I have become a big fan of Rachel Hollis lately – if you haven’t read her bestseller books, Girl, Wash Your Face, and Girl, Stop Apologizing, I really recommend that you pick them up. While she is mostly speaking to women, her words can be very helpful to men as well.

The other day I was on her Facebook fan page, and she had posted about joy, with a list of simple pleasures that make her happy – coffee by a beautiful view, comfy sweatpants, laughing with her kids, etc. She challenged her followers to come up with a list of things that bring them joy. We spend so much time chasing our big goals, and we often neglect to support ourselves with the things that nourish our souls.

We are now approaching that time of year when many throw themselves into a tizzy of preparation and stress. While the mood is generally supposed to be celebratory, we are inundated with sounds, smells, colours, lights, spending too much money, ingesting too much food and alcohol, and not getting enough sleep. And it’s still only November! Even if you don’t celebrate “the holidays”, it’s hard to avoid.

A great way to shield yourself from the effects of “too much holidays” is to follow Rachel Hollis’s suggestion. Sit down and make a list of 12 things that make you truly happy. They can be as simple as a peaceful cup of coffee in the early morning, or as exciting as international travel – both of those were on her list.

My list includes spending quality time with my husband and kids, drinking bulletproof coffee, sleeping on the couch on Shabbat afternoon, walking in the park, reading Torah, singing, cooking, and lifting heavy weights. Of course there are more things, but you get the idea.

Once you’ve made your list, make sure to schedule time into each and every day, to do at least one thing on that list. Sometimes it takes a lot of intentionality to make the simplest things happen, and we often put our own needs at the bottom of our daily priorities. It’s time you started guarding your own well-being as zealously as you do that of your loved ones! You cannot give from an empty cup.

If you would like to share your list with me, I’d love to hear from you! Corresponding with my readers is definitely something that makes it onto my happiness list, and I hope you will indulge me. Enjoy the season!