International Day of Happiness.
March 20th, today, is the UN International Day of Happiness.
The theme for this year: Keep calm. Stay wise. Be kind.
With our world facing unprecedented challenges, wellbeing matters more than ever indeed so here are a few things I do to become happier.
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1. Practice gratitude – Keep a gratitude journal and write down one thing you are grateful for in your life and why. Can you rise to the challenge and practice this every day for a month?
2. Adopt a positive mindset – Optimism is a common attribute of resilient individuals. Think about 3 things that you are looking forward to, reflect on what you have achieved this week and identify 3 things that have gone well.
3. Embrace the perfectly imperfect – Allow yourself to be human and fallible, it’s refreshing!
4. Relax and have some down time – This one is particularly difficult for me as I am one of these ‘can’t play until all my work is done’ types. But I am working on it!
5. Be kind – I thrive to make kindness the norm and very much believe in the ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing’. Kindness is contagious, try it out!
6. Give hugs and ask for some – Hugs have many positive effects on both our mental and physical health. Ask your partner, kids, or flatmate for a daily hug. Make it at least 20 seconds, I know it feels like forever but studies show long hugs bring more benefits to our health.
7. Connect, connect, connect – Phone, email, text, in person if possible… reach out to 3 persons every week. See how it makes you feel.
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And remember to practice these today and for the rest of the year: I think that, despite our hopes, 2021 will fall short of being International YEAR of Happiness, but let’s give it a good try.