Simple Self Improvement

                                                                                   Image:Marie Vonow Following on from yesterday's tip of spending time in Nature, comes the tip for day 5, spend time gardening. If spending time in Nature makes people happy, it makes sense that time doing some gardening will contribute to happiness. As well, when you are gardening you are getting exercise which increases happiness (happiness tip day 3). Easy to grow plants can be very colourful                    ...

                                                                                                           Image:Marie Vonow We hear a lot about living in the moment these days. Nobody used that expression when I was growing up. This 'living in the moment' thing can be difficult if one is stuck in a rut or dwelling on events that happened in the past. Sometimes it makes me feel 'down' to think about the past too much and I don't feel motivated to write or do interesting stuff. When this happens I need to identify ways to make some easy budget friendly changes to get back my energy and that feeling of aliveness.   Music   I love listening to music while I am writing or pottering around the house....

  Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Everyone gets stressed from time to time. Some people get stressed more often than others and some people experience a greater degree of stress. Stress can occur when 'bad' things happen to us, when we have too much on our plate and even when we are experiencing a change or event we have chosen. What are some ways to help us relax? Relaxing activities to relieve stress in the short term Have some time alone, especially if you haven't had a moment to yourself for some time Work on a hobby such as sketching, pottery, gardening, quilting, oil painting, woodwork etc Do some knitting http://healthyhints.com.au/four-health-benefits-of-knitting/ Read a book or magazine, it can be fiction or factual Listen to an audio book/novel Sing with a group or sing alone in the shower Cook something you enjoy making, be creative Listen to music you enjoy If you can play a musical instrument, do it now ...

Gum blossom                                  Image:Marie Vonow I love being in a natural environment. It could be my own garden, someone else's garden, a park or the botanic gardens. It could be by a river, in the hills or at the beach. When I am in a natural environment I find it easy to live in the moment and to feel gratitude. Nature is good for the soul, I can feel it doing me good and research shows Nature is beneficial to a person's health. For more info, check out - http://selfavenue.com/why-nature-makes-us-happy/ http://selfavenue.com/nature-relatedness/39201/ Local river in winter       Image:Marie Vonow Elements of Nature such as birds bring joy                     ...

Part of mural inside Chocolatree cafe 25 O'Connell Street North Adelaide                        Image:Marie Vonow I enjoy spending time with friends but sometimes I enjoy going off and exploring somewhere on my own. Recently I caught the train and then a bus to North Adelaide and spent a morning wandering around the shops on O'Connell Street. I had a fun time and came home feeling full of energy, ideas and enthusiasm. Talking to a stranger Soon after I got off the bus a stranger who was sitting on a bench smiled at me. She said I looked like her friend Sophie. We fell into conversation about 'doppelgangers' . After a few minutes I went on my way. Had I been in company I doubt the woman would have spoken to me for fear of intruding.  Some street art I love street art, the way it pops up in unexpected places and is there for everyone to view whenever they want. It's free to v...

                                                                                                    Image:Marie Vonow These days we are provided with much information and many opinions on the topic of how to live a happier life. Hey, the topic of this blog is simple ways to live a happier life. Some of the ideas I read or hear about are ones I basically agree with or support most of the time, but not all the time. An example of this is the concept of living in the moment or being mindful. ...

A garden can bring much joy                             Image:Marie Vonow I enjoy spending time in the garden but to be honest I can’t be bothered with any plants that need to be fussed over. There are so many types which are easy to grow that I can’t see the point in actually stressing over plants when I want to enjoy my time in the garden. Some people do enjoy the challenge of getting a delicate or fussy plant to grow but that's not my style, I prefer things that are simple. When it comes to veggies and herbs, I plant easy to grow stuff like loose leaf lettuce, rocket, spring onions, chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, silver beet and tomatoes. I grow some things in containers and others directly in the garden.              Rosemary bush    ...

King William Street Adelaide                                   Image:Marie Vonow Marcel Proust, the famous French novelist, critic and essayist born in the nineteenth century said, ‘ The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. ’ There are many things in one’s local area or places one visits frequently which one probably hasn’t ever noticed. 

                                                                                                  Image:Marie Vonow What does the word ordinary mean? According to my old Heinemann Australian Dictionary (yes the old one held together with sticky tape), ordinary means normal, usual or average. That doesn’t sound very exciting. It sounds like enjoying the ordinary means accepting things that are pretty boring and dull. Actually, it is the opposite. It means discovering the exciting aspects in everyday th...

Nature gives me great pleasure                                            Image:Marie Vonow Everyone gets pleasure from different things and different experiences. Therefore I can't make a list of things guaranteed to bring you pleasure. Even for myself, I have changed over the years so if I had made a list of simple pleasures about 35 years ago some of the items would be different from now. But I do know the items on the top of that list would have been an uninterrupted night's sleep, an afternoon nap and a hot cup of coffee drunk without an interruption. Yes, I had a baby back then.

                                                               Image:Marie Vonow Self Improvement is one of my interests. I will be keeping the posts in this blog simple because I am not into complicated. Where possible I like to keep things simple. I am first attracted to titles that include words like easy, basic, beginners or quick. Book titles that include 'idiot's guide' or 'for dummies' catch my attention. If I want more in depth information after reading the simple version I will look for it, but I start with the simple. While I believe it is good to aim for self improvement, I also feel it is important to accept oneself as one is at this very moment. And live, just live in the moment.  ...