The coronavirus chronicles: small joys, great ways To be happy in 2022
WHATEVER you plan in 2022, seeking your own happiness should be tops on that list. And why not? Happy people are said to be more responsible, and more successful. They maintain relationships better, are more likely to give to charity, and help to make the world a better place.
But how do you become happier? Minda Zetlin, co-author of The Geek Gap, focuses on something we tend to overlook: changing our daily lives and daily routine.
“On any given day, most of us do things because we have to,” she says in an article, “7 Small Joys You Should Make Sure to Add to Your Daily Routine in 2022,” in Inc.com. “Mixed in with all these obligations should be lots of things we do for our pleasure, things that make us happy just by doing them.”
While “small joys can be insignificant by themselves...in the aggregate, these can lift our spirits, help us function better, and ultimately make us happier.” Here, she shares her happiness list with us:
1. savor your morning beverage
It has been said that life begins after coffee. This is so true, considering how a cup of our favorite brew perks up our day and about 80 percent of the world imbibes some form of caffeine every day.
Whether you belong to the coffee club or you prefer herbal tea or just water, that first drink of a hot (or cold) beverage each day is a small but definite pleasure for most of us, says Zetlin.
“Take just a few moments and just be in the moment—don’t rush through that small pleasure,” she adds. “Pause, sip, and ease yourself into the day.” Of course, it’s even better if you can take a few minutes to sit down and really enjoy your drink.
2. get outdoors
GETTING outdoors, whether you’re walking, running, biking, or just sitting on your own porch, is a small joy for most people, says Zetlin. The great outdoors “widens our perspective, helping us take things in stride.” Not to mention the pleasure of breathing fresh air, keeping fit, watching people, and attending to one’s pocket herb or flower garden. It works even better “if you can visit a park or any place where there’s nature.”
3. talk with someone you care about
LONELINESS and isolation, research shows, can have an impact on one’s physical and mental wellbeing. Not to mention that it can take years off one’s life.
With that, “spending time with someone you care about, is one of the most powerful methods there is for feeling better.” She recommends to make sure to reach out to someone you care about at least once a day.
“This could be by text or phone or video chat, or some other method,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be in person. But the more you can make a real connection, the more joy you will feel.
4. take a nap
ACCORDING to Mayo Clinic, napping can help you feel relaxed, reduce fatigue, increase alertness and improve your mood as well as your performance.
This is especially true for revitalizing 20 to 30-minute power naps, which can leave you more alert and refreshed. More than that, naps longer than 30 minutes are likely to leave you sluggish, groggy, and more tired than before you closed your eyes.
5. read a good book
ZETLIN says that there is evidence that reading books provides an amazing host of health and brain benefits, including increased longevity. That’s really a good reason to do it.
The important thing is to pick a book you like. “Pick something you will enjoy reading,” she says. “The kind of book you look forward to diving into and hate to set it down.
Whether it be a mystery novel, a romance, science fiction, true crime, or something else, “make sure it brings you joy and if it doesn’t, give yourself permission to set it aside and choose a different book.”
6. Laugh
DEEPAK Chopra says that the healthiest response to life is laugher.
There are many reasons why you should start laughing today. Laughter is contagious...reduces stress...boosts immunity...increases resilience...combats depression and relives pain.
Bring more laughter into your life by reading a funny book, watching a comedy, or listening to your favorite comedian. Share laughter with friends, and spend more time with people who have fun. Zetlin also suggests practicing laughing yoga, in which people get together and just start laughing, until the strangeness of doing so catches up with them, and they start guffawing for real.
7. spend a little time doing nothing
OH, the luxury of doing nothing! For Italians, “La Dolce Far Niente” or “the sweetness of doing nothing” is an art. And we can learn from this ourselves.
“All of us live super busy, overscheduled lives,” says Zetlin. But increasingly, “research tells us there are benefits to being a little less busy and spending a little more time doing nothing.”
During these times, even if it appears like you’re doing nothing, “your brain will leap into action, working out your most important problems and making connections in ways that you can’t when you’re busy doing something.”
More importantly, “you need these do-nothing breaks to recharge your batteries, which is why people report increased clarity and productivity after such breaks.”
Finding a way to be lazy that works for you, and sinking into the pleasure of inactivity, at least for a while may actually make you more productive later on. More importantly, “you deserve it,” says Zetlin.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.