Cultivating Happiness One Small Choice at a Time

As we come to the end of June and our month of Cultivating Happiness, I’ve been reflecting on the past week. It wasn’t an extraordinary week. There were no big celebrations or life-changing moments.

Instead, it was filled with small choices.

I chose to go for a sea swim a few times, even when the water was rough. During my swim today, something really made me happy. For a few moments, I noticed that I stopped thinking about how I was swimming, my form, and simply felt myself swimming.

I could feel my body gliding through the water. I noticed my right hand as it came up my side, elbow lifting high, not because I was trying to perfect my stroke, but because I was simply immersed in the experience.

It only lasted a few moments, but it felt wonderful.

Afterwards I sat by the sea with a cappuccino and as  I reflected,  I realised I hadn’t been judging myself at all. I’d simply been present. And I wondered how many of life’s simple pleasures we miss because we’re so busy thinking about ourselves instead of fully experiencing what we’re doing. I sat there for a while, reading a book instead of rushing home. That was a choice.

At an all-day event on Friday, in the middle of the heat, I noticed I was tired. There was an opportunity to have a 30-minute reflexology session. It was just me on the Blossome stand, but I realised something. It was okay for me to step away. So I gave myself half an hour of care. That was a choice.

On Saturday, I wandered through the Walton Open Gardens, chatting with people I don’t know, exploring how they designed and cared for their gardens. I witnessed their different hobbies and how they slowed down. That was a choice.

I’ve enjoyed cooking with fresh ingredients, savoured sweet strawberries, making jam, spending time by the sea, having an afternoon nap, and simply allowing myself to enjoy each moment without wondering what I should be doing next. That was a choice.

As I reflected on the week, I realised something. What had changed wasn’t my life. It was how I was meeting it. Instead of rushing through each experience or judging how well I was doing it, I allowed myself to simply be there.

To feel the cool sea around me.

To enjoy the taste of fresh food.

To lose myself in a good book.

To receive care without feeling I had to earn it first.

I’ve been reading The Compassionate Mind by Professor Paul Gilbert, and one idea has really stayed with me. As humans, we spend so much time thinking about ourselves, judging ourselves, worrying whether we’re doing enough, or wondering how we’re coming across, that we can lose touch with simply experiencing our lives.

Perhaps that’s where happiness quietly waits for us.

Not in extraordinary moments.

But in ordinary ones, when we stop rushing, stop judging ourselves and allow ourselves to be fully present.

Maybe cultivating happiness isn’t about adding more to our lives. Maybe it’s about bringing more of ourselves to the life we’re already living.

As June comes to an end, that feels like the perfect bridge into next month’s theme. Throughout July we’ll be exploring Grounding & Rest: Finding Your Way Back to Being.

Together we’ll discover that grounding isn’t about escaping life. It’s about becoming fully present for it. We’ll explore how to move from living in our heads to living in our lives, finding gentle ways to reconnect with ourselves, our bodies and the simple moments that nourish us.

This Week’s Self-Care Invitation

This week, notice just one moment each day and allow yourself to become fully absorbed in what you’re doing. It might be drinking your morning coffee.

Walking the dog.

Cooking dinner.

Swimming.

Gardening.

Reading.

Listening to birdsong.

As you notice the moment, gently ask yourself:

Am I experiencing this, or am I thinking about myself experiencing it?

If you notice your mind has wandered into worry, planning or self-judgement, that’s completely natural. Simply bring your attention back to what you can see, hear, smell, touch or taste.

Back to this moment.

You don’t need to change anything. You don’t need to do it perfectly. Just notice what it’s like to be fully present for a few moments. Sometimes happiness isn’t found by doing more. Sometimes it’s found by being more fully here for the life we’re already living.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

In the Blossome Community, we know self-care can feel impossible, especially for those of us who have spent years caring for others, managing crises, or putting our own needs last. But healing often begins when we learn to offer ourselves some of the kindness, understanding, and appreciation we so freely give to others.

Whether you join us at a self-care activity, a Resourcing Me session, or connect through the Bloom Self-Care Hub, you’ll find people learning to do exactly that. Join us.

Kim Moore

Kim Moore is the Founder of Blossome CIC. She lost her husband Chris to alcoholism in 2017. She faced a difficult journey while raising 2 children alone, with her family living on the opposite side of the world. Kim  founded the Blossome Community and The Pathway to Peace healing journey so no one would have to feel alone while enduring the trauma of a loved one’s battle with alcoholism or addiction. She is also on a mission to end the generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction in families.