It is not news to anyone reading this: working in a library is hard. Doing any kind of public-facing customer service work is always hard, and right now a lot of things are coming together to make it more complicated.

We can’t fix that for you. Sorry.

But this semester, we are going to provide small weekly stress-management/happiness builder ideas. They aren’t going to make all your issues magically solve themselves. But, everyone can use a reminder to take a step back and breathe.

Take a moment today, and find the good thing around you. No matter how your day is going, there is something that is good that happened, or that you saw, or even that you heard about.

Be active in noticing this moment. Some days have lots of them, some only have one. Notice it. Remind yourself that you are fortunate to have had this good thing happen today.

It sounds like a small thing. It is a small thing. But you, and your brain, will get used to notice something good, and telling yourself you are grateful for that good thing.