1. GIVING: Do things for others
Caring about others is fundamental to our happiness. Helping other
people is not only good for them and a great thing to do, it also makes
us happier and healthier too. Giving also creates stronger connections
between people and helps to build a happier society for everyone. And
it's not all about money - we can also give our time, ideas and energy.
So if you want to feel good, do good!
Q: What do you do to help others?
2. RELATING: Connect with people
Relationships are the most important overall contributor to happiness.
People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier
and live longer. Close relationships with family and friends provide
love, meaning, support and increase our feelings of self worth. Broader
networks bring a sense of belonging. So taking action to strengthen our
relationships and create new connections is essential for happiness.
Q: Who matters most to you?
3. EXERCISING: Take care of your body
Our body and our mind are connected. Being active makes us happier as
well as being good for our physical health. It instantly improves our
mood and can even lift us out of a depression. We don't all need to run
marathons - there are simple things we can all do to be more active each
day. We can also boost our well-being by unplugging from technology,
getting outside and making sure we get enough sleep!
Q: How do you stay active and healthy?
4. APPRECIATING: Notice the world around
Ever felt there must be more to life? Well good news, there is! And
it's right here in front of us. We just need to stop and take notice.
Learning to be more mindful and aware can do wonders for our well-being
in all areas of life - like our walk to work, the way we eat or our
relationships. It helps us get in tune with our feelings and stops us
dwelling on the past or worrying about the future - so we get more out
of the day-to-day.
Q: When do you stop and take notice?
5. TRYING OUT: Keep learning new things
Learning affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us
to new ideas and helps us stay curious and engaged. It also gives us a
sense of accomplishment and helps boost our self-confidence and
resilience. There are many ways to learn new things - not just through
formal qualifications. We can share a skill with friends, join a club,
learn to sing, play a new sport and so much more.
Q: What new things have you tried recently?
6. DIRECTION: Have goals to look forward to
Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. We all
need goals to motivate us and these need to be challenging enough to
excite us, but also achievable. If we try to attempt the impossible this
brings unnecessary stress. Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives
our lives direction and brings a sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction when we achieve them.
Q: What are your most important goals?
7. RESILIENCE: Find ways to bounce back
All of us have times of stress, loss, failure or trauma in our lives.
But how we respond to these has a big impact on our well-being. We often
cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to
what happens. In practice it's not always easy, but one of the most
exciting findings from recent research is that resilience, like many
other life skills, can be learned.
Q: How do you bounce back in tough times?
8. EMOTION: Take a positive approach
Positive emotions - like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration, and
pride - are not just great at the time. Recent research shows that
regularly experiencing them creates an 'upward spiral', helping to build
our resources. So although we need to be realistic about life's ups and
downs, it helps to focus on the good aspects of any situation - the
glass half full rather than the glass half empty.
Q: What are you feeling good about?
9. ACCEPTANCE: Be comfortable with who you are
No-one's perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people's
outsides. Dwelling on our flaws - what we're not rather than what we've
got - makes it much harder to be happy. Learning to accept ourselves,
warts and all, and being kinder to ourselves when things go wrong,
increases our enjoyment of life, our resilience and our well-being. It
also helps us accept others as they are.
Q: What is the real you like?
10. MEANING: Be part of something bigger
People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier, feel
more in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience
less stress, anxiety and depression. But where do we find 'meaning and
purpose'? It might be our religious faith, being a parent or doing a job
that makes a difference. The answers vary for each of us but they all
involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves.
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