Wednesday, September 28, 2011

5 steps to happiness

The happier you are, the healthier you are - and the better your mental health. So any way to improve your mood has got to be good, right?
 
Try these 5 happiness tips from research scientist and practising psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos:
 
1. Decide what makes you happy: spend 15 minutes writing a list of things you know will make you happy - is it connecting with friends, in person or on-line? Working on your morning jog time personal best? Baking fabulous cakes? Once you have your list, aim to do one activity each day. Then celebrate how good that makes you feel.
 
2. Scream, shout - let it all out! Dancing and making noise has a positive effect on our physical health due to increased endorphins and heart rate.
 
3. Define your own rewards: You don't have to defer to the cliché of champagne when you want to celebrate - if you want to reward yourself with a peanut butter and jam sandwich, or by draining a box of chocolates, that's just fine.
 
4. Get people involved: Happiness is infectious, and inviting your nearest and dearest to join you as you celebrate means you can spread your good mood around.
 
5. Create a "happy tracker": Every time anything, however small, makes you happy, write it down somewhere you'll see it often. You'll be surprised how quickly the list grows, and how many things you have to celebrate, and in not too long just looking at the list will be a small cause for celebration in itself.
A report from Dr Linda Papadopoulos in association with bingocams found that the positive energy generated when we 'let go' and celebrate good experiences in life could be the simplest way to excellent mental well-being.

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