Happier in One Minute

Get happy habit tips!

We hear about the mind body connection all the time. What we think can have an impact on our body and our health. There are more and more studies that show this.

Have you ever felt sad and your body almost naturally curls up. And when we are happy we even talk about “jumping for joy”.

I have a simple experiment that takes just a minute. First, if you are sitting, hunch your shoulders over, drop your head, curl up a bit and say, “I am so happy!” Did you feel happy? Was there any joy in your words? Or did you feel constricted and sad?

Now, either sitting or standing up raise your hands high up over your head, smile and say, “I am so depressed!” Did you feel depressed or sad? I am guessing not. Try this sometime when you feel a bit down. Stand up and raise your hands high and declare that you are happy. And see how you feel.

Did you know that the simple act of smiling can actually make you feel happier? I like to play a game when I am out walking or at the store. I make eye contact with everyone I meet and smile at them. Try it. Frequently I get big joyous smiles back.

I feel as though I have made someone else happy and it certainly makes me feel happy. One key to happiness is connection with other people. It has even been shown that connection with strangers can make us happier.

We each have a happiness set point, a degree of happiness that we return to after exiting news or sad news. The good news is that with some simple changes in habit we can increase our natural set point. Smiling at others is one way to give yourself a boost.

And just remember that the next time you feel blue, stand up and raise your arms up over your head and say, “I am HAPPY!” Notice how that will actually boost your mood and make you feel more joyous.

Betsy Smith, Certified Happy For No Reason Trainer and coach

betsyrsmith@mac.com

Join Our Get Happy Habits Community! 

For Brain energy nootropics called LIFT go to LIFT 

For a copy of my FREE Ebook called Simply Smart Brain Hacks click here