What have you got to lose.

Recently I came across some thoughts on 5 things you can do to make you happier. They struck me as sensible small things we could all do without turning our lives upside down and so unlike a lot of self help advice might actually work. So here they are.


Accept unhappiness, this one seems a little odd but the point is happiness is not achieved by the avoidance of unpleasantness. This is there can be no light without dark type of thinking to be happy you need to have a contrast and also an acceptance that not everything in the world is pleasant. A trivial example but not confronting the neighbour about his tree may avoid a difficult conversation but you will be stuck with the tree.

Share real time with family and friends, the research shows that the more time you spend with the people you care about the happier you will be. These should be real face to face interactions without distractions, eg watching TV with the family is good but better is no TV. Emailing friends is ok but no substitute for a sit down conversation over coffee. Arrange a face to face conversation with someone you care about today.

Do some exercise. Well apart from all the other benefits 20mins of moderate exercise 3 times a week will make you feel happier. The good news is a walk with the dog will do it and if you don’t have a dog become a volunteer walker for the SPCA and if you hate dogs (well you should try and get over that cause you are missing out) you can always walk yourself or better yet a walk with someone you care about. In other words you don’t have to turn into a multisport nut just a little bit will do it.

Do more of less. We have a tendency to cram a lot into our lives and then be busy running from one thing to the next. Instead pick out the activities you really like and spend more quality time focused on the activities that bring you the most joy. We have all met someone who is passionate about something and it seems to consume their lives and when you talk to them about whatever it is you can see them light up. Well you don’t need to be that obsessed but you can see the joy a focus on some things you love could bring you rather than trying to do a little of everything.

Keep a gratitude journal. At the end of the day note down in a journal the good things that happened in the day. Just a few notes not an essay. Eg had coffee with Jim, heard a great song on the radio, my boss said thanks for a job well done. So for some bosses that last one might be a stretch but you get the idea, you don’t have to write much and the items don’t need to be big. I reckon even the worst days should be able to yield three.

That was the list, all of them are small ideas and achievable so give it a go what have you got to lose.