Spiritual Musings: Andrew's advice on how to be happier

I've decided I want to write on this blog at least 2 times a week. One will be about the weekly going-ons for Andrew and I; the other will be a focus of something spiritual I have contemplated throughout the week. 

So here is my 1st spiritual musing: how to be happier.

Now, I don't want to come across as super negative, but I also want to be honest in this first spiritual post. The truth is, I haven't felt truly happy in a while. (No, this is not about my marriage. That part of my life at least is exactly what it should be). This Saturday, when suddenly I burst into tears during a date with Andrew and cried that I didn't feel happy, I knew I was hitting an all-time low...and I didn't like it.

Luckily, I am married to an amazing man who has wise spiritual insights. As I cried into his lap he asked me two simple questions:

1. ​How do you feel about your relationship with God?
2. How do you feel about your relationship with yourself?

I was horrified to realize that I don't feel at all confident in either one of these relationships. I feel like I have allowed life to get me too busy to really meditate and feel the spirit lead me. And I also feel like I have allowed more self-deprecating thoughts to enter my mind about myself lately. These are obvious contributors to my unhappiness.

Andrew explained that his mission president taught them years ago that there are 3 important relationships to focus on as missionaries: 1. their relationship with God, 2. their relationship with themselves, and 3. their relationship with the Taiwanese people (where he served his mission). The mission president explained, "If you don't first have a solid relationship with God and yourself, you will not be able to fully connect and love the people you serve, and you will not be able to experience a true fullness of joy." 

As I've thought about this, I've decided that I really do need to spend more time every day strengthening my relationship with God and learning to love myself more fully too. This is how I plan to do it:

1. better scripture study- The missionaries came over for dinner last Sunday, and their simple message was "Study the scriptures so that you can partake in all the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for you." I need to live this.
2. time to meditate every day- I've gotten in the bad habit of coming home exhausted from work and mindlessly turning on a TV show while I wait for Andrew to call me after work. I need to better use this precious time by reading good books, writing in my journal, or studying an inspired topic from General Conference. I know that if I take a little time each day to sit quietly and exercise my mind and spirit, I will be more satisfied with my day.
3. exercise- Ok, but seriously, I know that I will feel better about myself if I am more diligent in keeping my body healthy and strong.
4. do little things that make me happy- Andrew insisted that I include "get my nails done" on my list. He claims that if this one simple thing makes me feel more put together and beautiful, then it is worth the $20 every few weeks. He really is so sweet. This goal may also include talking to family or friends every day, or making something delicious and fun for dinner. 

So there you have it. I am going to experiment with these goals for happiness over the next few weeks, and hopefully I will be able to report back good things.