Introducing your seven steps to happiness

January is the month that most of us take stock of our lives and analyse what’s working – and what isn’t. It’s the perfect time to ditch the things that aren’t making you happy, and start acquiring new, healthier habits.

To help you turn 2014 into the year you discover your own inner peace, designer, coach and mum Katie Phillips has very kindly shared her seven steps to happiness blog. So, starting next week for seven weeks, every Sunday you can get a daily dose of good feelings, and learn invaluable tips to ensure you feel more contented and fulfilled.

Get out of your head

A few years ago, a friend of mine asked me for help. She said that she wanted to get out of her head and into her body, and needed a seven day plan to do it. She suggested I create a seven day blog mini-programme, and I thought it sounded like a great idea.

One of the most daring and mighty things you can do for yourself is to take control of your mind and body. If it’s not something you are in the habit of practicing, it may feel really hard to do at first. It’s much easier to stay in your comfort zone, mindlessly allowing your head to rule your life.

But deep down you know that isn’t the way to happiness. What should be ruling your life is your heart and spirit. And to get in touch with them, and with who you really are, you need to get outta your head!

It’s too easy to fall into the over-thinking trap

Constant thinking is bad for you, and is a trap that’s easy to fall into – I know because I’ve been there too. For me, it was a habit formed at a very young age, when anxiety and worry were my constant friend. As an adult it was incredibly detrimental, disconnecting me from my body, disrupting the natural flow of energy and trapping it in my head, resulting in tension, unease, anxiety and illness.

The resulting effect on your health can be dreadful, causing everything from headaches and migraines to insomnia. As renowned spiritual author Eckhart Tolle says, “Most illnesses creep in when you are not present in your body”.

Eckhart Tolle also believes that, “The more consciousness you bring into your body, the stronger your immune system becomes”. And that’s exactly what my seven steps to happiness (and better health) are designed to do – get you out of your head and back into your body again.

Over the next seven weeks I’m going to share some of the techniques that have worked for me in the past. Some will work for you better than others, but all with give you a chance to step out of your normal habits and learn some new, healthier ones.

Your seven steps to happiness

Here’s what you can look forward to over the next seven weeks:

  1. Breathe (simples!)
  2. Get physical (Olivia Newton John loves this one)
  3. Put pen to paper (sounds like head work – trust me, it’s the opposite)
  4. Get touchy feely (don’t worry, this isn’t as weird as it sounds…!)
  5. Go au naturale! (ditto above)
  6. Check-in (sooo much better than checking out…)
  7. Affirmations (well, it wouldn’t be a Daring & Mighty plan without these!)

So join me next week, and learn how to breathe!

By Katie Phillips from Daring & Mighty.