A few years ago, a movement called the "100 Happy Days" took most social media platforms by a storm. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even Tumblr had #100happydays trending, with more and more people world-wide joining the movement every day. People shared links, photos, and posts, although it slowly died down.
What is 100 Happy Days?
If you missed the 100 Happy Days movement and was wondering what it is: basically you document pictures from the day, write a little blurb about it, and repeat for a 100 days. Dmitry Golubnichy first stared this as a personal project to see if he could be happy for 100 days in a row. As he started trending on social media, however, his friends and friends of friends asked to join the project. It then became a big movement for everyone to join.
Once you finish 100 days, you can get your progress printed into a book so that you have a hard copy of your progress.
What are the Benefits?
Golubnichy said that people have told him that after joining the challenge, they've been more aware of the little things that make them happy on a daily basis, and in turn were in better moods. They had also noted that they receive more compliments from others, and that they've become more optimistic. People started to realize how lucky they are to have the life they have, and sometimes, they even fell in love with someone during the challenge.
This world-wide movement had challenged people to find something that make them happy every day, and helped them realize that one's attitude can determine one's emotions and feelings. Golublchiy even started an organization to promote happiness and to spread love- thanks to those who have benefited from this challenge and donated for others to find their happiness.
Problems?
But this challenge wasn't just happy and positive. Some have realized that because this challenge was on public platforms, they felt that everything seemed fake, as it was revolving around social media. They felt like they were posting for someone else, not for their own happiness. They also realized that some friends found it annoying, and accused the user of being obsessed with social media. Some even felt guilty at times to have forgotten to post a picture for the challenge.
Some found it difficult to find tangible forms of happiness that could be documented into pictures, as it's sometimes impossible to document a physical representation of happiness. Some found themselves unhappy as they were trying to figure out something concrete to post just so that they could complete the challenge, instead of feeling genuinely happy.
My Story
I personally joined the challenge on August 6th 2014, on tumblr. I chose tumblr because I didn't want to make my journey too public, and tumblr was perfect as not many people would know about my url (unlike Facebook or Instagram). I also wanted this project to be for myself, not for anyone else. I started by writing long blurbs about the day, so that I could remember exactly what happened during each day. I got lazy after some time, but realized that even if I don't write long descriptions of the day, I'd remember just by looking at the pictures.
I gave myself some leeway- because this was just for me, I sometimes posted pictures weeks after the actual day, and didn't feel the pressure to have to post daily. No one was forcing me to post, and it was my decision to continue with the challenge. Whenever I felt down, I looked through my posts, reminisced about the good, happy moments, and continued on.
I finished my 100 Happy Days challenge on November 13th, 2014. I felt triumphant, and significantly more happy than before. I had enjoyed my 100 days so much that I decided to continue on- and I have been doing so until even today. I am at over 1000 days, and although at times it feels like a chore, I am glad that I have continued on with the challenge, as it has really helped me be thankful for every day, no matter how big or small.
I personally don't know anyone who still does the challenge other than myself, but it really has been helpful for me. If you have been feeling down, or been needing some extra push, why not try this challenge? Just remember: this challenge is for you and you only- don't worry about what others might think!