5 steps to being happy – International Day of Happiness

Today is the International Day of Happiness, so I thought I’d reflect on how I’ve been feeling lately. Let’s face the facts: Life is stressful, terrible things happen in our world and many things just seem so awful and unfair! I know the cold, dark British winters don’t really help my mood either. However, I try to always remember that I can still feel happy despite all of these things. “How to be happy?” you ask. Well, here are my 5 tips that I follow when I feel myself getting depressed.

1.    Do something that makes you happy

You’ll probably feel a lot happier if you do something you enjoy! Whether it’s taking a nice relaxing bath, reading a book, rocking out, going for a bike ride or doing some crafts, spending some time on yourself always feels good. Activities which involve going outside seem to be particularly happiness-boosting.

2.    Spend time with someone that you enjoy spending time with

Who do you enjoy spending time with and who makes you feel happy when you spend time with them? I’ve often visited my Nan when I’ve been feeling down, as she’s so funny and always knows just how to put a smile on my face. I also love spending time with baby Autumn and my husband, Dave. Dave’s cuddles are fantastic and Autumn’s little smiles just light up my world!

3.    Do something for charity

Raising money to help others always makes me feel good, as I love helping others! Doing something to help a charity is such a valuable use of your time, whether it’s through volunteering or doing a fundraising event. In the past, I’ve volunteered, organised fundraising days, cut my hair for the Little Princess Trust and done the Race for Life. I’ve helped others and been left absolutely buzzing afterwards!

4.    Eat some good food

Well, eating chocolate really helps to do the trick for me! It actually has happiness boosting chemicals in it. If you love food as much as my husband and I do though, I’m sure that any food you enjoy will be sure to cheer you up!

5.    Smile

When you smile, it releases serotonin, endorphins and dopamine. These are chemicals in your brain which make you feel happy! Not only that, but smiles are contagious. If you smile at someone it’s likely that they’ll smile too! It’s so easy to spread a little happiness.

I remember being bored at my Saturday job as a teenager and feeling quite down. I thought I’d conduct an experiment and gave everyone a huge smile when they got to my till. Only one person didn’t smile back all afternoon. However, I managed to make one woman smile who had seemed really miserable when she came to my counter. Although she had crooked teeth and wasn’t most people’s idea of pretty, she had one of the biggest, most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen!

You see, it is simple to help to unlock someone else’s happiness and you can do simple things to unlock yours too. If you really think about it, there is at least one thing in your life every day that makes you happy, no matter how simple it is. Although it may seem insignificant, it isn’t. If you try to focus on these things, you should soon find yourself a lot more happy and appreciative of life. Go on, try it!

What makes you feel happy? Let me know in the comments below!

Oh, and happy International Day of Happiness!

21 thoughts on “5 steps to being happy – International Day of Happiness”

  1. Hope you have a very happy day! My daughter was allowed to go to school in clothes which make her happy 🙂 When I took my son to playgrouo his key worker was in a Santa dress as it makes her happy!! 😀

  2. All the points above are so true…doing what you love, doing a good deed for others, spending time with your family and friends all make for some real smiles! Lovely happy read!
    #MarvMondays

  3. This post has made me happy:). I definitely agree we all need to try and make more to time to do the things we enjoy and spend time with those that make us happy, life can be so busy and stressful it can be all too easy to forget these things and our happiness suffers because of it. Lovely post xx #postsfromtheheart

  4. Happy International Day of Happiness. I hoped you’ve had a lovely day. These tips are brilliant, especially the smile tip. Even if you feel a bit down, smiling more can lift your spirits. Lovely post ☺ #marvmondays

  5. These are some very good steps. Unfortunately with full time work and blogging I dont get much down time but I do love my blog so i get i’m doing something that makes me happy all at once! #PostsFromTheHeart

  6. Yes to all of these and love your smiling experiment, I’m always smiling at people and went right up to a mum who often seems shy to chat to her today. I want everyone to feel happy and included. Thanks for brightening up my day x

  7. It’s the small things in life isn’t it that can make us so happy – just reading a book in peace is joy for me. Good to be reminded of some of these things #postsfromtheheart

  8. Its always the simple things that bring us back to a happy space – like you say it could be a book, some food, some cuddles or doing something good to make someone else happy. Thanks for the reminder, it’s so easy to lose track sometimes of those simple, happy things x

  9. Such a lovely post, with really lovely idea for happiness. I am a great believer in happiness breeding happiness so totally agree with all of your suggestions. Thank you so much for reminding all of us at #PostsFromTheHeart of the importance of the little things in life.

  10. Chocolate definitely makes me happy. 😀 Btw, Great article!
    When I wake up in the morning, I start my day by feeling thankful for the little things, my home, delicious breakfast, a warm drink, my children’s beautiful smiles. There may be elements of my morning that I want to change but focusing on these will not bring the same good feelings and so are not worth my energy.

  11. #2 is SOOO important. Spending time with family/friends/loved ones is something we should do way more often.
    Lauraconteur ♥

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