5 Easy Happiness Hacks
Posted by El on Apr 28, 2010 in Thinking Differently | 41 comments
Today’s article is written by Eleanor Edwards from Giveabrick.com, the charitable arm of Cross Hands Christian Centre (CHCC). It started life as a fund raising idea and have grown into a massive website and blog aiming to help others in need. Go check out her lovely site and the awesome community she has there. Also why not follow her on Twitter?
Have you ever woken up to find that no matter which side of the bed you climb out, you can’t seem to shake the gloom? Those pesky Spring birds have woken you but instead of filling you with delight, all they do is make you grumpy? Your cat has been sick in the bathroom and your favourite shirt has found its way into the wash with your son’s bright red sock? Have no fear. You are not destined to a day of long faces. You can turn this around. Here’s how:
Love the little things
Have you ever noticed how little it takes to make a child smile? They don’t take life anything like as seriously as us grown-ups and life is full of good cheer as a result. If you’re feeling a bit low, make a decision to keep your eyes open for little things that make you smile.
This might be something as simple as a cat preening herself. Who can fail to smile when she tries to lick her own back? It’s always good for a giggle 
Or for the more cultured amongst you, how about listening to your favourite radio play? And of course you could always visit your favourite uplifting website, it’s sure to give you a boost 
Appreciate yourself
How often are you your own worst critic? If a random stranger in the street said the things to you that you think about yourself, you’d probably be tempted to punch them on the nose. Even if you’ve been practising very hard to be kind to yourself on a daily basis, I’ll bet you let the odd grumpy thought slip in there. Stop it!
You are very special. I don’t care if you don’t feel like it today, it doesn’t change the fact that you are. Start taking time to appreciate just how unique and special you are. Start right now with one thing. What makes you unique? Find your hidden quality, grab it with two hands and put it somewhere safe in your pocket
Talk
Having once asked my sister why it was that her husband and his friends felt the need to have a special weekend away in order to do male bonding type stuff, she suggested it was because whilst us girlies like to talk, the chaps amongst us find it a little bit more difficult to bare all. Whilst this may be a massive generalisation, it doesn’t detract from the value of good, open and honest conversation.
If you’re having a dreadful day, if the cat really has been sick in the bathroom and your favourite shirt really has gone a testing shade of pink, talking to someone about it can really help.
“Just as a man is fulfilled through working out the intricate details of solving a problem, a woman is fulfilled through talking about the details of her problems.” John Gray, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus
To assume Gray is correct would explain why, too often, us women talking about the horrible day we’ve had will be perceived as ‘having a moan’ by our significant other. My husband can do nothing to solve the problem of my broken finger nail so he doesn’t want to hear about it.
However, there is a balance to be struck. By acknowledging the different communication styles we have, it enables everyone to feel valued (and also a little happier!)
Laugh
Ask Google about the scientific benefits of laughter and you’ll receive more answers than one dare quote in a single paragraph on the subject. Needless to say though, the benefits are well documented and numerous. It is said that the average child laughs 300 times every day. By contrast, some adults are said to laugh as little as 15 times a day. If you’re feeling in the grumps then, it would seem sensible to go and round-up your nearest six-year-old (the age at which laughter frequency is said to peak) and ask them to tell you a joke.
Fake it
The health benefits of fake laughter and fake smiling are as numerous as the genuine article. Therefore, having collected your six-year-old, have no concern if you don’t find them particularly amusing. Instead, fake it! Not only will it make their day and give your body a boost, who knows, you might find your fakes turn into the real thing.
“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” Jean Houston
What happiness hack do you have?
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Ben Lumley writes about Success and Personal Achievement at 6aliens.com. He is a Personal Achievement Coach and Motivational Speaker.
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Amazing how the little things can make a big difference in the happiness stakes! This is a great list of little things……
Thanks Mick. Glad you found them helpful. As I’ve often been heard to say, I’m highly motivated by having fun and happiness dances alongside this. Truth be told, being a grumpy old sour puss is no fun at all
Have a fabulous, happy day
Glad you enjoyed El’s post Mick.
I particularly enjoyed ‘Love the little things’ for I think many times I have overlooked the beauty of simplicity. Learn to be appreciative to others and ourselves, make every second counts.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful tips, Eleanor. And I’m thankful for our little chat yesterday.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Hi Ching Ya
Loving the little things is great because the more you practice finding things to smile about, the more natural it can become to you. I often find myself grinning at the silliest of things
I’m really glad you enjoyed this piece and I enjoyed chatting yesterday too. Still haven’t followed up on what we talked about yet though so thank you for the very gentle reminder
Hi and welcome to 6aliens.com Ching Ya.
El has touched on some really important parts of the art of well living here. Hopefully I’ll be able to convince her to write for me again
I’m sure you’ll persuade me so long as you ask nicely. It was a pleasure
Great tips, Eleanor.
For myself, I tend to “Fake it” and force myself to do things that I may not necessarily want to do right then. But, as the moment passes, soon I am no longer faking it, and am enjoying myself.
I think it’s also important to enjoy the little things in life and appreciate what we have and not yearn for things that we do not have.
Karen
Thanks Karen
lol – but force on my happy face, people react differently than how they would if my face told how I was really feeling. This too has a positive effect. It’s hard to stay grumpy for long if the people around you are sunny.
I agree, faking it works really well. And if I’m in a foul mood – I know, you’re shocked. But it has been known
And being thankful is very important. I still remember that wonderful post you did about thankfulness, mainly because it forced me to think about the things I appreciate but don’t often take time to acknowledge verbally.
Faking it is something I do occassionally Karen especially when I’m struggling to find my happy side. I find when I can get my body to do and act in the way I want it to the appropriate emotions always follow.
Appreciating yourself is so important. If you cannot be happy yourself, then you cannot make the people around you happy, or your customers happy.
I prefer to use some sort of daily affirmation that gets me going in the morning. You need to find your own way to get yourself out of a funk, look yourself in the mirror and say “I like you.”
Sounds corny, but it’s critical to life success.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Hi Joshua,
Doesn’t sound corny to me, sounds like a great idea. I’ve never used daily affirmations in the traditional sense but it sounds very like how I like to start my day by giving it to God and asking Him to help me. The days always seem to go a lot smoother when He and I have had a chat first thing
I don’t know about you, but some days I suspect I like myself a lot less than the people around me seem to. That can’t be right either
I know a lot of people who use affirmations. I’m not a big fan of them personally because I can’t get my head around saying “I’m feeling positive” when I’m having a crap day.
Instead what do is say to myself a positive statement that fires me up.
But as you said Joshua, you’ve got to find a way to get yourself out of a funk. Not everything will work for everyone
Hello Eleanor,
Laughter and Gratitude are definitely in order for happiness. When I get together with friends we just need to be mindful that venting doesn’t turn into too much complaining — laughter becomes the savior
Have a beautiful day!
Hi Kim
Venting and complaining has it’s uses too but you’re right, it gets to a point where you have to either laugh or cry. The former, I’m told, burns a lot more calories and is far better for one’s complexion 
It is a pleasure to meet you – one of the perks of spending the day hanging out on someone else’s blog
I trust you have had a wonderful day too. I’ve had a blast
This is a problem when friends get together that they end up bemoaning the world. It’s really important to that friendly conversation doesn’t turn to out and out complaining
Great post eleanor!
When I work with clients I ‘temperature check’ how often I hear laughter. Very sadly it’s not too often!
Thanks Matthew
It’s never too late to practice getting more laughter in your day. Given your professional capacity I will admit it might be a little more tricky than the average day in my house but happiness and laughter really does get easier with practice
That’s sad isn’t it Matthew? Not enough people smile and laugh during their day.
I deal with some serious stuff at times in my day job but no matter what, there will still be times in the meetings or in conversations when we can see the funny side of things and we inevitably find ourselves having the odd chuckle. It really is therapeutic. Probably means, Matthew that you need to develop some technigues for those challenging customers that can help get them out of there, perhaps stuffy, frame of mind.
I remember reading a story of a guy who was told he had a terminal illness and 6 months left to live. Rather than accept his fate he took himself to a hotel room and watched old comedy reruns and cured his illness thrrough laughter.
I try to stay positive (since I write a “motivation and success” blog, after all) but gloomy days happen to the best of us. Crabbiness sets in, and you’re right – sometimes “faking it” leads to the real thing coming out in the end.
If you smile at a stranger or make small talk while you’re out getting a cup of coffee, you might wind up feeling better and realizing that things aren’t as bad as you think.
Hi Steve
You’ve just reminded me of a thought that entered my head this morning. I like smiling at strangers but as a result of being one who always tries to make eye contact with others (hard to smile at someone if they’re not looking at you!) I’ve noticed just how often people seem to prefer to keep their head down.
However, this morning I did catch the eye of a passing stranger and gave him a quick smile and hello. You should have seen the transformation that occurred on his face when he smiled back. It was astonishing! I remembered reflecting on the power of a simple smile.
Thanks for reminding me
Yeah bad days even happen to the best of us. Music is a good way for me to get out of the rot sometimes.
Yesterday, I let my nephew sit in front of my laptop and look at funny Youtube videos. He was laughing so heartily that although I didn’t find the videos funny, I laughed with him and had a wonderful wonderful time. It was really a lovely way to end the day and the positivity is still with me until now.
Laughter is contagious isn’t in Julius?
In one of my workshops we show a funny YouTube Video to the group. Watching alone I rarely laugh at it but when with a large group who are enjoying it I can’t hold back the giggles
It surely is contagious Ben. And it’s always better to make other people laugh rather than wait for them to make us laugh.
H Ben and Eleonor! I actually tried faking laughter once and it does work great:) Loved all the tips, thank you!
Hi Lana,
Fake laughter really does work, I’m glad you’ve found that too. And it’s really good for you as well. A good belly laugh can burn loads of calories not to mention being good for relieving stress.
Thank you for your encouragement. I’m really glad you enjoyed this
Eleanor
Hey Lana. Laughter is a great medicine
When I was younger, if I was having a crappy moment, my Mum would make me a cup of tea. I have no idea what the secret ingredient is, but it always made my day a bit brighter. It still works, a cup of tea just restores my mood – and, if someone else makes it for me (a rare but wonderful occurrence!) it’s just like a ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day!
Topi
I’m a massive tea fan Topi. A good hot cup of tea seems to work miracles when I’m in need of a pick me up. It’s great to have something simple like this to make you smile.
Lol thought El would have liked the Tea reference.
Food’s a good pick me up for me. When my wife can tell I’m having a crappy day she’ll cook something nice for dinner and it’ll always cheer me up
You have a new fan! I love your stuff here and will be back again.
Thank you
Just wanted to say you have a great site! Thanks for posting
Way to go Eleanor! I reckon this is the first time I’ve read one of your guest posts, and I must say it’s a little beauty.
I have no problem faking laughter, it’s amazing how often it turns into the real thing. I must admit though that it embarrasses the heck out of the kids when we’re at the movies.
Hey Sire
Sorry for the delay in replying. The sites been down most of the weekend. (I broke the server!)
You’re right it is amazing how faking it, laughter especially can turn into the real thing.
Thanks Sire
Believe or not this is my fourth guest post but you’ve picked a fun one to jump in on 
I’m looking forward to when my children are old enough for their dad to embarrass them. It certainly seems to be a dad’s prerogative to do so. You should hear my dad when he laughs!
Loved the blog Eleanor, and the knock, knock jokes, in the video.
Here’s my contribution to ‘Happiness Hacks’:
I stop working, make myself a cuppa, then watch as my two young dogs play at ‘puppy fighting’. More often than not there will be squeals and shreaks but they’re just having good sibling fun.
The larking around always ends in my howls of laughter as one or the other goes sliding across the floor on all fours desperately trying to find a break from somewhere, and usually colliding with the wall, but at least they have the good sense to turn around to make it a hind-on collision.
There is no better therapy! Oh I lie, there is, it’s when they snuggle up to me and sick their wet noses under my chin, nestling their heads on my chest and looking up with their ‘gorgeous puppy-dog’ eyes into mine.
Hwyl!
Aw that sounds like such a great way to be happy. Thanks for stopping by and sharing it!