Not only is meditating helpful in reducing anxiety and depression, but it will also help keep you grounded. And did we mention its health benefits? YouTube has a number of free meditations to follow, or you can download an app like Calm or even Peloton for a selection of meditations.
We become more satisfied when we focus on what is good and right in our lives. Maybe you had a really delicious coffee, or a great phone call with a loved one, or a low-key day full of your favorite TV shows. No matter what, carve out time to spend with family and friends because these will be the people who will always have your back. When we are compassionate and caring toward others, we end up becoming happier in our own lives. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, mentor at-risk youth, or simply help out a family member or friend.
Additionally, the act of helping others can also make us feel better about ourselves—and there may be specific [benefits] to doing it for free or without anything expected in return. Yes, a trip to the gym is always good, but working out in fresh air is even better.
Benton says research indicates that simply being outdoors makes us happier. Try walking, biking, or really anything that will just get you moving.
More importantly, exercise keeps our body and mind healthy. Such activities include creating something, participating in sports, cooking, writing, playing music, knitting, fishing, sailing, and so much more. Flow is when we forget about ourselves and our own egos and are completely focused on the experience, according to Benton.
It can be difficult, but you should prioritize finding a career that you genuinely enjoy for the most part. No excuses—you should try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. A few hours before bed, you can read a book instead of scrolling through your phone, take a warm bath with soothing Epsom salts, drink a warm cup of tea, or write in your daily gratitude journal. Helliwell, J. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes, darken the room, or stare out the window if you prefer.
Let your mind wander — truly wander — and see where it takes you. With time, your mind will get used to this new freedom.
They might sound cliche, but self-dates can be a powerful tool for learning how to be happy alone. Not sure what to do? Where would you take them? What would you want them to see or experience? Now, take yourself on that date.
Still sounds too daunting? Start small by sitting in a coffee shop for just 10 minutes. Be observant and soak in your surroundings. Exercise helps release endorphins, those neurotransmitters in your brain that can make you feel happier. Increase your activity by a minute or two each day. As you gain confidence, try weight training , aerobics , or sports.
Yes, another cliche. But seriously, get outside. Lounge in the backyard, take a walk in the park, or hang out by the water. Absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. Feel the breeze on your face.
Research shows that 30 minutes or more a week spent in nature can improve symptoms of depression and lower blood pressure.
Some people find it especially difficult to be happy while living alone. But living solo also has its perks naked vacuuming, anyone? Try to take advantage of the physical and mental space that comes with living alone:. There are so many ways to volunteer your time in service of others. You can volunteer in person or help out remotely from home.
Either way, helping others can make you feel good. Plus, it can help you feel connected to others while still getting in some quality alone time. Research volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood. Research shows that gratefulness can boost feelings of happiness and hopefulness. They can be as simple as that first cup of java in the morning or song you play over and over because it calms your nerves.
Make a list — mental or physical — of the things in your life that you appreciate. Far from seeing the drudgery of their jobs, the janitors had unofficially broadened the definition of hospital custodial work. Many of them viewed their work as including providing comfort to patients, helping families find their way around the hospital and providing a clean, pleasant environment for doctors and nurses to do their work and for patients to heal.
Even people who do telephone solicitation — viewed by many as the bottom of the career ladder — can find satisfaction in work. Wharton professor Adam Grant arranged for a student to talk about the difference his scholarship made to his life. In a column about Why You Hate Work , Christine Porath, a Georgetown associate professor, and Tony Schwartz, chief executive of a consulting firm called The Energy Project , found that the jobs that make us happiest are those that include four characteristics: renewal, value, focus and purpose.
When you are deciding how to spend your money, consider buying some more time. Harvard researchers found that spending money on convenience items and time-saving services help can lower stress and make us happier. The time-savers had less time-related stress and a bigger increase in well-being.
But even very wealthy people can sometimes feel reluctant and guilty about the indulgence of spending money on maids, messengers and other helpers. But do it anyway if you can afford it. Giving yourself the gift of more time, if you can afford it, is a quick and convenient way to a happier life. Take control of your time at work. Being kind to others is a proven path toward happiness.
Generosity makes people happier. As we noted earlier, generosity is one of the six variables found to consistently influence happiness in the World Happiness Report.
And several studies have found that people who behaved generously were happier compared to people who made selfish decisions.
In fact, just thinking about being generous and kind triggers a happiness reaction in our brains. Half of the people were told to spend the money on themselves. The other half was instructed to spend the money on someone they knew. The groups went through a series of exercises making decisions about how much money to give away in various scenarios.
While the study subjects were making these decisions, the scientists were measuring brain activity in the parts of the brain where generosity, happiness and decision-making are processed. The researchers found that simply promising to be generous activated neural changes related to happiness. And the more generous people were happier overall than those who behaved more selfishly. You will be glad you did.
Most of us want to give. This guide helps you come up with answers to all those questions and set a plan for giving that works for you. Volunteering is linked to health benefits like lower blood pressure and decreased mortality rates. We also know that volunteering builds your resilience — your ability to bounce back from trauma, grief and other small and big setbacks in life. A University of Exeter study found that volunteering is essentially a prescription for happiness that can prolong your life and make your years on earth better in many ways.
After reviewing 40 studies on volunteerism, the researchers found that volunteering was associated with less depression, more life satisfaction and greater well being.
In five large studies of volunteerism, volunteers had a 22 percent lower mortality rate during the study period. But overall, the evidence supports a strong link between giving and happiness, and that includes giving your time to others. That simple question is the basis for a burgeoning new area of psychological research called self-compassion — how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others, it turns out, often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests, berating themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.
People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Neff has developed a self-compassion scale to help people measure their own levels of compassion for themselves. Take this mini-test to see if you are hard on yourself or more likely to give yourself a break. Use a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being "less likely to feel that way" and 5 being "very likely to feel that way.
If your higher scores were in questions six to 10, then you are doing a pretty good job of practicing self compassion. For those low on the self-compassion scale, Dr. Neff suggests a set of exercises — like writing yourself a letter of support, just as you might to a friend you are concerned about. Listing your best and worst traits, reminding yourself that nobody is perfect and thinking of steps you might take to help you feel better about yourself are also recommended.
Tara Parker-Pope is the founding editor of Well, an award-winning consumer health site with news and features to help readers live well every day. Twitter: nytimeswell. Mind Happiness often comes from within. Conquer Negative Thinking All humans have a tendency to be a bit more like Eeyore than Tigger, to ruminate more on bad experiences than positive ones. Or feelings? Controlled Breathing Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real.
Rewrite Your Story Writing about oneself and personal experiences — and then rewriting your story — can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. I am having a hard time making friends in a new city. Money is a challenge but you can take steps to get yourself into financial shape.
Everyone struggles in their first year in a new city. Give it some time. Join some groups. Focus on meeting new people and having fun. The rest will follow. Couples argue. Get Moving When people get up and move, even a little, they tend to be happier than when they are still. Practice Optimism Optimism is part genetic, part learned. Get Up and Move. It May Make You Happier.
January 25, Home Where you live — the country, the town, your neighborhood and your home — all have an effect on your overall happiness. Finding Your Happy Place Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.
Choosing a Happy Community What factors make a community a place where people are happy? Openness : People are happy when they live in a community that is welcoming to all.
Beauty : Living in a scenic, picturesque or charming community, with lots of trees and green space, makes people happier. Social opportunities : When a community is designed to foster social connections — restaurants, community spaces, sidewalks, trails and other public spaces — people are happier.
Make it as orderly as you can. Neatening up your workspace and getting rid of stuff you don't need will make you feel calmer and more in control, she says. But don't limit yourself to just decluttering. Take it seriously. That's very unhealthy and unloving," Schwartz says. Try to work in a place where you have access to natural light, she advises. If that's not possible, invest in full-spectrum light bulbs. Either way, make sure to get outside for a walk as often as you can. Does this sound like you?
If you're bringing a bag of coffee to someone else, you pick out a luxury brand in a nice package, but if you're buying it for yourself, you pick the store brand or another inexpensive option. That's fine if you're one of these people to whom all coffees taste alike.
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