There are numerous philosophies, theories and opinions on the definition of happiness and how to achieve it. However, most are mere theories without practical steps. I recently stumbled upon this TED talk by Shawn Achor and the beauty of his short talk is that it is light, practical and scientifically backed. There’s nothing airy fairy, fluffy or new-age/quantum physics about this.
Here are the steps:
- 3 Gratitudes: write 3 things you’re grateful for daily; finding 3 different things you’re grateful each other can eventually cause you to become pretty creative in looking for the good. As well, this develops the habit of looking for what’s good and right in tough times and difficult situations.
- Journaling: this isn’t just about writing about your heartbreaks and how so-so wronged you and why you do/behave/feel in a negative way. The journaling required here is one where you write about one positive event that happened each day.
- Exercise: basically using your muscles to build physical strength and resilience
- Meditation: develops mindfulness in an age where multi-tasking is praised and always being/looking busy is our ultimate goal, learning to quiet our minds and focus on one task at a time in a mindful way is of utmost importance for our mental and emotional well-being.
- Random Acts of Kindness: this one is about getting out of our heads and focusing on the wants and needs of those around us instead of only seeking to get -rather than give.
For a more complete description of the points above, listen to Shawn Achor’s talk titled: The Happy Secret to Better Work: We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk from TEDxBloomington, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.
Hope you find the above mentioned video inspiring and entertaining!
Yours In Health,
Dr. Negin