HAPPY International Day of Happiness

on March 20, 2015

What a perfect way to start the day it’s H A P P Y – International Day of Happiness – what does that really mean? It means you need to SMILE and BE HAPPY – choose it, try it, do it, feel it. If you haven’t been feeling that happy lately then today is the day to take action.

Here are five things you can do to create a happier you and life:

1. Do something kind for others
What goes around comes around – and with kindness it really does. Research shows that being kind to others increases our own levels of happiness as well as theirs. What’s more it has a knock-on effect – kindness is contagious, so it makes our world a much nicer place to be.

2. Volunteer your time, energy and skills
Whether it’s a one-off or something you do on a regular basis, volunteering is good all round. As well as making a positive contribution to the happiness of others, it’s a great way to meet people, get the most out of your local area and to increase your own happiness and wellbeing.

3. Get to know your neighbours better
Getting to know the people who live nearby helps create a sense of belonging and shared identity in your local area. It also helps to strengthen connections and trust in our wider communities and contributes to a happier neighbourhood for everyone.

4. Understand each other’s needs
Good communication is at the heart of happy relationships of all kinds. It’s about understanding others’ needs and having our needs heard. And it’s a skill that can be learned that will help deepen our connections with the people around us

5. Look for the good in those around you

It’s easy to take our nearest and dearest for granted. Constant criticism can be highly destructive, but we often fall into this trap, especially in established relationships. But if we take time to bring to mind what we value and appreciate about others, we can both get more enjoyment from our time together, try to do lots of fun new exciting things each day and break your unhappy rut.