I have been creating a whole podcast and blog series on the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (you can find the companion Feed Your Soul with Kim podcast here.) Each month Gretchen takes on a topic related to happiness. She talks about being serious about play. I find it interesting that we would talk about being serious about play when play is about being fun and not serious. I have found in my adulthood that I do not necessarily take time to have play and to commit to the effort to it. I did not say do not have time for play, I said I do not make time for play. There is a difference, and I can get stuck in work and what I have to do. For me, it does take effort to remind myself that I need to be in this matter of play.
How can we be serious about play AND make it a priority?
1. First, we need to find more fun. The starting point I think is to find what is fun and to have more of it. As adults seriousness creeps and that can suck the life out of the fun.
Gretchen encourages us to asked ourselves to ask ourselves, “what is fun for me?” She goes into depth about is finding what is fun for you, not what you think should be fun.
She talks about thinking she had to have fun in to way others have fun, like playing chess, getting a pedicure, etc. She realized that it was no fun to have to model our fun after what we THINK should be fun. I encourage you to determine what is fun for you. One way I suggest is reminding yourself that what you did do for fun in the past. Thinking about what I used to do in the past for fun brings up good memories and ideas for me that has been listening to musical theater, collaging and going to the library.
2. Second, Gretchen encourages us to take time to be silly. Being silly can be tough to do in this fast-paced world. Find laughter can be illusive, especially in this year+ of COVID 19. Gretchen talks about silliness being contagious. The phenomenon of “emotional contagion” where you unconsciously pick up emotions from others. Good mood brings out good moods and others.
3. Third, she talks about starting a collection as a way of having fun. I thought this idea a little silly until I realized that I have a collection of dragonfly items that I love. I love to search for the perfect dragonfly item to add to my collection. My collection goes so deep that I got a dragonfly tattoo on my forearm. It brings me joy to see dragonflies and see my dragonfly collection.
4. Fourth, she talks about going off the path, which means to me to do something new, unexpected, and different. Ideas for play are endless and a starting spot can be to do what you used to do for play.
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I keep list of what are new things I would like to do. I actually have a list of 100 things I would like to do. Going of the path and doing something new can mean being uncomfortable, but it could be well worth it. I do yoga every week and sometimes the poses are well out of my comfort zone. Every time I try a new pose, I feel satisfied. Truthfully, I never thought I would have called anything physically fun, but the workouts I do provide an atmosphere of fun. Getting out of my comfort zone physically is one of the ways of going off the path, for me.
I encourage you to consider how you can go off the path and find something new. This past year+ during the time of COVID 19 we all had to go off the path and it was often not fun. Now I am ready to add more fun in and am excited to explore this idea.
It is easy to go off the path by simply exploring your neighborhood, walk a different way, go in a different direction down grocery aisles. These are daily easy ways to go off the path. I encourage you to make a list of what you can do for fun and start DOING it. Increasing fun is a fantastic way to increase happiness
Could you use more happiness? Is there actually a way to be happier? In Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project, she challenges us to look at happiness and see what we can do to boost it. Gretchen engages her readers in different concepts each month to build a stronger foundation of happiness.
This week we are looking at finding happiness for the month of February and we are focusing on love. You do not have to be in a marriage or intimate relationship to listen to this podcast, because we cover all forms of relationships: work, home, school, neighborhood and friendships.
Her happiness project is fun and helps us explore the idea of happiness and how to increase it.
Kim McLaughlin M.A. is a counselor and a motivational coach working with people who engage in emotional eating or binge eating. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. If you are in need of services contact Kim McLaughlin here.
Kim is the author of the best-selling book Feed Your Soul; Nourish Your Life! A Six Step System to Peace with Food. Learn more about her book here.
Kim McLaughlin has been identified as writing one of the Top 50 Blogs about Emotional Eating by the Institute on Emotional Eating. Sign up for her free Special Report: Top Strategies to End Binge Eatinghere or visit her website at www.FeedYourSoulTherapy.com.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by my friend Michelle Warnica, on her New You for a New Decade Summit, about my story with food, dieting and mindset. This conversation is a must listen to for a greater understanding about emotional eating, intuitive eating and feeding your soul.
I think you will find our conversation interesting and I love Michelle’s questions to help us look at food differently. You can find Michelle in her Facebook Group, Creating Your Blissful Life … https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreatingYourBlissfulLife
I found myself sharing a lot of stories about my history with food and dieting that will, I think, resonate with you. We discuss how life is too short to eat crappy food. In addition, we have many suggestions for entering into intuitive eating.
Join us on the Feed Your Soul with Kim Podcast as we discuss:
3 ways intuitive eating has changed my life (and could change yours).
What happens after intuitive eating?
4 things to do NOW if you are struggling with your weight.
Learn what I do to feed my soul.
Kim McLaughlin M.A. is a counselor and a motivational coach working with people who engage in emotional eating or binge eating. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. If you are in need of services contact Kim McLaughlin here.Kim is the author of the best-selling book Feed Your Soul; Nourish Your Life! A Six Step System to Peace with Food. Learn more about her book here.Kim McLaughlin has been identified as writing one of the Top 50 Blogs about Emotional Eating by the Institute on Emotional Eating. Sign up for her free Special Report: Top Strategies to End Binge Eatinghere or visit her website at www.FeedYourSoulTherapy.com.
We are still at the start of the year and there is still all the information about dieting out there. Do you have the same mindset about food that you had last year? If you do, this podcast will help you determine how to look at food, dieting, and your body differently.
This week’s podcast is from a community call I had done previously, and as I listened to it I thought there were so many takeaways that I wanted to share it with you.
Join us on the Feed Your Soul with Kim Podcast as we discuss:
3 strategies to engage in a new mindset.
How does deprivation and rebellion go together?
Why losing weight is never good enough.
Five steps you can take now to have a different outcome.
Kim McLaughlin M.A. is a counselor and a motivational coach working with people who engage in emotional eating or binge eating. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. If you are in need of services contact Kim McLaughlin here.Kim is the author of the best-selling book Feed Your Soul; Nourish Your Life! A Six Step System to Peace with Food. Learn more about her book here.Kim McLaughlin has been identified as writing one of the Top 50 Blogs about Emotional Eating by the Institute on Emotional Eating. Sign up for her free Special Report: Top Strategies to End Binge Eatinghere or visit her website at www.FeedYourSoulTherapy.com.
What is happiness, really? Why is it important? AND how can you get happy?
In Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project, she challenges us to look at happiness and see what we can do to boost it.
This week we are looking at happiness and following some of Gretchen’s ideas. Her happiness project is fun and helps me/us explore the idea of happiness and how to increase it.
Join us on the Feed Your Soul with Kim Podcast as we discuss:
What is happiness and why is it important?
How is happiness related to overeating and emotional eating?
Four ways to increase happiness NOW.
Five steps you can take now to have a different outcome.
Kim McLaughlin M.A. is a counselor and a motivational coach working with people who engage in emotional eating or binge eating. She is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. If you are in need of services contact Kim McLaughlin here.Kim is the author of the best-selling book Feed Your Soul; Nourish Your Life! A Six Step System to Peace with Food. Learn more about her book here.Kim McLaughlin has been identified as writing one of the Top 50 Blogs about Emotional Eating by the Institute on Emotional Eating. Sign up for her free Special Report: Top Strategies to End Binge Eatinghere or visit her website at www.FeedYourSoulTherapy.com.
Could you use more happiness? Is there actually a way to be happier? In Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project, she challenges us to look at happiness and see what we can do to boost it. Gretchen engages her readers in different concepts each month to build a stronger foundation of happiness.
