Media - 100 Ways to Be Happy: Simple Tips and Tricks to Brighten Up Your Day

100 Ways to Be Happy

Simple Tips and Tricks to Brighten Your Day

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

What is it that makes you happy and contented? Although happiness and life satisfaction are relatively new areas of psychology study, research suggests that its not external objects like cars, luxury homes, and all the must-have gadgets money can buy that make people happy, but rather internal factors like good health and an optimistic, hopeful outlook.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the eighteenth-century playwright, had nine requisites for a happy, contented life. First was health, in order to make work a pleasure. Then came wealth to support ones needs. Other factors in his list included strength to deal with difficulty, grace to confess and abandon sin, patience, charity, love, faith, and hope.

What does it take for you to feel that things are going well and that you are flourishing? These are ideas worth examining, for the answers reveal how you can have a happier life. Weve put together 100 different ways you can explore happiness in your own life through simple activities, thoughts, and actions.

If you want to find happiness and add years to your life, think happy thoughts. When you choose positive thoughts over negative ones, you are more likely to develop an optimistic outlook on life. According to happiness researchers such as Martin E. P. Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, positive people generally have higher levels of optimism and life satisfaction and live longer. In a BBC News report, Dr. Seligman was quoted as saying that he believed that we have compelling evidence that optimists and pessimists will differ markedly in how long they live. Dr. Fredrickson has counseled that changing your mindset can change your body chemistry. She has stated that positive feelings literally can open the heart and mind. And theres more good news. Even if you arent normally a happy person, thinking happy thoughts is a skill that can be learned. Work on being open, being an optimist, choosing to think positive thoughts, and seeing the proverbial glass half full rather than half empty. The next time you are in line at the post office and someone cuts in front of you or says something rude, resist the urge to respond with anger, which can clamp down your blood vessels and increase your blood pressure. Instead, return rudeness with kindness and respect. Keep that positive vibe going through your intentions and actions in whatever you do. The more frequently you choose to be happy, the more your effort will be strengthened. So dont fret; be happy and live longer.

Force yourself to smile. Try it; its not that difficult. Now hold it for a count of ten and deepen it. Mentally affirm, I am happy, totally, blissfully happy. Notice how your mood begins to shift. You cant help but feel a little lighter. Use your smile to start a happiness epidemic. Smile at everyone, everywhere. People are hardwired to respond to the facial expressions they encounter. If you glower at someone, that person will return a frown, but your smile will evoke a smile. Youll feel happier, too, because your body responds to your smile, even if you are faking the grin. So fake it until you genuinely feel happy. Once you know it works, do it often.

You praise your children, your friends, your coworkers, and your spouse whenever they accomplish something praiseworthy, so why not give yourself a one-minute praising for your own achievements? Youre not being a braggart or egotistical when you acknowledge some wonderful task or breakthrough you made during your day. You undoubtedly work very hard and probably accomplish much that no one but you recognizes. If you finally played a complicated piano libretto all the way through or found an ingenious way to increase the family budget, tell yourself how wonderfully brilliant and accomplished you are. Bask in the glory of that moment. You deserve it.

Focus on your thinking at the start of every day. Are your thoughts already racing through your to-do list? Are they jumping from one subject to another through thought associations? Did a troubling dream leave you anxious or angry or fearful upon awakening? If you answered yes to any of those questions, spend ten minutes before you even get out of bed doing a mental check-in. Take deep breaths and be aware of your entire body. Feel anchored and centered in it. Quiet your mind. Think positive thoughts. Dial out the emotions of bad dreams and the anxieties associated with the day ahead. Relax into peace. The world can wait for ten minutes.

You can never go back to previous moments or past events. Once you have moved through them, they are forever gone. Whatever is in the past that haunts you or makes you sad or fearful necessarily stays there. It cannot be undone. If some past event or encounter still bothers you, do what you can to process through it and let it go. You alone give it the power it has over you. Release it and instead focus on the present moment. Be mindful right now of where you are, who you are, and what you are doing. Paying attention to and being fully present in each moment of your life means you truly will be showing up for your life. That is the way to happiness.

Create an area in your home that can serve as a sanctuary for yoga, prayer, writing in your journal, sipping tea, reading, and reflecting. Make your sacred space private. Add a screen, a large plant, a curtain, or something that defines and separates that space from the rest of the house. Add a small table to hold your spiritual texts, sacred objects, candles, incense, holy oil, or prayer beads. A window or door with a view of a lake or garden is an added bonus. Otherwise hang a piece of silk, a batik, or spiritual art. Regularly retreat to your sanctuary to reconnect with your own inner joy.

When was the last time you tried to understand a bias you hold toward something or someone? If its been a while, now might be the right time to revisit your beliefs. Growing up, many people consciously and unconsciously absorb the biases of their family members, associates, friends, and peers. When you let go of intolerant biases and recognize and respect the beliefs of others, you are practicing tolerance. Consider one or more of the beliefs you still hold. Perhaps your beloved grandmother told you that things would never change or the father you respected taught you not to trust anyone who didnt look or talk like you. Think for yourself. Using truth and fact, compassion and understanding, create a new lens for seeing bias. Visit www.tolerance.org.