Happy May! This month is Mental Health Awareness month. Did you know that according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness that one in five Americans are affected by mental health condition? From anxiety to depression, I’ve certainly had my fair share. So for the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about changes I can make during Mental Health Month. Here is what I came up with:

Be Happy

I know, it sounds so simple. But I’m slowly learning that sometimes it takes work to be happy. I’ve been training my mind to find happiness through inspirational books and podcasts and keeping a daily gratitude journal. This month, I want to take it one step further. So I’m doing

#ssHappyMay

Every day I’m going to take a picture of something that makes me happy and post it to my Insta Stories (I’m sure there will be a lot of photos of Bunny!). My goal is to stop and appreciate the small things in life, whether it’s a delicious latte or a beautiful flower I see on a walk. I’m hoping that watching these highlights will help remind me of how much I have to be grateful for in life… and increase happiness and mental health.

I’d love for you to join me in my Happy Month!
Just tag your happy moments #ssHappyMay and I’ll repost them every week on Insta Stories so we can all join the happy bandwagon.

My idea stemmed from a present my friend Jeannine gave me for my birthday. It’s a daily happiness journal that encourages you to end the day by writing one sentence of something that made you happy. I’ve been doing it for a month and when I look back at what I wrote, it brings me joy. It’s a five year journal (no that is not a typo; it’s seriously 5 years!), which seems daunting. But the one sentence makes it totally doable. It’s also filled with daily quotes. Here is one of my favorites:

“It’s about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind. It is a daily struggle sometimes and hard work but happiness begins with your own attitude and how you look at the world.”
― Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

I also just finished The Happiness Equation, which my friend Kiara recommended. It’s very straight forward with easy exercises you can incorporate into your daily routine to encourage happiness. It’s also filled with a ton of inspiration quotes, which I’ve been jotting down in my journal.

“There is nothing more satisfying than being loved for who you are and nothing more painful than being loved for who you’re not but pretending to be.”
― Neil Pasricha, The Happiness Equation

For more inspiration on increasing happiness, feel free to revisit these posts:

• 5 Ways to Practice Self Love
• 4 Tips to Sleep Better
• Struggling with Depression and Anxiety
• 4 Ways to Get Out of a Funk
• Meditation for Beginners 

Photos by Michelle Kyle

Shirt: Wildfox (similar)
Jeans: Joe’s (similar)
Book: The Happiness Equation
Journal: The Happiness Project
Candle: Votivo
Pillows: Michael Aram (on sale!), Target, Room & Board
Nails: Essie “High Class Affair”