My Happiness Project - Area 1: Head Space

I’ve been feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed with things lately, so I've decided to tackle the things that are on my mind a lot first - hence the first topic is ‘Head Space’.

I hate it when my head is all jumbled up and I can't make sense of things so I want to calm it down, sort it out and get on with things. Being quite a creative person, having a mind that doesn't switch off and is alwys coming up with various ideas is kind of useful. However, this is not useful when the time is 1am, you need to be up at 7am and all your brain can think about is what width to make your blog sidebar or ideas for your next plush toy.

Using the questions in the back of the Happiness Project book I worked out some things that should make my head feel better, and then thought about the best ways of making this happen;

1. Organise and tidy: I dream of being a tidy, organised person with a home to match. I drool over pictures like these:

Unfortunately, my house does not look like the Ikea catalogue, no matter how many of their products I cram into it. Surprisingly, my clutter doesn't magically disappear or tidy itself. In fact I think it replicates and untidies

itself when I'm not looking. I mean, I can't possibly cause all the piles and mess myself. I totally subscribe to the thought that being organised on the outside makes me feel organised on the inside. It's just so much work.

Much as I love a massive clear out and dramatic change of space, I've already done that in most of my rooms, and if it wasn't for that clutter, they would look great. Small steps this time - my goals are to keep visible spaces tidy (downstairs), make my bedroom an oasis of calm, find homes for lost things, sort and clear any growing piles, and then tackle other areas step by step. If I feel a big clear out coming on I will go with it. That feeling of piling up the bin bags by the front door is priceless.

2. Find ways to relax: I enjoy lots of hobbies and am even partial to a total collapse on the sofa in front of the TV but often I don't feel particularly relaxed about it. I'll be thinking and worrying about all those things I should be doing. I need to find relaxing things to do. A quick brainstorm suggested yoga, pilates, meditation, mindfulness and tai chi. I'm going to give each of these a go.

3. Keep active: If I don't do exercise for a while I feel bad. Being what I consider lazy (my default state) makes me feel stressed. If exercise is just part of my routine then it's not an issue - I get on with it and I enjoy it. So I will walk more, make sure I go to the gym at least twice a week instead of once at the weekend, get running more frequently and set up a new weights routine for home. I also have some exercise DVDs and VHS - I will try them and get rid of any I won't be using again. That tackles clutter too!

4. Tackle unwelcome thoughts and behaviours: I am a natural worrier. The visible sign of this is nailbiting. I can't seem to stop at the moment so I need to find some help with that. I think this ties in with number 2 - mindfulness, relaxing and finding ways to cut stress will help. Need to do more research. Looked into hypnotherapy but that was way out of my price range. Found some hypnotherapy CDs online and I've got a free sample to try.

Any tips for websites or books to buy would be appreciated!