7 ways to make yourself happier in the next hour

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    7 Ways to Make Yourself Happier in the Next Hour

    You can make yourself happier and it doesnt have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now. In the next

    hour, check off as many of the following items as possible. Each of these accomplishments will lift your mood, as will

    the mere fact that youve tackled and achieved some concrete goals. The first one is to boost your energy, which can

    be an easy, quick transformation...

    1. Boost your energy: stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk

    outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are

    good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information. Plus, because of emotional contagion, if you act

    energetic, youll help the people around you feel energetic too.

    2. Reach out to friends: make a lunch date or send an email to a friend you havent seen in a while. Having warm,

    close bonds with other people is one of the keys to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat

    surprisingly, it turns out that socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.

    3. Rid yourself of a nagging task: answer a difficult e-mail, purchase something you need, or call to make that

    dentists appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and cheer, and

    youll be surprised that you procrastinated for so long.

    4. Create a calmer environment: clear some physical and mental space around your desk by sorting papers, pitchingjunk, stowing supplies, sending out quick responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. A large stack of

    little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizeable dent. Try to get in the

    habit of using the oneminute rule i.e., never postpone any task that can be completed in less than one minute. An

    uncluttered environment will contribute to a more serene mood.

    5. Lay the groundwork for some future fun: order a book youve been wanting to read (not something you think you

    should read) or plan a weekend excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater

    whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is

    an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; people enjoy almost all activities more

    when theyre with other people than when theyre alone.

    6. Do a good deed: make an e-mail introduction of two people who could help each other, or set up a blind date, or

    shoot someone a piece of useful information or gratifying praise. Do good, feel good this really works. Also,

    although we often believe that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act.

    When you act in a friendly way, youll strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.

    7. Act happy: put a smile on your face right now, and keep smiling. Research shows that even an artificially induced

    smile has a positive influence on your emotions turns out that just going through the motion of happiness brightens

    your mood. And if youre smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

    Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal. To the contrary. Studies show that happier people are

    more sociable, likeable, healthy, and productive and theyre more inclined to help other people. So in working to

    boost your own happiness, youre benefiting others as well.

    Feel happier yet?

    1. Smile 2. Eat a sprinkled doughnut 3. Meditate 4. Take a nap 5. Go for a walk

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    6. Go to the beach 7. Talk to a friend 8. Watch your favorite television show 9. Write in your journal 10. Do yoga 11. Go Shopping 12. Get a massage 13. Take a nap 14. Read a book 15. Laugh until it hurts 16. Give a hug 17. Color in a coloring book 18. Cuddle with a stuffed animal 19. Take a relaxing bath 20. Take your mom to the movies 21. Celebrate your accomplishments 22. Watch the sunrise 23. Soak up the sun 24. Enjoy a cup of Chai Tea 25. Live boldy 26. Be grateful 27. Volunteer once a month 28. Have a spa day 29. Love your pet 30. Jump rope

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    31. Blow bubbles 32. Play a game on your wii 33. Eat some dark chocolate pretzel chips 34. Do something from your life list 35. Have a game night with friends 36. Take yourself out to dinner 37. Go to the beach 38. Enjoy nature 39. Jam out to your favorite song 40. Clean 41. Read your favorite magazine 42. Believe in yourself 43. Take a time out 44. Reconnect with a friend 45. Eat your favorite fruit 46. Watch your favorite cartoon from childhood 47. Go for a swim 48. Have breakfast in bed 49. Sleep in 50. Throw a impromptu theme party 51. Write down how you make a difference 52. Buy yourself some fresh flowers 53. Surprise a loved one with an unexpected card 54. Live your life 55. Do something wacky

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    56. Play Bop It 57. Go for a bike ride 58. Go to the zoo or aquarium 59. Go midnight skinny dipping 60. Take a mental health day from work 61. Make a silly video with a friend 62. Sing in the shower, loudly 63. Drink water over soda 64. Make your home feel like a vacation 65. Learn something new 66. Stop watching the news 67. Have a technology free day 68. Wear cute underwear 69. Decorate your workspace to be fun 70. Get an ice cream cone 71. Go paperless 72. Stop tolerating things 73. Give good karma 74. Say I love you and mean it 75. Enjoy a morning or evening ritual 76. Wear clothes you really like and are comfortable in 77. Remember you are as young as you live your life 78. Surround yourself with people who believe in you 79. Be Positive 80. Watch the rain

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    81. Be yourself 82. Dont gossip 83. Play strip Twister 84. Have a date night 85. Get enough sleep 86. Go on a picnic 87. Make sure you have time for yourself each day 88. Build a savings 89. Learn life lessons from childrens books 90. Treat people how they want to be treated 91. Always appreciate first 92. Fly a kite 93. Take time to relax each day 94. Be healthy 95. Take responsibility for your life 96. Choose to be happy 97. Be forgiving 98. Stop being your own worse critic 99. Celebrate all your birthdays 100. Never out yourself last 101. Read my blog

    How To Cheer Yourself Up When You're Down

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    by Colleen MouldingGot the colder weather, sour relationshops, no money, poor health, plainol' down 'n dirty blues? Try some of these strategies to blow away those

    dark clouds and let the sunshine into your life again.1) Dance! Put on your favourite music, turn it up loud and dance! This is

    guaranteed to make you feel good. If you are unable to dance, don't letthat stop you having fun - sing at the top of your voice instead.2) Smile! Force yourself to smile even if you don't feel like it. This tricksyour brain into thinking that you are happy. You do want to be happy

    don't you? Okay then - a great big cheesy grin. After three, one, two,three, - smile :0)3) Spend time with children. Their natural zest for life is infectious. Aswell as the pleasures of a spontaneous hug or a chubby little hand in

    yours, try to take away with you some of their joy in simple things,licking an ice cream, playing with water, tramping through fallen leavesor following a butterfly.4) Reward yourself. If there is a job that you hate to do, household

    accounts, home repairs etc. don't keep putting it off so that it isconstantly nagging at you. Just get it done. Then reward yourself with

    whatever you love, a shiny new magazine, a bunch of flowers, a long

    soak in an aromatic bath, two bars of chocolate or an evening in front ofthe tv doing absolutely nothing. Or even all of the above if you can affordit. The peace of mind that comes from having got the job done will be the

    greatest reward of all.5) Clear out your clutter. The ancient art of Feng Shui believes that

    getting rid of clutter rids your home or work space of negative stuckenergy and allows space for positive energy to surge into all aspects of

    your life. Whether or not this is correct, it is an undeniable fact that

    clearing out what you no longer want or need makes life easier. Yourhome is neater, looks more spacious and is easier to clean. There canalso be a tremendous feeling of freedom as you let go of the past and

    trust in the future to bring you what you will need. Emotional clutter can

    be even more damaging. We've all said or done things we regret, thetrick is to do anything you can to repair the damage and if that is notpossible, forgive yourself and toss it out of your life.6) Take action. If something is worrying you, be it a health problem, ordebt or divorce, make that doctor's appointment, get some debtcounselling, find out your rights. The reality is often less stressful thansitting alone worrying about it. Try to talk over your problems with a

    friend, or if that is impossible find a support group on the Internet bytyping debt, divorce or whatever into a search engine.7) Positive thoughts. When you leave the house each morning, say and

    mean, I'm going to have a great day, it's going to be lots of fun, rather

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    than thinking Oh no, another dreary day at the office to get through. The

    first attitude will attract good vibrations and positive fun people to you,the second will ensure a depressing day.8) Have more fun. Apparently children laugh approximately 400 times aday yet adults laugh only about 20 times a day. When do we lose our

    sense of fun? Claim it back. Play games, watch comedies, have dailyjokes delivered to your mailbox or throw a fancy dress party.9) Make something. Being creative gives you such a buzz you won't staydown in the dumps for long. Stencil a room, make a cake, plan a garden,sketch or paint a picture. Express yourself with a modern collage, changeyour rooms around, display your collections or start a patchwork quilt.10) Keep a gratitude journal. Write down half a dozen things every day

    that you are grateful for, from waking up and seeing your children'sbeautiful little faces to the smell of the roses in the local park. This

    cannot fail to cheer you up if you do it regularly as it gives you a wholenew way of experiencing your life.11) Start a new project. Learn a language, trace your family history,

    redecorate your home, learn to ride a horse, gain a new qualification,take music lessons, learn to make your own soft furnishings or do yourown auto repairs. Visualize yourself successfully completing the project

    and the benefits it will bring to your life. Then make a start and follow it

    through to the end. An added bonus will be the increased self esteemthat comes from having planned, problem solved and perfected the wholeproject yourself.12) See your old friends. It's easy to get into a work, family, housework,shopping, sleep and back to work again routine that leaves you no timeat all to be the person you once were. The funny, up for a laugh,outgoing young woman you used to be. Spending time with friends who

    knew the old you seems to resurrect that side of your character. You will

    come away feeling younger, more positive and more excited by life thanyou were before you met up. Go on, invite them over to share a pizzaand catch up on each other's lives.13) Paint or accessorize a room that you spend a lot of time in a lovely

    bright yellow. The colour of sunshine will lift your spirit and bring positive

    vibrations. We subconciously know about the effects of colour on our

    emotions which is why we talk about the future looking rosy or havingthe blues.14) Take the happiness option. You have the choice whether to spend

    this day, which you will never live through again, in a state of happinessor unhappiness. Choose to spend it as happily as you possibly can.Colleen MouldingCopyright 2000

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