Winnie the Pooh once said, “Nothing can be uncheered with a balloon.” Ask any child and they’ll probably agree.
As adults, though, it doesn’t seem so straight-forward.
Our own happiness can get lost among daily routines, and unless we take deliberate steps to seek it out, we may begin to not even recognise the life we lead.
Thankfully, according to three local experts, inviting more joy into our life is easier than we think and it needn’t cost a cent.
“The first tip is looking for happiness,” said Stacey Tucker from The Bodhi Tree and Stacey. “I believe what we look for, we find. And it’s completely different for different people. For some it what’s they see in nature or hear, or just observing their children in free play.”
First, she suggests, make a list of 10 things that make you happy or that you want more of. For each one, list three ways in which you could get more.
“I want more fun, because fun makes me happy,” she said. “Three ways that I can easily generate fun is playing Lego with my boys, singing out loud and dancing.”
Then, she said, list 10 things you want less of and, for each, write down one way you can lessen it.
Dawn Armstrong, life coach and founder of “Live Your Great Big Life,” agreed. “Really get to know the things that you love in your life… and then infuse them into your life, every day.”
Knowing this makes it possible to create fun in even the most routine moments, she explained.
“It could be anything from riding your bike, to reading a book, taking a bath, smelling the roses or baking a cake,” she said.
These small moments create a ripple effect of overall happiness throughout your life.
“Knowing what you love brings calm, ease and flow into your life… and that calmness flows to everyone around you.”
Practising giving and receiving gratitude, said Tucker, is also important when seeking happiness.
“People are really good at giving gratitude, especially in Squamish… but our flow of happiness will increase if we can receive it as graciously as we can give it.”
It’s especially important to teach this to our children, she said, and the best way is to lead by example.
“We can say, ‘I’m grateful for you listening. Thank you for listening to Mommy when I asked you to come.’”
For Urszula Lipsztajn, global mindful leadership coach and the founder of WorkBrite, sustained happiness is about well-being.
“Sustained happiness comes from peace within yourself; from a sense of ease within your day and of wellness.”
One of the easiest and most important ways to improve wellness (and thus happiness), she explained, is eating meals away from technology.
“Without technology, you’re really able to taste the food… be present with the people you love and get significant boosts of joy.”
Removing ourselves from the distractions of technology is also a great way to gain more time to do the things we love, she said.
“Most of us feel we don’t have enough time… that we’re not able to do things that make us happy such as going to the park or going for a gondola ride.”
But we have more time than ever, she explained, we just have to choose how we spend it.
Another simple way to feel good, she said, is taking a five-minute walk every day. “Walking among nature is a really great way to give your brain the chance to change any negative thought patterns… It also boosts creativity, which is a huge source of joy for people.”
And don’t let the weather stop you, she said, because that would be allowing something else to limit your sense of joy.
Closing the day on a positive note, she said, also does wonders for our wellbeing. Before you go to bed write down between three and five accomplishments every day. It could be anything from going out for a run, making your own lunch or landing a job interview.
“You get to decide what the accomplishments are; the act of writing them down makes them seem more real.”
Incorporating this into our day makes us feel more positive, reduces stress significantly, elevates levels of appreciation and gratitude, and boosts both happiness and wellbeing, she said.
What makes us happy, it seems, is as unique as we are and it’s something we all have a personal responsibility to seek out, explained Lipsztajn.
Having our children see us happy, added Tucker, is the greatest gift we could give them.
