Practices to boost well-being and raise your happiness quotient.
Linda: There is a strong element of choice in our level of happiness. Indeed we do decide to be happy, but that’s only for starters. Then we are challenged to CULTIVATE happiness by actively pursuing the practices that give rise to it. The very same practices that assist in the process of bringing our happiness level up are identical to those that improve our relationships. We can get started by rating our level of happiness on a scale of 0 to 10.
If we want to bring our well-being quotient up, consider taking on the following practices:
30 Practices to Boost Well-Being
1. Gratitude:
Cultivate the attitude of gratitude. At the end of each day, say aloud or write in your journal that for which you are grateful.
2. Physical Exercise:
Ride bike, walk, climb, swim or go to the weight room. They all lift the mood and prompt positive emotions. When you have enough endorphins they create euphoria. Runner’s high is real.
3. Family:
Spend time connecting with family.
4. Friends:
Cultivate a strong network of support. If your blood relatives are not available for whatever reasons, find your family of choice. Have many confidants. It is the best predictor of happiness.
5. Support:
In times of difficulty and challenge, reach out to ask for help and allow others to support you, rather than struggling on alone. Interdependence is a healthy dependency.
6. Get Complete:
Get complete with issues from the past that make you heavy and drag you down.
7. Forgiveness:
Heal all of your relationships. Let go of all grudges towards those who have hurt you and particularly for yourself. Notice how grudges make you heavy and unhappy when you hold on to these hurts. Forgive yourselves if you are not ready to forgive.
8. Mindfulness Meditation:
Be Here Now says Ram Dass, The Power of Now says, Ekart Tolle. Meditation centers and focuses the mind. It helps to be present at the moment, not the past or the future and to practice non-judgmental awareness. Journaling can be the written form of mindfulness. It is a powerful practice for focusing the mind.
9. Needs:
Know what your needs are and see to it that they get met.
10. Play:
Find fun playmates and play with them frequently, thereby reclaiming the magic and wonder of childhood. Re-own the innocence of the joyful child that lives in each of us results in looking at the world through childlike eyes, with awe and radical amazement.
11. Generosity:
It feels so good to give. Contribute in the form of volunteer work, good deeds, and random acts of kindness. Give gifts, acknowledgment, your undivided attention, and committed listening.
12. Strengths:
Develop your potential, by identifying your signature strengths. As you take pride in them, you will feel the self-esteem that accompanies them and in a way boosts well-being
13. Risk:
Taking risks allows you to grow in courage. Happy people do not settle for comfort and security. They are willing to experience disappointment, failure, disapproval, embarrassment and even humiliation to have big successes.
14. Redefine success:
Stay away from the prevailing view of money, status, power, and influence to one where real success is the number of in-depth, loving relationships.
15. Self-care:
Practice compassionate self-care, also known as healthy selfishness.
16. Worry:
Give up worry, both on the job and in your personal life. Worry is in the future. Those fearful things may never occur. Stay present at the moment, living with a deep trust that things will work out.
17. Kindness:
Practice kindness to others and yourself.
18. Savor:
Savoring helps you to feel more deeply in the present moment. It also includes looking forward to something wonderful and reflecting on something lovely that happened in the past.
