It dawned on me the other day how important happy habits are, and how the small rituals we weave into our life can cocoon us like a warm comforter.

Six months ago, I moved from Brisbane to a small country town. Although this change was my idea, it made me fearful. I suddenly realised many of the happy habits I had built around my life would now be left behind – my regular latte at a favourite café, a 10-minute walk to the movies to escape life for a while and Saturday visits to a local market with my husband.

Each one of these habits were valuable ‘deposits into my happiness account’ and I didn’t realise, until I left them all behind, how crucial they were to my wellbeing.

Establishing a new life in the country, looking for a new job and being away from family and friends has been challenging. But gradually life has taken on a new rhythm, filled with an array of different happy habits.

I now do my workouts among the birds and the trees and delight in new bird calls or how seasonal change is revealing plants in the garden I didn’t even know I had. I have a new job, and because I can work from home, I enjoy lunch outdoors with the sun on my back while watching the horses next door drink from the dam. Wednesday and Saturday have become ‘Chai with my Guy’ days because at the end of my morning walk, I meet my husband at our local café where I treat myself to the most delicious chai latte.