A Dozen Ways to Add More Joy to Your life

Research has discovered that specific activities and attitudes are highly likely to enhance joy for the majority of people. Here is a list of a dozen things to try and boost your happiness quotient.

1. HAVE A GOOD LAUGH!

It’s next to impossible to feel crabby, anxious, or sad when you are experiencing a fit of the giggles. In fact, friendly laughter can help difuse a tense situation and bring people together. To promote laughter in your life, collect jokes and comic strips that tickle your funny bone, watch funny movies or online videos, and hang out with people who share your sense of humor and aren’t afraid to double over due to a good belly laugh once in a while.

2. CONNECT WITH OTHERS

Supportive relationships, be they family, friends, or coworkers, help reduce stress and increase personal satisfaction. Studies show that happier people engage in meaningful conversations while people who are generally unhappy often steer clear of any kind of connection or vulnerability. Book clubs, volunteering, or setting up get togethers with colleagues, family and friends expands our social circles and ups the odds that those connections that will make us smile.

3. SHARE YOUR CARING

Doing something for someone else makes us feel needed. It takes our minds off of whatever is troubling us and boosts our self-image because we’ve done something for someone else. Bringing soup to a sick friend, letting a car merge into traffic, holding a door open for the person behind you, donating blood, picking up trash in a local park, or volunteering at a food bank all deposits happiness into our hearts.

4. LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Focus your undivided attention on what you are experiencing right now. This mindfulness and attitude of acceptance is a powerful tool to weather life’s ups and downs with a sense of calm. Being present also makes us aware of all the little things that often go unnoticed: the soothing sound of rain on the roof, the smell of an orange, the unparalleled beauty of a fiery sunset. Eating mindfully allows you to savor your food. Listening mindfully allows you to truly hear and engage. Live in the here and now. The past is gone and tomorrow is only a promise.

5. MAKE TIME FOR PLAY

If all you ever do is work, do chores, run errands, then life quickly becomes dull, uninspiring and cumbersome. Playfulness is important at any age and encourages joy, creativity, and mental accuity. Jump rope, ride a roller coaster, play with Legos or jump on that Big Wheel you’ve had stashed in the garage since you were 7. Let your inner child out to play!

6. TAKE UP A HOBBY

Hobbies allow for relaxation and recharging of our spirit and mind. (It’s also a great way to connect with others who share the same interests). Studies show that people how engage in fun leisure activities have more positive emotions, greater satisfaction, and better social support. They also benefitted physically via lower blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Go sign up for that cooking or dance class, go kayaking or hiking, or write that mystery novel you’ve been putting off for years.

7. SEE THE BRIGHT SIDE

Foster optimism by looking at the silver lining in all situations, especially when the going gets really tough. Use positive instead of negative self talk. What you tell your self inside your head directly impacts your mood, attitude and often your health. So talk yourself into being upbeat!

8. PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Noticing and being grateful for the people, things, opportunities and experiences in our lives can lift spirits and dispel negative thinking and poor attitudes. Keeping a gratitude journal of those things for which we are appreciative helps create an attitude of gratitude. And be sure to share that appreciation with others: smile, say thank you, send cards, give hugs. When you feel gratitude, hand it out liberally!

9. STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

Exercise and physical activity is as good for our mind and emotional well-being as it is for our body. It reduces stress hormones, increases blood flow to the brain, and stimulates ‘feel-good’ hormones.

10. GET BACK TO NATURE

Surround yourself whenever possible with the sights, smells, and sounds of nature. Ever notice how much more fun it is to walk outside than on a treadmill at the gym? Nature is a perfect stress reducer and mood lifter. Even when we can’t get outside due to weather or illness, gazing out a window at a garden or the sky can brighten our mood.

11. IMAGINE SERENITY

When a vacation isn’t possible, we can still find moments of peace wherever we are. Turn off technological devices, find a secluded, comfy spot and settle in. Close your eyes and visualize yourself in your ‘happy place’, making the experience as real as possible. Imagine sights, sounds, smells…really go there in your mind’s eye. Feel the sand between your toes, the warm water lapping around your ankles, the tropical breeze against your skin. Ahhh……

12. BOUNCE BACK STRONG

Even the happiest person will encounter occasional down times. Being resilient, the ability to rebound successfully from a problem or setback, keeps us from getting stuck in that place of sadness or disappointment. It’s accepting that change and mistakes are part of life, challenges can be overcome, and life can and will go on it you allow it.

 

Play, be serene, bounce back, connect, be grateful, laugh, live in the moment, share….and you will soon find yourself with an abundance of happiness.

Excerpts taken from Guide to Healthy Living, January 2012