*I took a picture of these flowers when my husband and I were on our second honeymoon in Carmel. It is an adventure that we saved up for three years to experience, and definitely a memory that will continue to give us smiles.
Psalm 9:1-2, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (NIV)
Do you ever have one of those days where you just want and need a little happiness boostage? Oh...before I continue...I do realize that boostage isn't a word. It really is just the kind of thing that I make up when I'm trying to make a point. and honestly, making up my own little bits of verbiage makes me pretty happy. Sometimes the right word just doesn't come to mind. When that happens, I like to create my own.
I guess we can start there. Within reason, it is always nice to do a little something that makes you happy. When you are typing a little something in a blog, letter or email, playing with the words you use can be just enough to give you a little snicker.
But I digress.
I had one of those days where I just really needed some smile time. It was one of those days where things just were not going as nicely as I had hoped they would. I woke up after having one of those dreams that was about as confusing as the television show "Lost" minus the entertainment, I hit the store to purchase items for my husband's lunch (frozen entrees for his lunch) only to leave them in my trunk over night (not great when the temperatures in the garage are probably hovering in the 90s, and for some reason, I just could not keep track of my cell phone. I kept locating it, but that constant sense of dread was really getting to me. I decided it was time to look up some things that could bring on some happiness.
There are many ways to find happiness in your day and ways to turn that frown upside down. I'm going to start with my faves.
1- Treat a friend - Banish the blues by treating a friend. A study in British Colombia found that people who spend as little as $5 on others are happier than those who splurge for yourself. By simply treating a friend to lunch or a cup of coffee, pleasure centers in the brain fire up that increase a feeling of connectedness and contentment. I just love the idea of becoming happy by making others happy. I think that is why we really can become cheerful givers. And isn't it nice that when you treat someone, you pretty much get a two-for-one special on happiness?
2- Spend your money on an experience rather than stuff. Another really great way to group happy is by spending spare money on experiences rather than on simply an item that in time will just grow old and lose its luster. By investing in experiences even simple ones, you supply yourself with a lifetime of happy times to look back on. Recalling those events brings the good feelings back again and again.
3- Smile your way to happy. I like this idea too. Sometimes you really just need to smile in order to improve the inside. I read of a study in Wales that people who couldn't frown because of Botox injections which made frowning harder to do actually felt happier and less anxious than those who could frown. Oh and just in case you think it is because they felt less wrinkly because of the Botox, they did not report feeling any more attractive. People tested by the Journal of Pain (yep there is a journal of pain) who were asked to make negative faces during a procedure expressed that they felt more pain than those who were asked to relax their faces. I think smiling naturally makes me feel a little better. I don't know if it is really true that you use less muscles in your face when you smile, but I know that a smile automatically makes me feel lighter.
4- Eat your way to happy. Of course I have to mention dark chocolate. Dark chocolate improves the blood-flow to your brain which will cause a boost in concentration and mood. You don't want to overdo it, but I do like that we can indulge a bit. So maybe we should really call this "Snack your way to happy." That way we are setting up some limits.
5- Baby pictures or baby animal pictures. There is something about babies and baby animals that just make you go all "oooh and ahhhhh" and let's face it, that makes us happy. Follow this LINK to The Design Inspiration and peruse their cute little baby animal pics, and walk away feeling lighter. :) And if you are like me, you will probably want to share some of these cuties with your friends, because who doesn't want to share a little happy? :)
6- Now this may be just me, but what do you think about skipping? I think that it is impossible to skip and not feel happy. Well, this could just work for us girls. I think it is because it causes you to just feel like a kid again.
7- Remember to be thankful. Having a true sense of gratitude for all the gifts that we have been blessed with definitely puts things in a happier perspective. I like to write down all the things that God has done for me. It really helps to pull me out of any pointless funk.
8- Forgiveness. Can forgiveness help you become more happy? Yes. The very act of letting go of grudges and hurts lightens our mental load and leaves us with a sense of contentment. It isn't always an easy task, but forgiveness truly will set you free. Recalling hurts is like continually recreating the pain. Forgiving provides us with the opportunity to focus instead on the good things that life can bring.
This is only a smattering of what I would suggest and what works for me. Do you have any secrets that you use to keep yourself in the pink?
No comments:
Post a Comment