All of us know someone who always seems to be happy. Sometimes you wish you can be like that but sometimes it annoys you to no end that he/she is so happy and you almost wish something bad happens. Let’s face it, it’s not easy being a grown up and walking around happy all day certainly take effort.
As I was waiting in the doctor’s office yesterday, flipping through magazines, I came across an article about happiness from Ladies’ Home Journal magazine (lhj.com): Here are 4 happiness habits shared from deeply happy people. Courtesy of authors of Happy for No Reason.
1. Don’t believe everything you think
· Here are some facts: we have 60,000 thoughts a day
· 95% of those thoughts are the same as yesterday, and the day before
What’s worse is that majority of our thoughts are negative. Bad news. Having negative thoughts stimulate areas in our brain that involves depression and anxiety. One thing to remember is that our thoughts are not always true. We are hardwired for negativity (especially girls). Casing point: if you receive 10 compliments and 1 criticism, what do you remember?
2. Take time out to smell the flowers
We all get busy in our daily routines and often the little good things are overlooked. It’s time to change that. Try to notice every little good thing that you see, feel, taste, hear and smell. This intention activates the reticular activating system (RAS). I am no doc but according to magazine (which sited from doc research), RAS is a group of cells at the base of the brainstem that is responsible for activating your memory system, allowing it to bring important things to your attention.
Have you ever shopped for a car and suddenly noticed all the same cars on the road? Well, that’s RAS at work. So, you can use it to be happier. When is the last time you take a moment to watch the sunset?
3. Think Positive
Next time you are faced with an issue, try to think of it as glass being half full instead of half empty. Find the good side of things and lean on it. Being optimistic can work wonders. So if you are running late, instead of saying ‘ I don’t want to be late!’, say ‘ I am going to be on time’.
4. Appreciate those around us
It is a fact that having good social relationships is one of the key contributor to happiness. For women, these relationships may be more important. (ie. This explains why sometimes I am tired of hearing my own voice when I have yak-fest with one of my friends about whatever issue of the day). The more women engaging in bonding activities, the more oxytocin they release, producing a calming effect and therefore lowering stress. Besides, it feels good to appreciate our loved ones. Doesn’t it feel good to tell them that you love them or is thankful of them? Try it!
5. Find your Passion:
Think about what you love. What is it that you do recharge your inner battery. For me, it is anything to do with people. I am passionate about people and love to learn about their history and culture. It fascinates me and I always walk away with one more learning. For that, I know that my job needs to be around people.
Incorporate your passion into your daily lives. It’s not hard, simply follow your heart!
Tiptoid:
Try to avoid things or people that make you unhappy. Surround yourself with people that make you feel good and things that make you happy. For me, my biggest fan is my fiancé. He always seems to lift me up when I am grumpy.
ps. It’s 1am now and he is sitting in front of me playing his games waiting for me to finish my blog so that we can go to bed together. He doesn’t know it but those are the little things that make my heart smile J
Good night!
Mother, may I?
