After a long day at work - when my feet are aching, my head is buzzing and I don't feel much energy left in me, I look for a way to break out of my malaise, feel good again and still be able to enjoy the evening. But how can I, can we, reprogram ourselves in a hurry? And switch from work to leisure, from the office to home and from professional discussions to personal topics?

But what would it be like if we accepted ourselves even when we are unwell? If we tried to accept the negative feelings as well as the positive ones? That would not only be good for us, but also for our planet. And in terms of two aspects:

Always in a good mood?

1) We don't always have to be happy! We were brought up to be happy and in a good mood, but life is not a pony farm. Sometimes things go wrong, sometimes life takes a turn that we didn't plan or expect. So it's perfectly okay to be in a bad mood sometimes. I also try to allow negative feelings. To consciously perceive and experience them. Because the opposite - and I observe this very often - would be: distraction. And that leads me straight to the second aspect.

2) I rarely get to go into town. This makes online offers all the more tempting for me. So when I'm reading my emails after a stressful day and a well-made advertisement jumps out at me in a newsletter, I click on it. That's actually absurd, because marketing is my hobby. I know the tricks behind the colorful ads. And yet: the prospect of new outdoor equipment or new cycling gear brightens my mood. As I click on "Add to shopping cart", I put together my own little adventure in my head. Out of the bad mood, into the next short vacation.

Warm feelings of happiness

The problem with this is that I distract myself with consumption. With things that I don't actually need. With items that use up resources unnecessarily. And I don't want that, it's completely at odds with the idea of the circular economy!

But how else do I get these pleasantly warm feelings of happiness - if not through consumption? 

I have found something that is not only just as good for me as shopping, but is also much more sustainable: gratitude. I get up half an hour earlier every morning to do yoga, meditate or make myself aware of what I am grateful for today. These can be small things, like the sunshine shining through the open window, or bigger things, like the fact that my children are healthy. This moment of pause shows me where I am right now. What is going on inside me and what is important to me right now. It allows me to consciously focus on the positive. Or I also notice other feelings - tiredness, frustration, excitement, calm, ... the full range of emotions.

In search of reward

Tuesday is my long day. Straight from work to children's gymnastics. By the time I get home in the evening, I'm sometimes really exhausted. So I want to do something good for myself. In search of a reward, my eyes wander to the bag of potato chips. But I've since learned that my yoga mat is the better choice at times like this. The result is the same: I feel better! And this good feeling lasts much longer than after eating chips. Sounds banal?

What I'm trying to tell you is that potato chips and yoga are just as closely related as consumption and gratitude: they fulfill the same need. Which of the two you choose is up to you - and it doesn't necessarily have to be yoga - a walk, a good book, simply sitting, lying down, watching. The choice is yours.

Heike Hundertmark