Journaling about the highlights of your day
In a University of Texas study called “ How Do I Love Thee ? Let Me Count the Words ,” researchers Richard Slatcher and James Pennebaker had one member of a couple write about their relationship for 20 minutes three times a day . Compared to the test group , the couple was more likely to engage in intimate dialogue afterward , and the relationship was more likely to last . What should you write down ? Simply a laundry list of the highlights of your day . If you aren ' t the pen and paper type then try the free email journaling service Ahhlife . com .
Take a nature walk ( or another exercise you like )
The American Psychosomatic Society published a study showing how Michael Babyak and a team of researchers found three thirty-minute brisk walks or jogs can improve recovery from clinical depression . Yes , clinical depression . Results were stronger than those from studies using medication or studies using exercise and medication combined . Can you commit to going for a jog 20 days in a row or going for a walk in the woods ? If you can get into nature the phytoncides released from trees can reduce adrenaline and cortisol ( a stress hormone ) in your body . ( More on this from the paper " Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function ")
Reading 20 pages of fiction
A 2011 study published in the Annual Review of Psychology showed that reading triggers our mirror neurons and opens up the parts of our brain responsible for developing empathy , compassion and understanding . What does EQ help with ? Becoming a better leader , teacher , parent and sibling . ( Sidenote : This big a-ha on reading is one of the reasons I launched my podcast 3 Books … where I interview folks like David Sedaris , Judy Blume , and Malcolm Gladwell about which three books changed their life . Trying to help find that always elusive next great book to read .)
Playing “ Rose Rose Thorn Bud ” around the dinner table
My family and I play a game called Rose Rose Thorn Bud almost every night . Essentially , we take turns sharing two roses ( what we ’ re grateful for ), a thorn ( what didn ’ t go well that day ), and a bud ( something we ’ re looking forward to ).
Singing
A study published in Evolution & Human Behavior found that choral singing calms the heart , boosts endorphin levels , improves lung function , expands pain thresholds , and decreases reliance on pain medication . Choral singing was even found to elicit feelings of inclusion , connectivity and positivity , and fosters social closeness in a group . Can you join a church choir or develop a singa-long playlist to jam with your kids during school dropoff or pickup ?
STEP 3 : SWAP NEGATIVE INPUTS FOR POSITIVE INPUTS
Our brains crave bad news . We have 200,000 years of evolution programmed into our brains that have perfected the art of looking for problems , finding problems , and solving problems . It ' s why we rubberneck on the highway , it ' s why if it bleeds it leads , it ' s why , in the words of author and media critic Ryan Holiday , " MSNBC ' s real goal is to glue you to a television screen and sell you Subarus ." We get addicted to that hit as our amygdala constantly scans the world for problems . No wonder sometimes that ' s all we see !
SO WHAT ' S STEP 3 TO DEVELOPING A HAPPIER MINDSET ?
Swap negative inputs for positive inputs . Cancel your newspaper subscriptions , unfollow all news sites on social media , swipe left on your iPhone and scroll down to disable the News Widget that automatically pops up . ( Here ' s a WikiHow article on disabling iPhone News with more detail .). What ' s the goal ? Swap superficial knowledge of " many bad things every single day " for deeper knowledge on the things that matter to you most . How ? Through reading books . And , signing up for emails that actually serve and honor your attention instead of mining it for ads .
Don ' t worry . After you ditch the news you ' ll still know what ' s going on . It ' s impossible to avoid all the TV screens blaring in the corner of every elevator , dentist office , or airport lounge . You may know less about what ' s going on but you ' ll be consciously trading that in for deeper knowledge , greater wisdom , and , yes , a happier mindset .
WHAT ARE THE THREE STEPS TO DEVELOPING A HAPPIER MINDSET ?
Step 1 : Flip your happiness model .
Step 2 : Commit to a " 20 for 20 " happiness challenge .
Step 3 : Swap negative inputs for positive inputs .
Do you think you can do it ? I know you can do it . Start right now .
And good luck !
Neil Pasricha is the New York Times-best-selling author of The Happiness Equation and The Book of Awesome series , which has been published in 10 countries , spent over five years on best-seller lists , and sold over a million copies . Pasricha is a Harvard MBA , one of the most popular TED speakers of all time , and after 10 years heading Leadership Development at Walmart he now serves as Director of The Institute for Global Happiness . He has dedicated the past 15 years of his life to developing leaders , creating global programs inside the world ’ s largest companies and speaking to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe .
GlobalHappiness . org
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