Try attending happiness workshops to pick up life building skills
Happiness is a state of mind, or so say the experts. It is something to work on, rather than something that will happen to you. You must stop waiting for happiness to come to you or expect other people to make you happy. It is something that will come from within, once you have mastered the art!
Here are some tips by happiness expert Neha Arora Nicholas who has been conducting workshops for several years now. “Everyone is super stressed these days and over the years inculcating happiness has become a science. It is not just motivational talk anymore. There are several activities you can do to make your body release chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, oxytocins, etc. It originates in the study positive psychology which started in USA where we talk about how normal people leading regular lives can increase happiness quotient in their lives,” she said.
Be kind and show gratitude: There is a part of your brain which is activated when you give more than you receive. That feeling of gratitude and pleasure is directly related to how much you do for others, emotionally as well as materialistically. For example you could volunteer with an NGO and participate in donation campaigns.
Hug people for 20 seconds: Each time you hug someone or kiss or cuddle, keep at it for 20 seconds at-least. Your body will release the love hormone and reduce chances of anxiety and stress. With time this even makes you less vulnerable.
Exercise regularly: The more you exercise the more active your body becomes. This new found agility will not only release more happy hormones but will also increase life expectancy.
Avoid sugar and coffee: An excess of sugar and coffee will cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket and temporarily raise levels of mood chemicals in the brain. The ‘high’ is temporary. There is an inevitable ‘low’ waiting to strike back. Get rid of that vicious circle!
Sleep well at night: It is extremely important to sleep well at night. Unless you have high stress levels this should come easily to you. However, if sleep is being difficult with you try reading a book before getting into bed. It will help.
Have fun at work: It is very important to have fun at work. Vedic wisdom tells us there is cosmic play involved in our lives. We are meant to have recreational lives and therefore must make work fun. Laugh more. It will make you more creative, more energetic and more productive.
Meditate for two minutes every day:Stress activates your amygdala, creates red alert and activates your flight-or-fight symptoms and heats up your system. Your thinking brain gets totally frozen and completely hijacked by your emotional brain. Meditation creates a deep state of rest and triggers the brain to release happy chemicals, helps cool your brain and takes you towards positivity and happy feelings.
