1. Make your bed.
The book The Happiness Project, explains
that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to
positively impact your happiness.
2. Bring every room back to “ready.”
I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul’s clever
book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. It’s
a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This
mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room
back to “ready” before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner
who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)
3. Display sentimental items around your
home.
One reason that experiences (and memories of those
experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of
enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to
the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience.
Make your home a gallery of positive memories.
4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude
journal.
Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from
that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the best part of
today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on
a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later,
when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful
adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling,
consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban
Breathnach, is a great one.
5. If you can’t get out of it, get into
it.
This tip comes from The Happiness Project.
I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do
it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in
which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel
the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles.
Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps
while shouting “Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend
you love it.
6. Before you get up each morning, set an
intent for the day.
In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says
“”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a
precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow. What a wise man. I tend
to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, “Attention human beings:
Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a
huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like “be productive” or
“enjoy today’s delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like
“say thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do”
item on your list.
7. Do small favors for your housemates,
expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!).
(That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn
for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for
your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your
roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships
is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start
to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog
poop!) It’s a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.
8. Call at least one friend or family
member a day.
You can do this while you clean, while you make
the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an
actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are
social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel like it, even if we
are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel
better.
9. Spend money on things that cultivate
experiences at home.
Save money for a new grill for parties or a new
DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people
over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick
back and relax. (And don’t forget to print out the pictures to remember the good
times.)
10. Spend a few minutes each day
connecting with something greater than yourself.
Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs —
may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with
happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous
universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the
those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks
under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating
something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal.
Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your
thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a
good book… are you feeling better yet?)
