Keep Smiling!
It is true that we’re constantly stressed and pressed for time, we often forget to appreciate life’s smaller pleasures, and it is precisely this that’s keeping us feeling down. There are still many things we can do to induce happiness by learning again to love everything that makes life worth living. Here’s some of it:
Learning to re-discover the small pleasures of life, it is a known fact that we get easily bored when doing the same activity, even if we enjoy it very much. For instance, having a piece of chocolate that “tastes gorgeous” can be a wonderful experience but chances are we won’t even feel its taste if we go through the entire bar in one single serving. This also applies to most things we enjoy, be they food or not, which is why we should make a list of all of them, focusing on how they make us feel as we’re doing them.
Doing acts of random kindness and sharing a smile everyday are also two things that are guaranteed mood boosters. Positive psychologists have found that one of the most effective strategies to lift people from depression is for them to help others. As social beings, we’re hardwired to get a reward of feel good hormones in return for a positive act towards others. It’s easy to forget this in the day-to-day chaos of life, but if you set yourself the goal of performing an act of random kindness for the benefit of a stranger, it will leave you feeling better about yourself for hours.
As far as smiling is concerned, “researchers have found that our expressions cause us to feel the way we look – so smiling increases our happiness whatever our prevailing mood, and sharing our smile makes it even stronger. With all this, people rarely smile these days or, if they do, they don’t actually mean it. Smiling and getting others to do the same can have an extraordinary effect on our wellbeing, so perhaps it’s about time we started doing that more, the hypnotherapist says.
Saying three thank you us a day should also have the same effect. However, this is not about the casual, polite “thank you,” but it should mean us showing our true appreciation towards another human being. Doing so would reinforce the bonds with those around us, while also conveying our feelings towards them by telling them that we know and consequently appreciate what they’re doing for us.
The “me time” as an ideal option to chasing the blues away, we are often too busy to look after ourselves properly, but most people feel a real boost by focusing on what pleases them. Set aside 30 minutes, at least once a week, when everyone else comes second and you focus on something that brings you pleasure. Too much pursuit of pleasure soon brings diminishing returns, but gets the balance right and it will be a precious part of a happy life.
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