Greetings from chilly Los Angeles! It’s in the 50s and rainy and so we are all collectively freezing here. People always talk about a dry heat, and let me tell you what the opposite of that is: a wet cold. Which is why 50 in LA feels more bone-chillingly frigid than 30 degrees in Colorado. Trust me.
Speaking of staying warm, how about those mittens Bernie Sanders was wearing at the Inauguration this week? Right?? Just picture me standing in the line outside Trader Joe’s with those puppies on this weekend.
And with weekend vibes in mind, I’ve linked a helpful article below on how to make the most of a day off in a way that actually feels like a break. I hope you find it helpful to get some mental health rest, something that can be in short supply right now. When is the last time you did something fun? It’s probably been too long.
Ok, here we go! 5 quick links to bring you a little joy, a chance to think, or to provide a helpful tool to you in 5 (ish) minutes! 🙂
Here is your Hope in 5 (ish) for the week!
- Yay! It’s the weekend! Ready for some downtime? Unless you have some specific things planned (Hahahaha #COVID), you can end up watching more tv than you want to or scrolling through social media in a mind-numbing way. It IS possible to use your free time in such a way that it actually feels like a break. Check out this quick read about how to make the most of your ‘free’ time on evenings and weekends.
- Okay, if you DO have work to do, did you know that you can hire a ‘productivity nanny’ to watch you work and provide some accountability? I can’t decide if it’s creepy and weird or brilliant. What do you think–would you pay someone to help you stay on track while you work? (Me? Only if they sing musical numbers with a British accent and provide spoonfuls of sugar via chocolate.)
- Does it feel like we as humans are more anxious and depressed? It’s not your imagination–we are more anxious and depressed. And our kids are, too. Experts who study the psychology of happiness have determined that about half of our happiness is under our control–outside of circumstances or genetics. Which is good news, because it means we have a huge amount of influence over how happy we are (or aren’t) in our life. You might have heard of the Happiness class at Yale a few years ago? Good news, a free course based on that class is a available at Coursea: The Science of Well-Being. Check it out and see where you might be able to make some tweaks!
- If you set some New Year’s resolutions or intentions, you just passed the date when close to 70% of people have stopped working toward their goals. 🙁 There is so much of the year left–keep going! I know we all probably have some pretty high expectations for 2021 after The Year That Shall Not Be Named, but the most important tool to march forth with is self-compassion. Check out this article on ‘How to be happy in 2021 despite everything’. (If you took a peek at the course above, you’ll see a trend…..)
- And yes, while things have been a struggle for a lot of people around the world, take a peek at the extraordinary generosity and community support that Mackenzie Smith (formerly Bezos, yes THAT Bezos) has poured out this past year. This article talks about the $4.6 billion she has been giving away and how she and her team selected the organizations that would receive the funds. It’s a really fascinating process. And while I don’t love shame as a motivator….I don’t think I’d be real mad if a few more billionaires rose to the challenge.
I hope this gave you a little bit of hope for your own life and for other humans. 🙂
If you discover something you think other folks would find helpful or hopeful or fun this week, please share! Just click here to send me a message or the link. 🙂
Hopefully,
Melissa 🙂
p.s. Did you know you can get this sent directly to your inbox each week? 🙂
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