Happiness Hacks

“Me time” is a concept that is slowly slipping away in our hectic world, but it’s critical for your mental health. For just one day, try to spend that day with only yourself—no family, no friends, no coworkers. While these people may have your best interest in mind, they are often a distraction from getting to know your real self. Spend a day relaxing, doing the things you love, eating foods that make you happy, and focusing on you and your purpose. Avoid checking your phone at all. Really unplug yourself from the world. It won’t be as awful as you may think! In fact, the peace that comes from occasional solitude will make you feel refreshed and calm. 

Nostalgia and reminiscing stimulate those feel-good emotions because they make your brain remember how happy you were when you first did the things you’re remembering. Think back to something you really loved doing as a kid. Roller skating? Playing at the beach? Eating ice cream at the ice cream parlor? Visiting a relative’s house? Whatever it is, find a way to do it again. Sure, the experience will be slightly different now that you are a bit older and time has passed, but the joy you’ll get by reliving your favorite memories will be the same. When kids do fun things, they aren’t embarrassed or shy or intimidated—they simply experience the richness of life. Go be a kid again! You’ll reignite the joy that came from having those experiences. 

We all have a resistance to change when things come up that may alter our comfortable way of living. One way to battle this resistance is to make small changes— even tiny changes help. Say there’s something you have been resisting doing. Try doing it for just five minutes. Anyone can do something for five minutes, right? Re- search new careers for just five minutes. Walk or paint or play an instrument for just five minutes. The goal of these short bursts of time is to find something related to doing that activity that brings you joy. Doing something you hate is possible for a while, but you’ll never stick with it—you need to find some joy in an activity in order to keep on doing it. That’s why you need to find something— anything—that makes you happy about that activity. Once you have, then you’ll be able to change. 

This hack harkens back to the fact that when you bring happiness to others, you will feel happy yourself. Just remember: it’s important to be sincere and give active and constructive responses. We live in a world where people show their responses in emojis and symbols, which in reality are empty and meaningless. If someone shares good news with you, send a sincere response that shows genuine interest in and happiness for the other person. By doing so, you will create stronger social bonds and give people a more positive view of you. 

When it comes to your life, the only person you really have control over is yourself. Other people in your life influence you and bring you happiness and joy and security, but you have no control over their choices or destinies. Of course, you love these people, and you’ll accomplish many things and make many sacrifices to help them when they are in need. But when you are in crisis, you must put yourself be- fore anyone else. Focus on what you need to get through your situation. You may not be able to help others right now, and that’s okay—you will be there for them another time. If you spend your time focusing on others and making sure they are okay, you will be mistreating the most important person in your life: yourself. 

Oftentimes life takes over our focus, and we forget the people who helped shape us into the independent and self-assured adults we are today. No matter how old you are or where you live, your mom will always worry about how you’re doing. Call her! Actually call her—don’t message her or send her a text. Call her and let her hear your voice. Your mom will feel loved and cherished, and you’ll feel great too. 

Seniors and two-year-old have the right idea: on some days, a nap is one of the greatest pleasures you can find. Being able to break away from the hectic pace of life in the middle of the day and lying down to rest will leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle the rest of your day. Besides, many of us are not getting enough sleep during the standard nighttime hours—we all could use a bit more rest! Even a quick power nap will do wonders for your mood and your day. 

If you’re going to base your feeling of self-worth on feeling superior to others, you’ll be frustrated for most of your life. It’s tempting to compare your accomplishments to those of others—we all do it from time to time as a way to motivate ourselves—but this kind of comparison is dangerous. Someone will always have more money or possessions than you do or be better at doing something than you are. Comparing creates a cycle of futility. The less you compare your life and accomplishments to those of others, the happier you’ll be. 

Believing that people are out to cheat you causes unneeded stress and anxiety. If you are constantly worried that a cashier will shortchange you or that a coworker will try to steal the spotlight or that an acquaintance is talking about you behind your back, you won’t be happy. The more you perceive that you can trust others, the happier you’ll be. Of course, you shouldn’t blindly trust people you don’t know, but go in with a positive attitude and give others the benefit of the doubt. 

We all face rejection at some point in life. Whether it happens in our professional or personal lives, it is easy to see the rejection as a personal affront. But some- times rejections aren’t personal, and sometimes they don’t really have much to do with you as an individual; sometimes the timing just isn’t right. Sure, it can be frustrating to see your boss reject the idea you spent months growing and grooming, but it happens. And when it does, try to see the rejection as a learning opportunity rather than as a rejection of you as a person. You will find more success and happiness if you can keep your ego out of the process and view the situation for what it is.