Happiness Hacks Read online

  Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

  Helping creatures than cannot help themselves can give your life purpose. Animal shelters around the country are in need of volunteers to help care for and maintain the animals they house in their facilities. Even if you cannot volunteer your time, you can make a monetary donation or contribute items on a local shelter’s wish list. Many shelters need easy-to-find things such as peanut butter, plastic bags, bath towels, pet carriers (all sizes for all kinds of pets), and good-quality canned dog and cat food. See a need and fill it. The resulting good feelings are yours to keep.

  Play in the Water

  There’s nothing like playing in the water on a hot summer day. Whether you swim, snorkel, water-ski, deep-sea dive, surf, or head out in a kayak or canoe, there is so much fun to be had in the water! Go buy yourself a bathing suit and join your family or friends for some water play. Of course, be safe: use adequate sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays, wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your face and neck, and avoid the hottest times of the day (when the sun is directly overhead). Also, drink plenty of water to replenish what you sweat away with all that exercise. Now go and have a blast!

  Nosh with a Neighbor

  Back in the olden days when people didn’t have computers, they made friends the old-fashioned way: face-to-face. People would make a casserole or their favorite comfort food and then bring it over to a neighbor and introduce themselves. Why not carry on that tradition? Bring some food over to a new neighbor to welcome them to the building or neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be fancy—a cherry pie, a chocolate cake, a loaf of banana bread, and the classic casserole are all easy to make, and they’re all delicious. Not really the cooking type? You can bring your neighbor coffee and doughnuts from your favorite coffee shop to give them a warm welcome. You might strike up a new friendship! At the very least, you’ll be on good terms with the people you see every day.

  Make Happiness Cards

  Create handmade cards for birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, christenings, and other occasions too. You can find blank cards and envelopes at craft stores, and then you can use calligraphy and watercolors or tempera paint to create fun, individualized images. Or design your card on a computer and print it on card stock. Your unique cards will carry messages of caring, thoughtfulness, and, of course, your wishes for abundant happiness.

  Wear Something Sexy

  For some parties, the guest list should be kept really short . . . say, just two people. Your significant other’s birthday could be one of those occasions when you show your partner a totally different side of your personality. You don’t have to look like a lingerie model, but it might be fun for both of you if you slipped into something sexier than what you normally wear. You could cook a gourmet meal, set the table for two, and then get dressed to meet your partner when he or she comes home from work. You’ll both rediscover how exciting a birthday party can be!

  Have a Weekly Card Game

  Happiness experts have established that a strong support network is vital to having higher life satisfaction levels. Humans are made to love others! Our relationships with our spouses, families, and friends provide us with meaning and happiness. Having a group of friends to do things with on a regular basis is a certain path to happiness, so bust out your cards, invite some friends over, and play your favorite card games. You don’t have to play for money—just hanging out with some good friends over food, drinks, and cards (and enjoying a little friendly competition) is all you need.

  Speak Kindly

  With a little effort, you can retrain your impulse to blurt out commonly used negative words and phrases in your speech in favor of using positive words that are carefully chosen and thoughtfully offered. For example, phrases like “There’s always room for improvement” and “I’ve seen better from you” are not helpful. In fact, those phrases suggest that someone’s actions or thoughts have come up short and don’t meet your expectations. You don’t want people to say those things to you, so stop saying that to others—instead, offer positive, helpful feedback and comments. Speak honestly but caringly. You’ll inspire greatness from others and also generate happiness for yourself too.

  Exercise in the Park

  If you like stretching, walking, or running, do it in nature—for example, consider joining a group of people who congregate in a nearby park to practice tai chi, qigong, or yoga. Doctors say the best kind of exercise is the kind that you enjoy enough to keep doing consistently. If you like to socialize while working out, meet some friends at a high school football field, on a jogging trail, or at a local park. Breathe some fresh air, take in the lovely sights and sounds of nature, and work out while enjoying the camaraderie of others.

  Do a Fast (No, Really—Don’t Eat)

  As you fast, your body uses its energy to cleanse itself. Many people believe that fasting can make you more energetic, enable you to think more clearly, and increase your sense of well-being and happiness. There are many types of fasts, from total abstinence of food to eating only certain types of foods or juices. A fast can last for a few hours or for a day or more. People who fast usually drink water or juice to keep their bodies properly hydrated. Because so many debilitating diseases are related to food overconsumption and diets that are high in processed foods, sugar, and other less-than-nutritious ingredients, consider undertaking a fast to detoxify and rejuvenate yourself. Before starting, however, check with your physician to make sure a fast would be a good idea for you.

  Avoid Toxins

  Happiness is closely linked to good health, and one way to stay healthy is to avoid exposure to various toxic agents. Read and follow safe-use labels on all products containing toxins or carcinogenic agents, including those for your garden or lawn. Instead of spraying chemicals, you might choose pest-resistant plants, pull off pest-infected leaves (and carefully dispose of them), yank out invasive weeds before they re-seed themselves over the yard, and use compost and mulch to create healthy soil. You can also use less toxic products such as soaps and herbicidal oils to treat troublesome garden and lawn pests.

  Join the Sierra Club

  In today’s world where the environment is taking a beating, one way to make your life more meaningful is to join others in working to save the planet. Sometimes things can be accomplished only when working in concert with other like-minded individuals in groups like the Sierra Club or the Rainforest Action Network. Joining a group of people who share your feelings about a common cause can inspire you to do things you might never do on your own. Plus, there is truth to the saying that there’s strength in numbers—although one person working alone may not be able to save a rain forest, thousands or millions of people rallying around a single goal might just accomplish it.

  Play Tennis

  Playing a game of tennis is a great way to get a workout! Just be sure to warm up your muscles first, and while playing, use proper hitting and serving techniques to prevent injuries. Whether the players are eight years old or they’re seniors in their seventies or eighties, almost anyone can play tennis. Learn how to play now and enjoy it for a lifetime. Plus, tennis is social—it’s one of those games where you need another player; if you are playing doubles, you’ll need three other players. Tennis is a good way to meet new people, get a workout, and feel great at the same time.

  Pray

  Prayer can center you when things are going right in your life, provide solace and a lift when you feel down, and constantly remind you that you aren’t alone. Praying can help you move forward when you feel stuck or provide hope when you need healing. Harold Koenig, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, has observed that religious people tend to have healthier lives. (And better health means you are more likely to be more satisfied with your life.) Recite a prayer that gives you comfort. Or, if you prefer, you can make up your own prayer. A simple “Thank you!” is a powerful prayer of gratitude. “I need your help”
or “Please guide me” are also excellent ways to begin a prayer.

  Snuggle with Something

  If you are like many people, as a child you had a little pillow or a security blanket that got you through the night. As an adult facing a crisis, you may wish you had something tangible like that to give you comfort. If you don’t have a favorite blanket or pillow, look in the linen closet and see if there’s a comfy throw, a worn afghan, or a silky coverlet you could use. Or go to the clearance table at your local department store and pick out something that could become a new favorite security blanket. As a child, you loved your blankey because it was yours and only yours. It had your scent on it. You knew what it felt like and looked like even with your eyes closed. The next time life is not going your way, seek comfort in what’s familiar and what makes you feel safe—wrap yourself in your blanket and let your inner child feel safe and comforted.

  Toast the Happy Couple

  Remember: the Buddha said that happiness is achieved when your words and your work benefit others as well as yourself. Create an imaginative and highly personalized toast for some newlyweds in your life. Whether you’ve been asked to offer a toast, provide material for a groom’s roast, or write a small wedding speech, make sure the main thread running throughout is a message containing your best wishes for their lifetime of happiness.

  Get a Study Buddy

  For those times when you want someone to quiz you or share notes from that last lecture, nothing beats having a classmate who’s willing to study with you. If there is someone in your class or workshop you find intriguing or who is new to the school or program, ask that person to study with you. Say something to spark a conversation. Imagine being in a new environment and not knowing anyone . . . and then how welcoming it would feel to have a stranger invite you to study with them. Most likely, the person you ask to be your study buddy will be as supportive of you as you are of them. You both want to excel! It’s a win-win for both of you.

  Do Crafts with Kids

  Get out the box of craft supplies and create something fun, whimsical, or beautiful with some kids in your life. Quality time with children is never time wasted—kids need time with family members to feel loved and wanted. Instead of allowing them to sit in front of the television and be bombarded with (possibly undesirable) messages, establish an hour of family fellowship and watch them thrive. Spending time with kids will make you feel pretty good, too, plus you might end up with some personalized and creative art to keep for yourself.

  Give a Farewell Gift

  A thoughtful way to send off a friend or neighbor who is moving away is to give that person a gift that will always remind him of the times you shared. If the person who’s leaving loves gardening, you could put seeds from your favorite plants into white paper envelopes, then tuck the envelopes into a card to give your friend on his moving day. Or if you used to cook dinner with your neighbor, you could write down some of your favorite recipes for her. That way, when your friend is in her new place, she can plant the flowers or make the dish and think of you.

  Have Hope

  If something isn’t going well in your life—a parent becomes ill, a car hits yours in the parking lot, you overdraw your bank account, the Uber you took to the most important meeting of your life gets snarled in traffic—have hope that circumstances will shift and the situation will improve or resolve. Rather than allowing stress and anxiety to fill you with worry, try to feel hopeful and find the courage to work toward changing what isn’t going well. Having a more positive mindset will be better for you emotionally and physically.

  Do Puzzles

  Keep your brain happy by stimulating it with memory exercises and problem-solving games. Doing daily crossword or number puzzles means your brain gets a sustained cognitive workout every day. Besides, the act of using those little gray cells often brings pleasure as well as mental stimulation!

  Sniff Some Lavender

  Whenever you have a bad day, feel exasperated, or struggle to get out of a foul mood, sniff some lavender to restore your serenity. It’s easy to see why lavender is one of the most popular scents in aromatherapy. (Scents like citrus, rose, and sandalwood are also pleasant. When you smell them, they can trigger particular memories or experiences because your olfactory nerve carries their scent straight to your brain.) There are many ways to enjoy lavender: use freshly crushed flowers set out in a bowl, set some reeds in a diffuser pot with a splash of lavender essential oil, light some lavender-scented candles, simmer lavender potpourri, or put out sachets of dried lavender. Allow the scent to lift your mood and remember that you never again have to relive a bad day.

  Have a Glass of Wine

  Unwind with a glass of your favorite wine at the end of an exhausting day. According to a number of studies, wine is good for you if you drink it in moderation and as part of a healthy diet. Wine has phytochemicals (flavonoids and resveratrol) that prevent free-radical molecules from damaging your body’s cells. Researchers have shown that drinking dry wine reduces the risk of getting certain cancers as well as heart disease; it also slows the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. For women, one five-ounce glass per day is good, while men should drink no more than two five-ounce glasses—more than that, and wine does not offer health benefits.

  Play with Clay

  Maybe you were like a lot of other people and made mud pies as a child. Rediscover what children know about the warm, fuzzy feelings you get from burying your hands in mud—produce a piece of pottery! Spend some happy hours in a pottery class pinching off a ball of clay, centering it on a potter’s wheel, shaping it, firing out the impurities, glazing it, and then firing it again to affix the glaze. A pottery class can provide access to clay, a potter’s wheel, a kiln, and, of course, an instructor. Alternatively, you can purchase the type of clay that can be fired in your own oven (at lower temperatures than a kiln) and make some beads to string into necklaces.

  Get a Massage

  A massage is a great way to release the stress and tension you hold in your body. There’s nothing comparable to human touch coupled with aromatherapy to transport you into a place of relaxation and peace. Massages are de rigueur at day spas. They are also offered at deeply discounted rates at local colleges that run massage therapy training programs. Of course, you could ask your significant other to give you a massage . . . but that could lead to other activities. Then again, that kind of massage could also relieve stress and put a smile on your face!

  Bake Something

  You know your way around the kitchen, and you’ve experimented with a recipe or two to amp up the flavor of your favorite brownies. Why not organize (or participate in) a local bake sale or head off to a county fair with your special culinary creation? Get some validation for your incredible baking skills! There are plenty of online challenges too. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say your pie/cake/trifle/cheesecake was judged the best in the entire competition? Sure, it would—that blue ribbon would give you bragging rights for years to come. Even if you don’t win, the simple act of baking is sure to put a smile on your face and some deliciousness in your belly.

  Remember That Happiness Is a Journey

  If you look back over the past week and remember moments of happiness (even if they’re only fleeting) but find that your memories are dominated by moments of stress, anxiety, frustration, exasperation, sadness, resentment, jealousy, impatience, worry, concern, or anger, grab a cup of your favorite tea, put your feet up, and consider this: happy isn’t something you feel only after you’ve accomplished everything you want to achieve in life. Nope. It’s available to you during every step of the journey . . . but you make the choice of whether or not you experience that happiness.

  Hit the Casino

  If you enjoy the occasional visit to a casino for a little gambling and a show, double your pleasure and take a friend along on your next trip. You’ll have a pal to share your elation at winning or to commiserate with you if you lose. Besides, there are all those w
onderful buffets, and who wants to eat alone? Momentary pleasures are a lot more abundant when you are enjoying a good meal or gambling. (Of course, winning also contributes to pleasure and happiness!) You can feel happy just thinking of all the things you could do if you won a big jackpot, so if you have a few bucks to spare and some free time, call a friend and head to the casino.

  Plant an Herb Garden

  Gardening gives you the opportunity to work out in the fresh air, and besides, nothing beats fresh-picked herbs when you want to intensify the flavors of salsas, sauces, savory dishes, and drinks (mojitos, anyone?). Tackling weeds and digging holes for plants can also give you a workout. If you love to cook and also appreciate having fresh herbs and produce packed with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, consider planting a garden . . . and then combine the gardening with cooking for a healthier you!

  Give Up Your Seat