“Happy” is a relative term, but something we all seek. There is a Tibetan saying: “Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for the sunshine in a cave facing North.” Contentment is a skill that can be practiced and learned. You can get better at it every day. Here are four things that have been proven to boost the mood. Try doing these on a regular basis.
Do one totally unexpected nice thing for someone else each day. If you have roommates, whether they be friends or family, do something nice that they won’t see coming. Try doing something that will not benefit you at all, but is an act of kindness that is completely for someone else. Doing a kindness has been found to produce the single most reliable momentary increase in well being of any other exercise that has been tested.
Write down three things that went well during the day and why. This has been scientifically proven to boost the mood even for someone who is clinically depressed. It may feel odd at first, but anything new usually does. Writing daily will help integrate it into your routine. Doing this exercise can help you refocus on the positive and reflect on what went well during your day instead of the bad. After a while, you’ll learn to zero in on the positive instead of the negative, reaching for things to write down. This will help you find the good throughout your day.
Making gratitude dates are best done as a surprise and in person. Choose a friend who has helped you or positively influenced you in some way and ask them to meet you. Tell them why you are thankful for them. You will notice a change in your mood and theirs. Science tells us relationships are the key to a fulfilled life, so start strengthening those relationships with gratitude dates.
Look at the big picture and break it down. Research shows that goal setting is associated with happiness. What do you want your life to look like? Take the time to really think it through and then write it down. Then break it down into small achievable goals. One Psychologist suggests that people who wrote about their visions showed an increase in positive mood. They were happier several weeks later and even reported fewer physical ailments.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.” Les Brown
This is great it is very difficult to be happy sometimes especially with some of the stuff that goes on in society these days. Writing down things that make you happy and things you are thankful for is a great way to stay focused on what is important. Thank you for posting this I am glad to see that other people out there are thinking about this as well.