Every new year brings with it a sense of optimism, hope and renewed spirit. Yet, somehow as the year progresses, we find ourselves dissatisfied, sluggish, and even depressed.
More than just a good feeling, happiness is a state of of well-being. According to Psychology Today happiness is living a good life-that is, with a sense of meaning and deep satisfaction.
Here is how you can ensure that you keep your optimism, positive outlook and a state of well-being (happiness) throughout the year, regardless of what’s going on around you.
Celebrate Small Victories
According to Loretta Graziano Breuning, PhD. Author of Habits of a Healthy Brain says Big accomplishments don’t make you feel happy forever, so if you always tie happiness to a far-off goal, you may end up frustrated. Instead, learn to be happy with your progress.
At first, it might feel silly to look for reasons to pat yourself on the back, and the reasons you come up with might make you uncomfortable. Still, commit to doing this whether or not it feels good. You can decide to be worthy of your own applause and enjoy the feeling, even if just for a split second. If it feels fake or forced, that’s normal, because the circuits that berate your accomplishments feel strong and true.
Celebrating small accomplishments is a valuable skill, not only because it’s one of the ways to feel happier, but also because big things come from many small steps.
Practice Mindfulness
What does mindfulness mean? It just means that you concentrate and pay full attention to the present moment and accept it in a non-judgmental way. This is now becoming a popular trend in psychology and medicine. When done regularly it can boost mood, reduce stress levels, and lead to a better quality of life.
Harvard researcher Matt Killingsworth explains that we are happier when we are mindful of the moment and the least happy when the mind is wandering all over the place. He has come to this conclusion after studying 15,000 people!.
Watch his TED talk here
Generosity
Money spent on others can buy happiness.
Researchers have found that when we dedicate a little time or money to helping others, this has a significant effect on our own happiness.
Michael Norton, assistant professor of business administration in the marketing unit at the Harvard Business School (HBS), conducted a series of studies with his colleagues which showed that people are happier when they spend money on others versus on themselves.
The findings showed that those who reported spending more on others, what the team called “prosocial” spending, also reported a greater level of happiness, while how much they spent on themselves had no impact on happiness.
A giving heart is truly a happy heart.