Day 308 of 365 - Measures of Happiness
Happiness is something we all know we need in our lives, but it often seems elusive and even confusing. I watched an interview about the science of happiness which brought up some very good points to consider.
Firstly, happiness is not really a specific distinct emotion, but more of a quality of life or a way of being. It's more enduring than a brief moment. When you think about what makes you 'happy' it is likely a variety of emotional experiences that have many nuances. We can almost think of the concepts of well-being and happiness being the same.
One way to measure your sense of happiness in your life is to consider whether it is easy to express positive emotions, whether you can generally manage the difficulties that arise in your life and, whether you feel a sense of belonging.
Striving to be happy or trying to achieve happiness via a checklist approach does not tend to be helpful. So, any belief along the lines of 'as soon as I ..., I'll be happy' is likely false. What is helpful is practicing skills that shift the way that we interact and cooperate with others, communicating with compassion and gratitude, and shifting how we think of and talk to ourselves.
The science of happiness has actually been studied quite a lot. An initiative from UC Berkely, called Greater Good in Action or, GGIA shares many science based practices for living a more meaningful and happier life. It is based on the premise that happiness, resilience, connection and kindness are skills that can be taught and developed over time with practice. They collect the best research based methods and make them available to the public in easy to follow formats. The categories of practice on the GGIA site include: awe, compassion, connection, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, happiness, kindness, mindfulness, optimism, resilience to stress and self-compassion.
On the site, you can choose a category. Then a variety of practices are displayed from which you can choose. Each one tells you how long it will take, and describes how to do it. For example, under the category of happiness I selected a Savoring Walk. It is suggested that you do it daily for 20 minutes for a week. On your walk, you try to notice as many positive things as you can, pausing for a moment so it registers and really take it in, identifying what makes it pleasurable to you.
There is also an option to read about why this is a beneficial practice, based on what research has shown. By savoring moments, we deepen our experience of appreciation and gratitude while becoming more attuned to our surroundings. In the rush of our daily lives, we often let the many small good things in our day pass us by. But, it's the little things that are the building blocks of long term happiness.
Of course, experiencing more happiness has a variety of health and wellness benefits, from longer life span to increased capacity for experiencing strong connections of social interaction. The seemingly small practices which are suggested on the GGIA site can make profound differences in our quality of life.
I was very pleased to learn about this site as a free resource of practical tools which will support our overall sense of well being and show us ways to push up the needle on our happiness meter. If I was having a glum day for some reason, I could go there and choose something that would help shift my perspective and experience. I'm grateful for that. It's a visually pleasing and easy to navigate site too.
Firstly, happiness is not really a specific distinct emotion, but more of a quality of life or a way of being. It's more enduring than a brief moment. When you think about what makes you 'happy' it is likely a variety of emotional experiences that have many nuances. We can almost think of the concepts of well-being and happiness being the same.
One way to measure your sense of happiness in your life is to consider whether it is easy to express positive emotions, whether you can generally manage the difficulties that arise in your life and, whether you feel a sense of belonging.
Striving to be happy or trying to achieve happiness via a checklist approach does not tend to be helpful. So, any belief along the lines of 'as soon as I ..., I'll be happy' is likely false. What is helpful is practicing skills that shift the way that we interact and cooperate with others, communicating with compassion and gratitude, and shifting how we think of and talk to ourselves.
The science of happiness has actually been studied quite a lot. An initiative from UC Berkely, called Greater Good in Action or, GGIA shares many science based practices for living a more meaningful and happier life. It is based on the premise that happiness, resilience, connection and kindness are skills that can be taught and developed over time with practice. They collect the best research based methods and make them available to the public in easy to follow formats. The categories of practice on the GGIA site include: awe, compassion, connection, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, happiness, kindness, mindfulness, optimism, resilience to stress and self-compassion.
On the site, you can choose a category. Then a variety of practices are displayed from which you can choose. Each one tells you how long it will take, and describes how to do it. For example, under the category of happiness I selected a Savoring Walk. It is suggested that you do it daily for 20 minutes for a week. On your walk, you try to notice as many positive things as you can, pausing for a moment so it registers and really take it in, identifying what makes it pleasurable to you.
There is also an option to read about why this is a beneficial practice, based on what research has shown. By savoring moments, we deepen our experience of appreciation and gratitude while becoming more attuned to our surroundings. In the rush of our daily lives, we often let the many small good things in our day pass us by. But, it's the little things that are the building blocks of long term happiness.
Of course, experiencing more happiness has a variety of health and wellness benefits, from longer life span to increased capacity for experiencing strong connections of social interaction. The seemingly small practices which are suggested on the GGIA site can make profound differences in our quality of life.
I was very pleased to learn about this site as a free resource of practical tools which will support our overall sense of well being and show us ways to push up the needle on our happiness meter. If I was having a glum day for some reason, I could go there and choose something that would help shift my perspective and experience. I'm grateful for that. It's a visually pleasing and easy to navigate site too.
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