[Happy Writing Marathon #58] People who say 'Yay!' in front of the mirror are making the Tenchusatsu their ally...

* This is my second time. I participated in Ken Honda's 'Happy Writing Marathon'.

My morning routine is... I'd like to say 'accumulating happiness,' but mornings are just so hectic.
It's not just getting myself ready, but also preparing meals for the family... So, meditation or spreading out a notebook to accumulate happiness in the morning is impossible! Impossible!

So, the very first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is 'make a smile while still in bed'.

I don't even know what I'm talking about when I say it myself. But this is how I spend my first moments of the morning.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been participating in online Laughter Yoga sessions held by my Reiki master, but only on weekends.

I've known my Reiki master for over 20 years. Although I heard her say 'I started Laughter Yoga' about 10 years ago, I never imagined I would end up participating.

Laughter Yoga, which used to be done in person, became impossible after that thing started spreading, but in return, by switching to online, she says she can now hold sessions with people from all over the country, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

What's amazing about my master is that she has continued doing it every morning without fail since 5:30 AM, reaching 2,000 sessions this January, and is now working hard toward 3,000. That is truly in the realm of habit. I only did it on weekends, but while doing it, I really start to feel good.

And so... I even got certified as a leader. I am now the head of 'Team Dream,' which consists mainly of me. (Haha)

However, I am currently in the middle of my Tenchusatsu (a period of bad luck). It seems this period is 'a state where the lid that is usually closed is wide open.' It's unstable, but it's definitely not a bad time. Rather, I learned that by spending it correctly, it is a 'chance to be reborn as a new self'.

What you should avoid during Tenchusatsu is 'self-serving actions' or 'acquiring tangible things.' But studying, training, and acting for the sake of others are totally OK. In fact, studying during this period can help you grow 10 or 20 times more than usual. Because the lid is open, your absorption capacity is at its best.

So, the moment I got my leader certification, I decided, 'From here on, I will focus on refining my way of being.'

That's when the meaning of my morning routine changed.

Making a smile while in bed.

This is the interesting part. It is said that the brain reacts to the movement of facial muscles. A fake smile is fine at first. In fact, a fake smile is fine. Because the brain is tricked into thinking, 'Oh, I'm happy now,' and it will reliably release happiness hormones from the morning.

In other words, there's no need to wait for a real smile. Just lift the corners of your mouth the moment you wake up, without any emotions attached. That's enough. In fact, that's what's good about it.

Next, I go in front of the mirror and say to myself, with messy hair and bedhead, in the style of the affirmation penguin Koupen-chan:

'You managed to wake up! Great job!'

No, actually, I think I'm not praising 'myself for working hard,' but rather praising 'myself for being able to bathe in the morning sun at this very moment,' in a small yet warm way.

Then I laugh, 'Hahahaha' at my own silliness. At my own imperfection. I can really laugh.

Finally, I do "Ho ho ha ha ha" twice, and "Yay! Yay! Yeah!"

Of course, I do it secretly. If my family saw me, it would be totally weird.

When asked, "What are your morning habits?" my answer is to make a smile while still in bed before getting up, and then "look in the mirror and say 'Yay!' to myself." It's a modest, slightly funny habit.

But, if you do this every day, something changes.

In the morning, I laugh while encouraging myself. At night, I do "Happiness Accumulation." This is the act of taking time before bed to collect the small joys of the day.

In the morning, I encourage myself by saying, "You're doing great," and at night, I accumulate gratitude by saying, "I had all these things."

In other words, I am accumulating "intangible things" in the morning and at night. Not knowledge, but a state of mind. The amount of gratitude. The depth of positivity.

As I repeat these things, my life moves forward. That is the feeling I have.

They say the most important thing during Tenchusatsu is your "way of being." It means spending your time with a spirit of discipline, without getting emotional or feeling inferior no matter what happens.

I think there is actually a basis for that in neuroscience as well.

A fake smile is fine in the morning. Say "Yay!" to yourself as soon as you wake up. That switches your brain into happiness mode.

In the end, it's about believing in yourself. Saying, "You are fine just as you are, you are okay."

Precisely because Tenchusatsu is an unstable period, I needed a voice that would stand by my side every single day. Coincidentally, that was born from the habit of Laughter Yoga.

A fake smile is fine. Those small accumulations raise the stage of your life.

※ For more on Four Pillars of Destiny and how to spend your Tenchusatsu period according to your own timing, click here👇 No matter what kind of period you are in, what matters is how you choose to act from there. Let's think about it together.

Thank you for reading until the end.
May your mornings begin with a "Yay!" (。-人-。)✨
Love & Peace💕

※ This work was created using an AI manga generation tool (Shin-Usami Style AI Manga) under the author's direction.

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