My Personal Technique for Staying Cheerful
What kind of state do you think being cheerful is?
You might think of things like "feeling happy!" or "having a sunny disposition!"
But in reality, how can one actually become cheerful?
This time, based on Nobuyuki Sakuma's book "The Technique of Becoming Cheerful" that I read last summer,
I will share the "methods for becoming cheerful" that I have come up with!
Nobuyuki Sakuma's "The Technique of Becoming Cheerful"
Since reading this book, I started to think,
"Is staying cheerful myself" actually a very important thing? At home, at work...
I have been trying various things in my own way to figure out "how I can stay cheerful."
But one day, I suddenly realized...
Trying to be positive through sheer willpower is
a bit painful...
Before I knew it, I had fallen into a positive doping state.
What is a positive doping state? - "Forcing myself to be positive" and my heart was tired
The term positive doping state mentioned by Mr. Sakuma in "The Technique of Becoming Cheerful".
Mr. Sakuma defined it as "covering up your true feelings and trying to act positive by force."
At first, I wondered what that meant, but then I suddenly remembered something.
That period was really busy...
It was tough, but I couldn't consult anyone around me, and I spent my days just enduring it.
Working unpaid overtime on weekends while being yelled at by my senior...
But I kept telling myself, "This is training" and "This is a chance to broaden my horizons."
Everything was to protect myself at that time...
As a result, my heart wore out, and one morning I couldn't get out of bed.
"Let's keep smiling" and "Don't forget to be grateful"
-- those are wonderful mindsets in themselves.
I want to be like that too.
But, even though it's actually painful... even though it's hard...
if you force your heart to say "I must be positive!",
stress accumulates without you noticing, and one day it just explodes...
I was exactly in a positive doping state during that time.
That's why I think.
Trying to be positive by force only makes you suffer.
Be positive without forcing it! - The first step is, XXX
In "The Technique of Becoming Cheerful," many "techniques for becoming cheerful," such as "praising others" and "accepting your negative self," were introduced.
What I realized after reading this book is,
that being cheerful is not a "technique" or "willpower" but a
system.
In other words, it's something anyone can easily do!
So, as a simple "system for feeling good that I want to recommend to everyone... it's the "
smartphone" you use casually every day! By making a few small adjustments to this, you can create a system that makes you feel good.
Do you really know what's inside that smartphone of yours?
I use an iPhone 12 Pro.
The performance is sufficient... but the contents were a mess.
Always using over 80% of storage
iCloud is full and photos won't upload
Over 50 apps that I only use a few times a year
The home screen is covered in red notification badges
Living with it in this state, I felt uneasy every time I opened my phone...
It's kind of like...
my room is super messy......
I'm the type of person who can't relax if my house or desk is cluttered, so having a messy smartphone was upsetting my peace of mind as well.
Does the smartphone you're reading this on have any similar issues?
Building a system to feel good, starting today! - "Decluttering" the contents of your 〇〇〇
So, let's get right to organizing and cleaning up your smartphone!
The most important thing when cleaning up is to declutter decisively.
Let's tidy up quickly and make your smartphone clean!
Here is the organization I did.
✅ Keep the home screen to within 2 pages
Anything more than that is too much for the brain to grasp, so I cut it down without hesitation!
I made the area you see first when opening the phone as simple and clean as possible.
✅ Folders only on the first page
"Wait? Did I download this app...?"
Anything from the second page onwards is like "papers buried at the bottom of a school bag or drawer"!
It's information you think you're looking at but aren't, so I keep only the important things on the first page.
✅ Utilize the Control Center
If you have an iPhone, you can customize it just for you by opening the Control Center and pressing the + in the top left!
Flashlight, alarm, ChatGPT, Wallet, etc...
I gather everything I use frequently right here.
✅ Delete apps you only use once a year from your home screen
Things related to travel or store apps that you only use a few times a year
should be deleted from your home screen!
You can search for them in the App Library when you need them, so it's no problem at all.
As a result of decluttering, I—
was able to escape the state of "feeling tired just by opening my phone"!
Just having red badges lined up on my home screen made me feel rushed, but I never imagined how much lighter my heart would feel once they were all gone!
Organizing and decluttering is, more than any visible "result,"
about "doing it because it feels good".
I think that reason alone is enough.
Ah~! I worked hard on tidying up!
A Little Extra! Creating Systems to Get Into a Good Mood - 3 Simple Systems I Practice
Up to this point, I have introduced "decluttering the contents of your smartphone" as a simple "system for getting into a good mood" that I believe in.
For those who want to create a few more systems,
I will introduce 3 simple, feel-good systems you can add on!
①: Make a "Praise List" on your smartphone
When we were children, we were praised whenever we did something, but
as adults, the opportunities to be praised decrease significantly, don't they?
But surprisingly, I think there are actually times when you are praised or thanked by someone.
For example:
Being told "You chose a great restaurant" after organizing a party
Receiving a comment on note saying "That was interesting"
Having someone press the "Like!" button
These are also perfectly valid "praise" moments!
Let's create a "Praise List" so you can look back on such wonderful things whenever you want.
Things people said that made you happy, or reactions that made you happy.
If you write down anything that made you think "Yay!", it will become something that encourages you when you look back on it later.
Casual words or actions from someone in the past might encourage you when you are having a hard time.
In my case, I make it using the smartphone app "Simple Note."
I love that I can also paste images!
...I also take screenshots of comments on note because they make me happy, and paste them in (lol).
②: Hide a 5-year-old "me" in your smartphone album
I've recommended this a few times.
I highly recommend it!
When you open your camera roll, photos of delicious pasta you ate recently or your pet looking cute while sleeping yesterday will appear.
"Oh, I remember that! I went there too!"
You might look back and chuckle, but
you can only go back about two or three years at most.
And besides, you don't have photos from when you were a child, do you?
So, if you quietly add
old photos that are different from recent ones,
it will make your heart feel tight with affection.
Photos of yourself, your grandparents, pets, or souvenirs from trips...
Anything is fine.
Visual scenes that remind you of "those days gone by"...
「The me of today is properly connected to the past」
You can recognize yourself from the past to the present.
That's why, when my heart feels like it might break, I quietly look back at them.
「It's okay, I've managed to overcome things before!」
3: Adjust your emotions with mood-based playlists
I believe music is a "heart controller."Don't you have songs that cheer you up just by listening to them?
In my case...
When mornings are tough → Get pumped up with "Butter-Fly" (Digimon)
Sad nights → Cry quietly to Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Energy Flow"
When I need to push through → Narrate my own life with "Jonetsu Tairiku" (lol)
Like that, I change the music I listen to depending on how I want to feel.
Check out my past articles for more details! ↓↓
That's all for the 3 "easy-to-add systems for feeling good"!
Finally—"feeling good" is something only you can cultivate
Our hearts are as delicate as a water surface and can easily waver.
We can be made happy or hurt by the slightest stimulus.
That is precisely why,
by creating "little systems" rather than relying on willpower,you can easily cultivate a good mood.
If you've been thinking, "I've been feeling down easily lately"—
why not start by tidying up your smartphone a little?
Tomorrow will surely be a slightly better day.
"Create your own good mood."