To Be Happy at Home

Questions to ask myself when I start to feel overwhelmed/bored/stressed/stir-crazy:

1.  Have I taken care of first things first?  Have I prayed, studied the scriptures, showered?  I can't always do those things first, because sometimes I am needed before I have had time to properly prepare for the day, but I find that when I do them as soon as I can, they make all the difference in how my day goes.

2.  Have I done my duty?  Am I caught up with cleaning/dishes/laundry/meals?  Have I spent quality time with my children, encouraged my husband?  Am I putting my best energies into these relationships that matter most?  President Monson said, "Happiness is found in the path of our duty."  I have tested that and found it to be true.  I don't find happiness by running away (though sometimes I feel like it).  I find true happiness by doing my duty more fully, with my whole heart. 

3.  Is there someone I can serve?  Taking an opportunity to make a phone call or visit to someone who needs it can take my mind off my own problems and put things back into perspective, plus it just makes me happy to make someone else happy.

4.  Is there something I can learn, some way I can improve?  Taking a class or learning a new skill (when the opportunity arises and the time is right) or developing my talents can work wonders for me when I start feeling stagnant. 

I know that true, lasting happiness and contentment are found when I give my time and attention to those things that matter most.  I know that God wants us to be happy, and He will help us when we do what He has already asked us to do, wholeheartedly.  I think that is true whatever our circumstances are.