Happy Mondays
Leading life and happiness coach
IT’S official, today is the real Happy Monday! It’s International Day Of Happiness which makes one wonder whether the rest of the 364 days of the year are ones of gripes, groans and gloom. Who needs a special day to celebrate the ephemeral butterfly of bliss? Well, maybe we all do.
Happiness to me is like a magic kind of spiritual fuel; a bit like water or fine white sand it slips through your fingers and needs to be topped up regularly in order for us to find meaning and purpose in our daily haul.
We know that happiness is an inside job despite what the ad agencies may tout via bungee jumps, white-knuckle rides and azure seascapes. These are all good joy jump-starters but there are many self-generating igniters which don’t demand a passport or neck brace. In simple terms happiness never turns away from us but we turn away from it.
It is always there like a neverending river of pleasure but you can either view life as if you’ve been blessed with a bucket to dip deep into it, or life’s knockbacks can mean you feel as if you’re equipped only with a teaspoon that has a hole in it.
You don’t necessarily need money (although it can alleviate many hardships) for instant pleasure. You just need to know a few tricks and happiness will come flooding in like the smell of roses on a fine summer’s day.
So as you sit and read this you can be joy-rich within moments just by noticing. Look at the sky, the colours around you, the sounds (notice any birdsong/the coffee machine gurgling/cars) and feel the air on your skin. Relish the moment of being alive.
A smile will instantly boost others but also kick-starts your own chuckle muscles. Give a compliment generously and actively find things to be grateful for. If you want to feel good then do good. Give up a seat, send a friend a card, spend £1 on a bunch of daffs and give them to somebody.
Take some gentle exercise, walk around the park and notice nature in all its budding glory and grace. When you feel a negative thought or grump coming on mentally say “next!” and summon up a more positive, supportive idea.
Actively build in “bliss points” every 90 minutes. These are little treats to mindfully look forward to – your first cuppa, a healthy breakfast, a call with a friend, listening to music or a favourite radio programme, enjoying a shower or bath. This removes the flavourless, colourless hamsterwheel existence we can, as busy people, find ourselves in.
Eat lunch away from your desk and relish your meals. Think of where the food came from, who grew it and prepared it for you. Chew slowly and be grateful for feasting on such fine fare.
Make time for the people who make you happy and if there are things that bug you and that you can’t change then learn to accept them by thinking differently about the situation.
Learn bouncebackability and try to leave burdens behind you. Support a friend and ask for help too. Even better, find a community of like-minded people whether that’s a choir, a club, sport, hobby or a religion to make you feel part of something bigger.
Your happiness is 100 per cent your own responsibility. You need to learn what it takes to keep your tank topped up. Maybe even reading this has lifted your mood. I do hope so because that would make me happier than a pup with two tails.
For more tips on how to (officially) get happy visit dayofhappiness.net.