Musings | Increase Your Happiness
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light”
Today, we acknowledge that January can be a challenging month to avoid the dark. It is cold out, we get little daylight (we may go to the office and return in the dark), and hibernation feels like a great option. Sometimes the light switch can be hard to find - this we know - even when we know where it is and how to turn it on. So today, we are going to present two tools that can bring a bit of light to your life by enhancing your well-being and increasing your connection to positive emotions. They are quick, easy, and scientifically proven to be effective.
Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is a great way to enhance your well-being and feelings of happiness. Science tells us that practicing gratitude can boost our happiness by 25%. Our brains are trained to see the bad and the threatening; practicing gratitude trains our brains to see the good and the opportunity (which helps a lot when faced with uncertainty and change).
There are a couple of ways you can do this:
Once a week, take a few moments to acknowledge five things you are grateful for. You may want to note these in a journal or a notes section on your phone.
You can practice gratitude daily as well. Near the end of your day, identify three things that went well and why that is. You may want to write these reflections down or share them with a family member.
Use Your Strengths
Another great way to reduce stress, increase confidence and happiness and better manage challenges is to use your unique character strengths daily. There are 24 character strengths, and we all possess them, but each person has a unique strength profile. When we can use and apply our strengths daily, we feel more authentic, engaged, and happy. The VIA Survey of Character Strengths is a validated tool - it is free and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Your results are confidential and will provide a report to help you apply your strengths and enhance your well-being. Once you know what they are, you can use them more often.
Sometimes we all feel like we are in the dark, and we need help finding the light switch. This can be particularly challenging during the darkest and coldest part of the year. Taking a few minutes a day or just once a week to acknowledge the aspects of your life you are grateful for and learning to use your strengths can increase your positive emotions, enhance your well-being, and improve your ability to be optimistic. Figuratively, these elements can serve as important sources of light in what is literally the darkest time of the year.