FeelGoodFriday: Five Things That Made Me Happy Recently

Hey friends! I’ve had an idea for a series I want to start today! Recently, I have been looking for ways to improve my mindset every time I notice that I’m focusing on negative aspects of everyday life. I really want to try focusing instead on everything that makes me happy and that I’m thankful for on a regular basis. And I thought, why not make it a regular series here to a.) keep myself going with it and, more importantly, b.) to inspire you guys to follow along and encourage you to do the same! I believe reminding yourself every now and then of all the beautiful experiences, people and things in your life can make you a happier person in the long run. So let’s do this together!

Here are five things that made me happy recently:

1. Talking to my cousin on the phone for almost three hours. If you’ve read my last post, you’ll remember that I’ve been sick with the flu this past whole week. Being isolated in my room and feeling trashy for so long made me feel kind of depressed. My cousin back home in Germany texted me on Sunday and we decided spontaneously to call each other and talk a little. We ended up talking for almost three hours and although we discussed very sad topics, we also updated each other about all the fun stuff that has been happening in our lives and laughed our asses off! My cousin is one of my all time favorite people to laugh with, it just makes me feel better instantly. <3

2. The beginning of spring. I took the photo above on campus recently because the blooming trees all around are just so beautiful. The beginning of spring always gives me that feeling of a ‘fresh start’ – the possibility of turning things around and starting all over again. Never hurts to be reminded of that 🙂 Also, can we talk about how warm it gets in Alabama in February? It was basically the equivalent of summer in Germany. The warmth felt very good after a couple months of winter weather (although in the back of my mind there was a voice screaming “climate change! climate change! all because of climate change!” Haha, can’t help it.)

3. Seeing photos of my brother being the happiest he’s ever been. My brother started a new adventure in January: He moved to Taiwan! He now lives with his girlfriend, is learning Chinese, and explores the incredible nature of Taiwan anytime he can. I am so, so happy for him.

4. Trying out new food and recipes and eating healthier. I adopted a vegetarian (and mostly vegan) diet in October 2017 and  have enjoyed trying new stuff and learning about all the different benefits and nutrition facts so much! Just this week I fried tofu for the first time in my life and it was SO. GOOD. How could I live without it for so long? I like how eating healthier is basically just a side effect that naturally comes with a vegan diet.

5. Following along with #supernovalarson every day. In my first post on here, I wrote how much I love the A Beautiful Mess blog and how I’ve been following along with Elsie’s and Emma’s business and personal lives for a long time. Elsie and her husband adopted the sweetest little girl from China called Nova in December. Following along with how they became a family has been a neverending source of joy for me during these last few months. Nova is adorable and you can basically feel the love overflowing on Elsie’s instagram and their family blog. Take a look at their beautiful story and feel the joy yourself! <3

Bonus. And lastly, I want to share this gif of an adorable cuddly elephant baby. Enjoy! Animals always cheer me up.

What have you been happy about or grateful for recently?

<3 Lena