Things that Make Me Happy

I recently published a blog post about the Things that make me unhappy and it seemed to have resonated with a lot of readers. If you haven’t read it yet, here is the quick link to that blog post so you can catch up:

♡ Related Blog Post: Things that Make Me Unhappy

Naturally, it made sense to make another list, but this time focus on the Things that make me happy. Such an original title, I know! 😅 Anyway, here is my list of 11 things that make me happy. Please keep in mind that this list is not presented in any particular order. Each list is unique to the individual, so my list will likely differ from your list. Let’s get started, shall we?

A List of Things that Make Me Happy

1. My cat, Timon. Timon is an absolute blessing in my life. We adopted him in Spring 2019, when I was really depressed and feeling overwhelmed with anxiety. Even now, when I’m anxious, the warm cuddles from my cat bring me immense comfort and joy 🐈‍⬛💕

2. My family. Apart from my immediate family which includes my children and husband, my parents who live across the country are also a key part of my family. Despite our past issues, we try to stay connected through phone calls and have found that it is much easier to get along when we aren’t living together.

3. Steeped tea & MCDs coffee. I’m a huge fan of Tim Hortons steeped tea and McDonalds coffee. Even though I can make the coffee from home, nothing beats the joy of buying it. Steeped tea is something that I simply can’t replicate and will go out of my way to get, even though these feelings of happiness are fleeting.

4. Bubble tea. I think I enjoy bubble tea more than the average person, even though the pleasure is only temporary. Unfortunately, I can’t afford it on a regular basis, so it has become something of a guilty pleasure! Although I can make it at home, I still prefer to buy it at a tea shop. It’s more fun that way!

5. Bubble baths. I absolutely love taking hot, bubble baths to warm up on cold days where I live. They give me a much-needed break from the chill and serve as an escape for some relaxation and self-care. Not only that, but it also helps to reduce stress levels and soothe my mind.

6. Walks in nature. On a beautiful day, I will take a pleasant stroll outside. 🌞 Walks outside are far more enjoyable than walking on the treadmill. I try to limit my indoor time to three days or less, as feeling trapped indoors for extended periods of time can be mentally exhausting. The longest period of time that I stayed indoors without going outside was a depressing 3 weeks – something that I never want to experience again!

7. Saving money. I tend to prioritize saving my money rather than spending it because the feeling of having a substantial amount of money in my bank account is much more satisfying than the fleeting pleasure of buying something. Moreover, I enjoy living a debt-free life as I have worked hard to get to this point and would like to maintain it.

8. My iPhone. Despite my struggles with smart phone addiction, which I previously mentioned in [this post], I am incredibly thankful for my iPhone SE. While it may not be the newest model on the market, it still works and brings me immense joy every day. My iPhone allows me to stay connected with people all over the world! 🌎

9. My blog. I am eternally grateful for having my blog and access to the awesome WP community, as it has allowed me to build strong connections with people who share similar interests and passions. I’m filled with joy to respond to comments and connect with my friends on this platform. Every single one of you leave such beautiful and kind comments, which I always look forward to reading each day.

10. Podcasts. If you see me with airpods in my ears, it’s almost certain that I’m listening to an educational or self-development podcast. Podcasts are my go-to source of entertainment and I often find myself learning something new. Occasionally, I’ll listen to some music, but almost exclusively instrumental pieces; lyrics tend to distract me too much.

11. Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) has been a source of great fun to me. Even though there’s other games to play on the Nintendo Switch, I still find myself playing ACNH often. Animal Crossing has provided me the opportunity to step away from my depression and concentrate on building something beautiful.

Screenshots are my own → I am always improving my 5-star Island!🏝️🍒

(っ◔V◔)っ Please Note: Unfortunately, I cannot give players a tour of my Animal Crossing Island without renewing the online subscription first, which is a scam in my humble opinion. I am not paying for it this year! 🙇‍♀️

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

As you can see, there are 11 items on my list again which was intentional btw. I wanted to ensure the negative list and positive list were evenly balanced. And like I said last time, if I sat down for an hour to really reflect and journal about it, the list would be much longer. Overall, I think that it’s important to take time out of your busy day to think about the things that bring you joy and to practice gratitude. I highly encourage you to create your own list of the things that make you happy.

Thanks for stopping by! ❤️

Published by Hilary Tan

I am currently in the process of finding my inner goddess as I search for inner peace, find mental clarity, develop mental toughness, and crush goals. Come join me on this journey so we can live our best lives!

61 thoughts on “Things that Make Me Happy”

  1. Pingback: Things that Make Me Happy
  2. John says:
    Reply

    I’m glad that you have so many things that make you happy, Hilary! my iPhone 12 is awesome, no wish to “upgrade” to the 14. My blog keeps me busy every day and I enjoy interacting with followers and their blogs too. We have similar interests. ☺️

    Liked by 3 people

    • Hilary Tan says:
      Reply

      I heard good things about the iPhone 12 and I’m glad you like your phone. I’ll keep using my iPhone until I need to upgrade… even though most places don’t sell cases for the iPhone SE anymore, I managed to find a super cute phone case in Singapore 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

      • John says:

        That’s cool that you found the case you want. The 12 is working really well so there’s no reason to spend money on a new iPhone.

        I grew up using a phone attached to the wall with a coiled cord that stretched into the next room and a rotary dial. I just dated myself! Today everyone is so used to having so much technology in their pocket including me…

        Liked by 1 person

      • Hilary Tan says:

        My mom has a phone attached to a cord and refuses to get a wireless landline phone. As a kid, I thought those dial phones were cool so I got a turquoise one (with buttons) for my room. It was the shape of a dial phone without the dial. It had an awful loud ringing sound so I think my parents eventually got rid of it.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Feets says:
    Reply

    Hate to sound condescending if it does, but this is so cute! ☺️ Especially the McD coffee and the tea. The little things are always the best. I love my phone. I have the 11 pro max and I’m so grateful for it. I love my phone and I love my old Lenovo laptop.☺️

    I love your blog too.😁

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:
      Reply

      Thank you so much, Feets! 😊💕 Despite feeling depressed this week I still wanted to publish this blog post. I needed a short walk today to clear my head first ☀️ Ah, that is a nice phone – tbh I wanted the iPhone 11 and was so close to getting one, but then settled for the iPhone SE. The iPhone 11 is a gorgeous phone.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Pooja G says:

        Always a pleasure to read your posts 😊 Yes, I love tapioca pearls and I usually have a vegan version of milk tea or matcha. Oh and one time I had this strawberry one I loved but that was in Canada and I haven’t found a good replacement for it here 😥 What are your favourites?

        Liked by 1 person

      • Hilary Tan says:

        I usually buy the same flavors at didfeeent places depending on the bubble tea shop: T&T sells the best original bubble tea, Gong Cha sells the best strawberry milk green-tea 🍓and Chatime sells the best passion fruit green tea. All of them have tapioca pearls. In Ontario I used to go to Sweet Dreams to get Taro slush, so I guess it really depends on the place I go to! 😋

        Liked by 1 person

      • Hilary Tan says:

        Bubble tea is significantly better than what it was a decade ago. The flavors and combinations are quite complex now, and also a lot more expensive lol I used to get bubble tea for $3.60 CAD! Canada might have better bubble tea flavors, but Nairobi has a lot of other delicacies that look delicious! 😋

        Liked by 1 person

      • Pooja G says:

        Yeah, I understand. Some of my friends either left Canada or are planning to leave because of the costs. It’s tough because inflation isn’t an easy thing to solve and the pandemic really took it to an extreme.

        Like

      • Hilary Tan says:

        My husband and I are thinking about leaving because the only province that makes sense to live in is Ontario, but Ontario has some of the highest costs of living! Alberta is more affordable but there’s no family out here. Our families live in Ontario.

        I agree that the pandemic made things much worse. Inflation is bad in the U.S. too. I think the only way to really combat inflation is by being frugal.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Pooja G says:

        Yeah, Ontario is amazing to live in but the cost of living is ridiculously high. I would definitely have stayed but realised it wouldn’t be worth it for me since it would be almost impossible to save any money staying there. A while back one of my friends moved to BC because of the costs in Ontario.

        I think inflation has hit almost all countries. It’s not great in Kenya either. But it’s effected Canada and the US much more. And yes, being frugal and saving as much as you can is the best thing to do right now.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Stuart Danker says:
    Reply

    Lol I can totally relate to your love for Animal Crossing. My equivalent would be Stardew Valley. That game just has some magical properties. It’s a pretty awesome way to chill out. I think the sandbox nature plus non-urgent play style is what makes games like these awesome.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:
      Reply

      Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Stuart! I haven’t played Stardew Valley but I follow people on Twitter who do! That game looks like fun too. I agree that sandbox games allow us to tap into our creativity and have fun. The Sims is another great sandbox game.

      Like

  13. Brian, Snarebox says:
    Reply

    I wrote a blog post on using AI to create images for blogs (for people like me who suck at finding clip art 🤣) and I used your section on your cat as one of the prompts. Thought you might be interested in seeing what a somewhat-bad image AI thinks Timon looks like.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. lydiabrasted says:
    Reply

    I love love love that Animal Crossing made your list! Totally agree with you on the bubble baths too!
    This was a really great read, nice to read something so positive!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:
      Reply

      Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊✨ Ah, I am so tempted to make an entire blog post devoted to ACNH 🏝️ I posted a lot of screenshots on Twitter but not so much on this blog. My island still isn’t done yet as I am always trying to make it better. I like the slow-paced nature of the game.

      Like

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