The happiness jar, strategies for better eye health, and a letter of forgiveness
#2 - 7 tips I’m doing at 29 so that I don’t suffer from vision problems at 50
👋 Hi, I’m Irene!
Every day at 3 PM CET, you’ll get happiness insights and tips delivered to your inbox to help you build your happiness muscles.
Read Time: 3.20 minutes
1 Tip to Nourish Your Mind
I’ll be honest—I just learned about this tip while searching for ideas for today’s email!
Weirdly, I even read the book that popularized it, City of Girls, but I guess it didn’t stick.
It’s called the Happiness Jar. I’m (actually) excited to start doing this myself!
What is it?
Well, the key idea is to look for, document, and reflect on the positive or happy things that happen in your day.
As Jeffrey Froh, professor of psychology at Hofstra University, said, “By writing the happiest moment of our day onto a piece of paper daily and putting it into a jar, we’re training our brains to scan our environment for the positive and to become a ‘blessing detector’.”
How do you make a Happiness Jar?
It’s simple.
All you need is paper, a pen, and a jar.
Then, write down one (or more) good things that happened in your day on a tiny piece of paper.
A bonus tip is to add the date and location to help jog your memory later!
Then, put the note in a jar.
Next time, whenever you need a boost of good vibes, open your jar and pull out a note to read to reflect on the moments of happiness in your life.
1 Tip to Nourish Your Body
My phone and laptop screen time (probably) exceeds 7 hours every day.
As a result, my eyes feel strained at times.
That’s why I’m intentional about taking care of my eyes—I feel like we often take them for granted.
Here are 7 tips I’m doing at 29 so that I don’t suffer from vision problems at 50:
1. Eat a well-balanced diet. This means eating fruits and vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens. Eating fish that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, and halibut is good for your eyes, too. (I don’t eat fish, though, because I’m vegetarian.)
2. Exercise. Because when you’re overweight or obese, you have a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These are conditions that can cause eye health or vision problems.
3. Wash your hands before putting them close to your eyes—especially if you’re putting in or taking out contact lenses. Also, remember to disinfect your lenses and replace them often. (I have a friend who regularly sleeps with his contact lenses in. Don’t do this!!!!)
4. Wear sunglasses that block 99% or 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun—even on cloudy days. Also, don’t look directly at the sun!
5. The 20/20/20 Rule. Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds to let your eyes rest after staring at one thing for too long.
6. Don’t smoke! Smoking increases your risk of diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts—which can lead to blindness—and it can harm your optic nerve.
7. Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Even if your eyes feel healthy, you could have a problem and not know it. A dilated eye exam is the only way to check for—and treat— eye diseases early on.
1 Tip to Nourish Your Soul
I first learned of this tip from Jay Shetty in Think Like A Monk.
(It’s one of my favourite books—Can you tell? I feel like I reference it every other day, lol.)
It’s about writing a letter of forgiveness.
In a nutshell, you write a letter to someone (or yourself) who may have harmed, hurt, or disappointed you to express your forgiveness.
I wrote one to my ex-boyfriend and it helped me move on.
Why does writing a letter of forgiveness work?
One, writing helps you release pent-up emotions.
Two, you understand the situation, your emotions, and the role you played better.
Three, you shift from being a passive victim to an active participant in your healing process.
Four, you let go of resentment and free up space for more positive experiences.
And five, you reflect on your emotions, and the part you played, and it helps you learn and grow.
How do you write a letter of forgiveness?
Get a pen and paper.
Address the letter to someone (or yourself).
Write, “I forgive you for….” For example, I wrote “I forgive you for never loving me the way I loved you. I forgive you for giving me false hope and promises.”
Write down everything you feel and think of.
Then, reflect on the role you played. Write, “Please forgive me for…” I wrote, “Please forgive me for being immature at times. Please forgive me for being a negative influence on your life.”
After you write your letter, read it aloud. (You DON’T need to send the letter! These letters are more for yourself than the other person.)
Forgive who hurt you and send them positive energy. Forgive yourself. Then, let yourself move on.
Before You Go
Thank you so much for reading today's entry!
Also, I'd love to know which newsletter theme you prefer:
The Mind/Body/Soul tips
Story-based with an insight, similar to my previous newsletter, "3 Paths to Happiness"
Or, a mix of both!
I would greatly appreciate it if you could reply because it helps me understand your preferences and ensures that what I write is helpful and valuable for you. I read every single reply. 😊
With all my love,
Irene
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