{"id":398,"date":"2015-02-20T15:13:16","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T05:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janineprince.com\/?p=398"},"modified":"2015-02-21T21:10:17","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T11:10:17","slug":"be-happier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janineprince.com\/home\/be-happier\/","title":{"rendered":"Be happier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do we put off having a good time? Sure, technically, celebrating is normally reserved for a \u2018significant event\u2019 but that shouldn\u2019t put the dampeners on enjoying our day-to-day living more.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what we all want, right, to be happier?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shared<\/a>Don\u2019t wait to celebrate. It is a long way between birthdays and promotions through the year, those special events often slip by us anyway. Birthdays are particularly fraught with baggage in our culture where youth is venerated. What can we do to be happier in our lives? Time is ticking people, this is our life we\u2019re talking about!<\/p>\n

What stops us being happier?<\/h2>\n

We worry<\/strong> \u2013 but by definition worry is about things that haven\u2019t happened yet<\/a>. So we\u2019re making ourselves less happy now to think about things that may not happen in the future.<\/p>\n

We turn worry into anxiety.<\/strong> While worry is tiring, anxiety is crippling. It isolates us from support and undermines our confidence.<\/p>\n

The world is noisy.<\/strong> There is an avalanche of data every day, we\u2019re suffocating under information and opinions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lots of people are mean and selfish.<\/strong> Let\u2019s not go into this one too deeply, but I bet you thought of an example immediately didn\u2019t you? Probably from the last day or so. We live in a crowded and pushy world, where a lot of people are out to get what they can.<\/p>\n

Never enough money to go around<\/strong>. Do you get to the end of your pay and still have some week left? Do you wonder where the last pay went to?<\/a><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have time.<\/strong> So very busy all the time with doing things and buying things and planning things and worrying. Oh my. So much to do! Where does the time go!? Another month and still you haven\u2019t gotten around to that important thing you wanted to start? Drive faster, work harder, try harder to squeeze it all in. ARGHHH!<\/p>\n

We just don\u2019t think of it.<\/strong> It is a bit of a rut, day to day, doing all the things you have to do. Plodding through work and chores and bills and buying groceries and getting that thing fixed and all the other details. Being happy just kindof slips out of the picture.<\/p>\n

Seven things you can do this week to be happier<\/h2>\n

Live in the now.<\/strong> Take life a bit more \u2018as it comes\u2019, or as a wise friend used to say \u201cone meal at a time\u201d. Of course you have big-picture plans and a few things you really want to achieve, but let go of obsessing over the illusion of control. Roll a little as the waves of life come at you.<\/p>\n

Count your blessings.<\/strong> Make a list of all the things you\u2019re grateful for. It is the best ever antidote for other people being nasty. Why? Because it brings you back into a core space that is ok, a space from which you can worry less about other people being grabby, because you realise you probably already have enough<\/a>.\u00a0Want a challenge, send a postcard or a letter to someone and thank them for being in your life or for something particularly that they did.<\/p>\n

Buy less stuff<\/strong>. Being happy is an experience, evaluate how you spend your money in terms of what you value. <\/a><\/p>\n

Turn off the worry switch.<\/strong> Anxiety is a horrible outcome from a quirk of our clever brains. The capacity to think through events that had not yet happened gave early humanoids a survival advantage. These days it keeps the wheels of our minds spinning when we need to be sleeping. Not so helpful. Learn about sleep hygiene<\/a> and mindfulness practices that suit your variety of worry. If you can\u2019t act on your concern, mentally count numbers. Or do maths<\/a>. Really.<\/p>\n

Be in a bubble.<\/strong> Cut out some (or all media) and detach from the \u2018stay informed\u2019 imperative. You need some of that intellectual energy to deal with your own life, to solve problems (see \u2018worry\u2019, above) or to create and heal. You won\u2019t miss much. If you feel like a challenge, learn how to meditate and give that a go. You\u2019ll get the secret bonus that meditators know all about (true quiet).<\/p>\n

Time travel.<\/strong> Pretend you already lived today and then time travel back to the morning and tell yourself what the one important thing to do is. Just do that. No matter what other random, confusing, urgent and distracting things happen, hold onto the knowledge that future you needs current you to just do the one thing. You\u2019ll change the nature of your time. Trust me, I\u2019m a Doctor. <\/a><\/p>\n

Share a meal.<\/strong> No need for a special occasion or fancy food. Just enjoy an ordinary\u00a0meal in company. Chat about your hopes. Listen. Relax and enjoy the taste of the food, feel grateful for the earth that grew it and the people who worked to bring it to your plate. Tell jokes, daggy ones you remember from when you were a kid.<\/p>\n

There you go.<\/strong><\/p>\n

None of this is too complex to grasp and you don\u2019t need to hire a professional to do the paperwork to get started. Don\u2019t like this list? No problem, here are 10 scientifically proven paths<\/a> to be happier and Dr G will point you to any number of similar lists.<\/p>\n

The real trick? Just make one of them happen.<\/strong> Now\u2019s your moment, act on a whim so you don’t over-think it.<\/p>\n

This week, don\u2019t wait to celebrate. Make the call and put an idea into action. You\u2019ll be happier for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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