Use this Happiness Hack to Help You Now
by heidi_behr | Apr 29, 2019 | Happiness, How to Feel Peace Now
Happiness can seem so fleeting. Yet, did you know, there’s one happiness hack that can boost your good vibes really quickly? Yup– you can feel good pretty quickly if you do this one thing:
PRACTICE GRATITUDE.
Your mind is more creative than you give it credit for at times. You have the opportunity, each day, throughout the day, to guide your thoughts, as neuropsychologist Rick Hanson describes, in Hardwiring Happiness. You have the opportunity, many times each day, to take in the good. This means you savor what you are appreciating.
Savor– take it in….
What if this was your new mantra (from the mother of affirmations, Louise Hay):
“My mind is very creative and I choose to think happy thoughts today.”
Choosing to think happy thoughts is an incredible practice. It’s like a strengthening a muscle– you get good at it by using it.
Happiness Hack: Guide your thoughts- you just gotta DO IT.
Each day you have zillions of choices for what to focus on….. each choice leads you to feel a certain way.
You can choose to focus on the news (boo! hardly ever a good choice). Focusing on the news often leads to fearfulness, feelings of dread, negativity, and a sour mood. Not so appealing.
You can focus on what others are doing or achieving. This often happens as we consume social media. Noticing how you feel when you view others’ activities is important. Do you feel glad for them? Or feel jealous?
Comparison has been called the thief of joy. Have you noticed that you often feel less-than when comparing yourself to others? What if you turn that around? You can train yourself to be happy for others– it’s actually a super spiritual practice, one that actually diminishes your likelihood to compare yourself to others.
You can keep track of who and what you are grateful for in a journal. Making this purposeful positive noticing a habit that you do each morning & at night can help you bookend your day with good feelings. Do this for at least 7 days in a row and see how much better you feel!
Practice makes the difference
You would never expect to be great at something new the first time you do it right? Remember the first time you drove a car? You weren’t good at it! That’s ok– you learned, with practice, with coaching, and you got to be a natural at it. Remember the first time you got a smart phone? The strangeness of navigating the apps, the sounds and notifications– soon you got REALLY good at it. It can be like that for practicing gratitude. This ONE SKILL can boost your happiness immensely– you just gotta practice. Check out this article from gratefulness.org for ideas on how to practice grateful living.
I hope this post has helped inspire you to practice gratitude each day. If life has been really hard though, and you need more help navigating it, feel free to call me to get more targeted coaching or counseling in how to help you live with more peace so you feel happier more of the time. Reach out today if you need help- 407-252-8035.
