30 minutes

Day 16 – Write in your gratitude journal

Day 17 – Practice kindness or help a friend or neighbour

Day 18 – Get 30+ minutes of exercise

Day 19 – Write in your gratitude journal

Day 20 – Set aside time to find flow

Day 21 – Grab a drink or meal with a work colleague

Day 22 – No processed foods, only fresh foods

Day 23 – Take a social media detox. Turn off all notifications.

Day 24 – Learn something new – try a podcast, book or Ted Talk

Day 25 – Plan your next holiday with family or a friend

Day 26 – Do 30-minutes of stretching

Day 27 – Write in your gratitude journal

Day 28 – Practice positive solitude

Day 29 – Practice kindness or help a friend or neighbour

Day 30 – Go for a 30-minute walk with a friend or family

Follow our 30-day happiness challenge to bring more happiness into your life today!

Tell us in the comments what activities do you do that help you to bring happiness into your life!

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Keep your mind sharp to live longer, says study

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A recent study has shown that early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline. Specifically, the study found that early retirement led to poor memory or recall, which is an early predictor of dementia.

Now, I don’t want to work forever, but I am also banking on a good quality of life for at least a few years after retirement. So, what to do?

As a side note, the researchers did point out that retirees’ sleep and other physical health measures improved in retirement. But mental health… not so much.

It seems we tend to decline in brain function after retiring, unless you do these two things that positively impacted retirees’ cognitive function: maintain and foster good relationships and do things to keep your brain active.

Keep your mind sharp in retirement

“Social engagement and connectedness may simply be the single most powerful factors for cognitive performance in old age,” the study reports. “Policymakers can introduce policies aimed at buffering the reduction of social engagement and mental activities.”

So, the good news is that there’s a solution that should keep your body healthy (just retire) and your mind healthy (stay social and keep learning) well into your older years. Retirement is a good stress reductor, and if you work on having strong relationships and take a lifelong learning approach to life, you will keep your mind active and alert.

It’s not about books and classrooms

In fact, lifelong learning has been all the rage in corporate offices around the world over the past couple of years, and there’s an increasing body of evidence that we should all be focusing on lifelong learning, at every stage in our lives, not just the first 20 years.

But what if you were never really good at school to begin with? Or you made it through with flying colours but could think of nothing worse than going back? What if you never liked school or learning just isn’t your thing?

It’s true that the old adage ‘use it or lose it’ applies to our brains, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend your retirement auditing university courses. In fact, the great news is that ‘lifelong learning’ isn’t about learning at all. It’s about curiosity, which simply means wanting to learn, explore, discover and understand.

There are plenty of activities that you can do to keep your mind active, and many of them also include the added benefits of being social activities where you can meet others and build relationships too. Here are just a few:

Travel

Plan and book a holiday with family or friends. Research the things you can do and see while you’re away and read up on the area’s history before you go. You don’t even have to go far, why not plan a series of local trips to places you can drive to within 2hrs on the weekend?

Garden

Research the types of plants what would flourish in your garden and then buy the bulbs and plant a garden. Speak to the people at your local gardening store to ask questions and get advice.

Volunteer

Reach out to a local church or national organisation in your area to find a volunteer opportunity that suits your natural talents and interests. If you were a nurse, you could now read to sick kids in hospital. If you were in the Army, you could help at the local Scout hall.

Exercise

There are many activities now for retirees, try asking at your local library, council or reach out to a national organisation to enquire about local programs. If you are new to exercising, you can try low impact activities like Tai Chi, water aerobics, or dancing.

Why not try one of these activities to keep your mind sharp in retirement? Or come up with one of your own? It’s never too late to start incorporating a Lifelong Learning approach into your life.

Related reading: 3 ways to bring inspiration into your daily life

Leave a comment!

What do you like to do to keep your mind active? Share your ideas by leaving a comment below!

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