Happiness

International Day of Happiness
Silhouettes of Kids being happy.

On March 20, people around the world will take steps to be happy and promote happiness for everyone. The initiative began in 2013, adopted by the UN. It was a campaign that began due to a consciousness that happiness should be a personal goal for everyone. It’s a basic human right. The American forefathers identified the pursuit of happiness as a right in the 18th century, and the UN finally got on board. In 2013, Ndaba Mandela and Chelsea Clinton, children of international political figures, kicked off the first celebration at the UN. In 2014, Pharrell Williams took over. Make sure to check out what Google does on March 20. Last year, Pharrell would randomly pop up in the search engine and dance.

Defining Happiness

Miriam-Webster defines happiness as “the state of being happy” or a “pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Synonyms include words such as pleasure, contentment, and well-being. These things are a bit subjective. When asking people how to measure happiness, scientists ask two questions:

  • How happy are you with your life as a whole?
  • How happy are you now?

Unfortunately, no one can really tell you how to be happy, but they also can’t tell you that you can’t be happy. Philosophers have tried for generations to find the secret to happiness, but it is an elusive concept that depends on so much more than just life status or money. Some people can be happy through circumstances that might crush another.

World Happiness Report

Scientists have tried to measure the happiness around the world. The first report was issued in 2013, In 2015, Canada ranked in the top 10 happiest countries in the world. Other countries that showed a great deal of happiness were Switzerland, Iceland, and Australia. These researchers did find that the global recession affected a country’s happiness score. Nicaragua and Ecuador showed increases in their happiness score, coinciding with their coming out of a recession. The World Happiness Report for 2016 will be released on March 16. It should be interesting to see where Canada places this year.

Get Involved

In 2015, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “The pursuit of happiness is serious business.” The UN offers a few ideas on how to take action on International Day of Happiness:

  • Do what makes you happy
  • Spread happiness
  • Tell people about the day
  • Celebrate the day
  • #internationaldayofhappiness to find what others are sharing

At dayofhappiness.org, they recommend sharing the day with others. Happinessday.org is the official site of the initiative, and they have a number of resources and information promoting happiness in your own life and in the community. One campaign asks you to cheer on happy heroes and take part in the day. At Happiness International, they have a happiness planner. It’s offered free to help you select your action plan toward being well.

Make March 20 a day of happiness. It’s a Sunday, which means most people will be off work. Do something that creates satisfaction in your life. Just for one day. If you find you aren’t happy with your life in general, ask yourself what you could do to be happy. Use the spring to make one change. Take a class. Make a friend. Pick up a hobby that helps you relax when you’re not a work. Change your attitude. Only you know what is going to make the difference in your life. Only you can take the steps toward your goals.

Remember that your happiness is part of something bigger. Human connection is one thing that has been found to increase happiness and satisfaction in people’s lives. When you are connected to friends and family, you not only increase your own well-being, but theirs as well. Share positive messages to those you love to defeat the feeling of isolation that has become so predominate in today’s culture.

15 Self-Care Tips for Any Time of Year

Healthy self-care lifestyle concept with diet and fitness.

Effective self-care requires a healthy balance of taking care of your mind as well as your body.

Life gets hectic sometimes, and if you’re like most people, you just keep going along with the flow. You probably forgot to take care of yourself amid the holiday parties or following after-school activities, work, and family obligations. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of winter or end of summer. These self-care tips will help you keep a positive outlook when life gets to be too much.

Bodily Self-Care Tips

  1. Take long, deep breaths from the diaphragm to slow your heart rate.
  2. Eat healthy. There’s more than one reason to eat more vegetables, fruits and grains. It’s not just about staying healthy, it’s about having more energy and feeling better. But don’t forget to splurge on your favorites. Moderation is the name of the game.
  3. Cherish your rituals. Create special moments for the holidays, but also make daily rituals that add meaning to your life. Make the bed with your spouse every morning to remember to start the day together. Have time together with your family every night at a regular time to focus on each other. Ground your day with the ones who matter to you.
  4. Cherish your friends and make time for them. Have a night out when life gets tough and you need someone to chat with. Better yet, order in and have a night at home talking to your BFF.
  5. Make time for regular exercise. Sitting around on your couch isn’t only bad for your mental game, it’s not healthy physically. Find some kind of physical activity that you enjoy. Try out different sports until you find one that fits into your lifestyle.
  6. Watch less TV. Television robs you of your time, your goals and your motivation. Rein in the binge watching to get off the couch and do something else.

Mental Self-Care Tips

  1. Put the electronics down every day. Recharge your phone and your mind by giving yourself a break from being readily available and on call. Research shows that people sleep better when they don’t look at the backlit screens before bed.
  2. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Don’t fight your anger or sadness. It’s said that “what you resist, persists.” Get it out of your system and move on to more positive feelings.
  3. Read more. Non-fiction expands your mind, while fiction expands your imagination. Take some time to enjoy a good book.
  4. Take time off social media. If you’re on Facebook and Twitter all day for work and then come home and spend time looking at the best aspects of your friends’ lives, you’ll probably start comparing yourself to others, which doesn’t help with self-care.
  5. Stay away from negative people. Surround yourself with people who will help you stay positive and motivated.
  6. Don’t be that negative person in others’ lives. Everyone has bad days, but don’t be the one who talks badly about everyone else.
  7. Forgive yourself. You have to give up the anger you have toward yourself for the mistakes you make. If guilt doesn’t encourage you to change, then it isn’t good guilt.
  8. Forgive others, or at the very least make a choice to stop carrying the anger around. Deal with what’s bothering you and keeping you from moving forward. It’s not easy to let those things go, but the negative feelings you hold inside are not hurting anyone but you.
  9. Learn to say no. Don’t feel as if you always have to say yes. Set boundaries and limits for yourself.

Self-care isn’t always easy, but it’s vital to your well-being. You aren’t going to have all the answers, nor do you need to. You just need to enjoy the journey of life, wherever it takes you.