Discover the new wellness trend sweeping the internet: what is a happiness planner and do they actually make us happier?
Words Joy Montgomery
What is it?
The Happiness Planner is the photogenic new wellness journal cropping up all over social media. The concept originates from a blog set up by Mo Seetubtim. Her insightful posts on wellness garnered attention from thousands of readers and she soon realised that people were hungry for advice on self-development, anxiety and improving happiness.
After focusing her posts on topics such as training your mind and becoming more positive, Seetubtim felt it was important that her readers put principles into practice. After spotting a gap in the market she sought to create a physical planner that focused on personal fulfilment rather than work goals. The Happiness Planner was born.
Ring bound with a Instagram-ready cover, The Happiness Planner is essentially a cross between a year planner and a journal. Daily pages are placed alongside questions and quotes that reflect practices such as positive thinking, mindfulness and gratitude. These small exercises allow you to build positive practices into your daily routine.
How does it work?
First of all you complete a short self-evaluation exercise or happiness ‘road map’. This will help you reflect on yourself and your life. It aims to increase self-awareness and help you to focus on what makes you happy (it’s harder than it sounds!) Questions include: ‘How do you see yourself in 5-10 years?’ and ‘What qualities or habits would you like to improve?’
The rest of the planner is split into monthly categories. Each page include exercises such as positive moments, things you’re grateful for and hopes for the next day. The planner also included weekly and monthly reflection pages. These sections ask you to look back and assess the positives and negatives. Over time your perspective and priorities should hopefully change and help you develop a healthier outlook on life.
Will it actually make a difference?
It may not be the answer to all our existential woes but The Happiness Planner is a practical way to integrate good practices into your routine.
It’s proven that being more in tune with yourself and your emotions is essential for a happy life. This principle of mindfulness is woven throughout The Happiness Planner and is a technique that has been used for centuries. It is also a common technique used by modern-day psychotherapists. So there is evidence that this stuff really works.
Finally, it’s important that journaling doesn’t become another thing on your ‘to do’ list. This merely contradicts the original purpose of the planner! A happiness planner might not work for everyone, so try it out for a month and see if it helps. But if it can help, even just a little bit, it’ll be worth it.
Have you tried a happiness planner? Did you find it helped you become more positive? Tweet us at @Absolutely_mags
