Activities for Happiness (reduce impact of stress)

Introduction

Like physical health, you need work on your mental health to maximise the benefits.

Most people struggle to maintain the benefits of feeling happy.

To maintain happiness, you need to continuously work on it; otherwise, the benefits will be temporary.

This involves focusing on

"...increasing social connections, savouring experiences, getting sufficient sleep, engaging in physical activities and trying out mindfulness and other meditation practise..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024

Activities (10)

1. When greeting/meeting someone, maintain eye contact, smile and say 'hello'(this can boost the mood of yourself and others around you).

2. Maximise time with your closest friends(

"...more than 60% of our social time is devoted to our 5 closest friends..."

Robert Dunbar as quoted by Gwyneth Rees, 2024

This is followed

"...by successive layers of 15 good friends, 50 meaningful friends, 500 acquaintances and 1,500 people you can recognise..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024

It is best to invest in friendships that are closest to you.

"...Laughing with friends has been shown to be beneficial for your heart, lungs and stress control..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024)

3. Acts of kindness(acts such as volunteering, holding open a door for a stranger, etc trigger the brain pleasure centre's hormones that boost mood, ie release of oxytocin and serotonin;

"...Volunteering has one of the biggest benefits for health in general, with studies showing it reduces risk of dying by a quarter..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024)

4. Conversation with strangers (regular conversation with strangers boosts a sense of belonging and improves mood and happiness; research has shown

"...talking to strangers can stimulate our brain in ways that familiar interactions don't, sharpening our thinking. Talking to strangers can also boost self-confidence and provide a sense of accomplishment..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024)

5. Gratitude journal (every day record 3 good things that happened to you; doing this for around 10 weeks improves optimism and reduces pessimism; in positive psychology, gratitude is associated with a greater level of happiness:

"...Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024

This can be part of self-reflection.)

6. Send a gratitude note (research has shown

"...those who wrote and personally delivered a letter of gratitude exhibited a huge increase in happiness..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024)

7. Exercise (select an exercise regime that fits your life style like gym, yoga, etc; should include awalk in nature - brief walks in nature have shown to lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol, improve mood and boost the immune system;

"...optimal benefits are achieved by spending 120 minutes a week in nature - or 17 minutes a day..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024)

8. Hugging (hugging is a perceived measure of social support; need to hug someone for 7 seconds for the brain to release oxytocin  - hormone linked to increased trust, calm and creativity; this also encourages release of immunological hormones that reduce the chance of getting sick; reduces blood pressure and heart rate; reducing anxiety in people with low self-esteem)

9. Practise mindfulness & meditation (a way of relaxing and recharging your batteries)

(for more detail, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)

10. Take regular breaks (to recharge your batteries, eg take break every hour when working; use weekends as breaks; take regular holidays, eg quarterly)

11. Eat healthy foods (this means a balanced diet; focus on natural food like vegetables, fibre, etc rather than processed food, etc)

12. Drink fluids (especially water to remain hydrated, etc)

13. Sleep (adequate quality sleep, ie minimal disturbance; 7+ hours per night, etc)

14. Embracing change with a sense of purpose(encourage continuous change for the better;

"...The idea is that achieving a gradual advancement across the board leads to perpetual improvement. The method involves everybody taking small steps towards recognising needs and defining obstacles..."

Gwyneth Rees, 2024

Summary

- important to practise at least 1 of the activities on a regular basis, ie daily, etc

- those who practised the above activities had fewer visits to health professions

- showing gratitude had the greatest impact and more lasting benefits of all the activities; usually the most popular; mindfulness was number 2.