How to get Happy

Happy people:

• They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those 
• relationships.
• They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
• They are often the first to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
• They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
• They savor life’s pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
• They make physical exercise a weekly and even daily habit.
• They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions (e.g., fighting fraud, building 
• cabinets, or teaching their children their deeply held values).
• Last but not least, the happiest people do have their share of stresses, crises, and even 
• tragedies. They may become just as distressed and emotional in such circumstances as you or I, 
• but their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in coping in the face of challenge

or,

1. Practice mindfulness. Be in the moment. Instead of worrying about your checkup tomorrow 

while you have dinner with your family, focus on the here and now — the food, the company, the 

conversation.

2. Laugh out loud. Just anticipating a happy, funny event can raise levels of endorphins and 

other pleasure-inducing hormones and lower production of stress hormones. Researchers at the 

University of California, Irvine, tested 16 men who all agreed they thought a certain videotape 

was funny. Half were told three days in advance they would watch it. They started experiencing 

biological changes right away. When they actually watched the video, their levels of stress 

hormones dropped significantly, while their endorphin levels rose 27 percent and their growth 

hormone levels (indicating benefit to the immune system) rose 87 percent.

3. Go to sleep. We have become a nation of sleep-deprived citizens. Taking a daily nap or 

getting into bed at 8 p.m. one night with a good book — and turning the light out an hour later 

— can do more for your mood and outlook on life than any number of bubble baths or massages.

4. Hum along. Music soothes more than the savage beast. Studies find music activates parts of 

the brain that produce happiness — the same parts activated by food or sex. It’s also relaxing. 

In one study older adults who listened to their choice of music during outpatient eye surgery 

had significantly lower heart rates, blood pressure, and cardiac workload (that is, their heart 

didn’t have to work as hard) as those who had silent surgery.

5. Declutter. It’s nearly impossible to meditate, breathe deeply, or simply relax when every 

surface is covered with papers and bills and magazines, your cabinets bulge, and you haven’t 

balanced your checkbook in six months. Plus, the repetitive nature of certain cleaning tasks — 

such as sweeping, wiping, and scrubbing — can be meditative in and of itself if you focus on 

what you’re doing.

6. Just say no. Eliminate activities that aren’t necessary and that you don’t enjoy. If there 

are enough people already to handle the church bazaar and you’re feeling stressed by the 

thought of running the committee for yet another year, step down and let someone else handle 

things.

7. Make a list. There’s nothing like writing down your tasks to help you organize your thoughts 

and calm your anxiety. Checking off each item provides a great sense of fulfillment.

8. Do one thing at a time. Edward Suarez, Ph.D., associate professor of medical psychology at 

Duke, found that people who multitask are more likely to have high blood pressure. Take that 

finding to heart. Instead of talking on the phone while you fold laundry or clean the kitchen, 

sit down in a comfortable chair and turn your entire attention over to the conversation. 

Instead of checking e-mail as you work on other projects, turn off your e-mail function until 

you finish the report you’re writing. This is similar to the concept of mindfulness.

9. Garden. Not only will the fresh air and exercise provide their own stress reduction and 

feeling of well-being, but the sense of accomplishment that comes from clearing a weedy patch, 

watching seeds turn into flowers, or pruning out dead wood will last for hours, if not days.

10. Tune out the news. For one week go without reading the newspaper, watching the news, or 

scanning the headlines online. Instead, take a vacation from the misery we’re exposed to every 

day via the media and use that time for a walk, a meditation session, or to write in your 

journal.

(Read more: www.rd.com/health/wellness/20-simple-ways-to-get-happy/#ixzz35RusQO3F)

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