The Happiness Quest
by Michelle Burford
Inhale, exhale
Get cozy in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and breathe in through your nose for five seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth. Can't spare the full 15 minutes? Just five minutes of intentional breathing is enough to release tension from our bodies and lower blood pressure.
Savor other people's happiness
"Happiness is contagious," says Lama Choyin Rangdrol, an African-American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. "Celebrate other people's joy and accomplishments as though they are your own. Join the party of happiness as a way of jump-starting and maintaining your own happiness."
Turn off the small screen
Your television is one of the biggest joy stealers. A 2008 University of Maryland study showed that the unhapppiest people watch six or more hours of television each day. Not only does the barrage of advertising leave you yearning for things you don't have, but the time spent cradling the remote robs you of simple everyday experiences that can tip your happy meter. Instead of sitting on the sofa watching other folks having fun, go out and find your own. Even an activity as simple as putting on your shoes ande going for an afternoon stroll is a step in the right direction. Even better, take a class in something you love or join a group that will force you to engage in an enjoyable activity outside your home consistently.
Forget the gym, head for the outdoors
A good mood may be only minutes away, but you're going to have to leave the house to get it. According to researchers at England's University of Essex, light exercise done in a natural environment such as a park, outside by a lake or even in the backyard-elevated both mood and self-esteem in participants. The best news? You don't need to work out for hours to reap the rewards.
Give what you can
When you're broke, it might seem counterintutive that offering a hand-or even a couple of dollars-can lift your spirits.
Retreat
Stepping away from your everyday can help you gain perspective by giving you the me time you need to relax and refocus. Think quiet countrysides or serene beaches, not clubs and bars. The idea is to be in a place that allows you to tune in to yourself. Can't manage to swing the next flight to Jamaica? Take a day off from work for a home retreat. "Carve out a period to do absolutely nothing."
Star in your own music video Go a head and pump up the volume, preferably while using your hairbrush as a mic or belting out your best shower solo. Better yet-get up and dance. Whether you choose to Zumba or simpyly to bust a move in your living room, you'll experience an immediate lift. That's because activities like singing and dancing power up your mood by boosting the level of the feel good hormone serotonin in your brain.
Declare your love
Experts say the single greatest predictor of joy is also one of the simplest: building and maintaining strong bonds with family and friends. Call up three people and tell them how much you love them, then go ahead and explain exactly what you so enjoy about their presence in your life.
Pray
That's right. You can pray yourself happy. According to 2006 Pew Research report, a spiritual practice even an occasional one, can reset your mood. When we surrender our problems to a higher power, we free ourselves from an enormous emotional weight.
Pack your personal happiness kit
"You know that you're going to hava a down day at some point," says Bonnie St.John's, author of How Strong Women Pray and Live Your Joy. "Why not prepare a first aid kit for your emotions? Fill a box or a bag with things that you know will cheer you up."
Squeeze in your Z's
"Tired people are unhappy people." says professor and clinical psychologist Dr.Angela Neil-Barnett of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. "A lack of sleep places individuals at higher risk for depression and anxiety." So make sure you get eight to nine hours of shut-eye each night. For tips visit http://www.sleepbetter.org/
Create thinking space When you finally take on that mile-high stack of papers you've been avoiding, your sense of accomplishment will send up the needle on you joy-o-meter. Set an alarm to do just five minutes of work at a time. For decluttering ideas browse www.flylady.net
Do only the next necessary thing
Some of our unhappiness from reviewing events we can't go back and fix, or worrying about what might befall us next year. Stop bracing for the worst and just do what is in front of you today. As writer Mark Twain once noted: "I've lived through some terrible things in my life-some of which actually happened."
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