Happiness

I recently read about happiness, and have been thinking a lot about what it takes to be happy. A website I ran across claimed enormous benefits with the following changes:

1.   Three Gratitudes

Before you go to bed each night, write down three things that you're grateful for. Try to do this every night for at least a week. The more specific your list is, the better. For instance, if you are grateful for your children, write down something specific they did today that made you smile.

The Benefit: Research shows that people who keep a daily gratitude list feel better about their lives as a whole and feel more optimistic about the coming week. Compared to control groups, they exercise more frequently and report fewer physical complaints. They also experience more positive emotions, fewer negative emotions, and exhibit more helpful behavior towards friends and neighbors (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

2.   Maximizing Strengths

First, go here to take the VIA Strengths survey and find out what your Signature Strengths are. Now try to use one of these strengths in a new and different way every day for a week. Try to shape a normally boring daily task into one that uses your strength in a creative way. 

The Benefit: In a 2005 nationwide study, people who completed this task every day for just one week showed increased levels of happiness and decreased symptoms of depression directly after the experiment AND a full 6 months later (Seligman, et al., 2005). Students who use their signature strengths have higher GPAs and fewer absences (Harter, 1998). Employees who have the opportunity to use their top strengths at work every day report greater job satisfaction and 38% higher productivity levels (Gallup, 2005).

3.   Journaling

A few times in the coming week, take 20 minutes to write in your journal about a recent positive experience. Try to be as specific as you can about the experience and why it made you happy.

The Benefit: People who write about positive experiences at least 3 times a week report enhanced positive mood and a 50% drop in doctors visits up to three months later (Burton & King, 2004). Also, couples who journal about their relationship are significantly more likely than control group couples to still be together 3 months later (Slatcher & Pennebaker, 2006).

4.   Meditation

Every day, take 5 minutes to sit quietly and watch your breath go in and out. Try to clear your mind of other thoughts and just think about your breathing.

The Benefit: People who meditate on a regular basis experience less stress, enjoy more energy, and bounce back from illness faster. They report higher levels of happiness and lower levels of depression. They also have a decreased risk of heart disease and a higher tolerance for pain (Shapiro, Schwartz & Santerre, 2005).

I took the poll (number 2) and was utterly unsurprised by my signature strengths. Persistence. Yeah, a real shocker! I'm not sure how to use persistence in a new and different way even for one day! How many ways can one be persistent?

I have been thinking about positive experiences every day for at least a year now. Not writing it down, just talking about it with T. Some days the best part of our day kinda sucks. And that is sad. But there are a lot of days that practically everything in the day was awesome and picking just one is really difficult. 

I could probably take up meditation. I have been thinking quite a bit recently about the noise in my life. TV, music, radio, audio books... I have too little silence. I have been working to increase my creativity, and I think silence would go very well with it.