Members,
Through her research, positivity psychologist, Sonja Lyubomirsky,
distinguished certain habits that happy people do differently to
increase their sense of happiness and well-being. These are things that
we can apply in our own lives to benefit from the effects of increased
happiness in our lives every day:
Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you
have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being
grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will
bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go
out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time
ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their
own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the
chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She
knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from
life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed
with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to
someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the
person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense
of superiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes
out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves
to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all
the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of
the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy
place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare
yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases
serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS
health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly
helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s
even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel
better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How
extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of
serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job
of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over
Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet
are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know
studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re
lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an
active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with.
We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our
lonesome existence.
Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’
moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s
inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up
with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up
toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping
pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for
your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between
past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re
continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away
at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism
(technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like
time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing
that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged.
You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged
in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or
competing for your focus.
Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing
down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and
omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences.
When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s
the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember
to fully experience them.
Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing
something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things
start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to
get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have
no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option –
where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier
because they know part of their purpose.
Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion,
we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea
that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the
source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that
exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re
here doing work they’re “called to do.”
Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to
being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical
energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your
emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your
purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies
conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent
exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only
that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who
participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a
higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.
Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living. Retrieved from:
http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/08/30/12-things-happy-people-do-differently/. Retrieved on March 26, 2012
Samantha, Health Educator