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Follow a healthy lifestyle, curb your stress levels and create your own personal space to increase your happiness
Happy body
You may think that happiness is all about what you think and feel. Not so. Recent research suggests that your physical state dramatically influences your mental state. Your body will make you feel miserable if you don't treat it well. Follow a healthy lifestyle and your brain and body will support you in being happy. If you want to be happy:
Choose happy nutrients. Dietary research now suggests that there are specific foods that help boost the feel-good brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. So it's worth increasing your intake of these foods. Choose foods rich in refined carbohydrate, such as cereals, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables, and rich in amino acids, such as chicken, fish, beef, nuts and pulses. If you constantly feel unhappy, it may be worth taking a food intolerance test to check for substances that trigger bad moods.
Take exercise. It's been shown that movement boosts mood by releasing those same feel-good brain chemicals. If you don't already take regular exercise, start now. Try to do at least 20 minutes, three times a week. Don't panic - you needn't put yourself through agony. If you don't fancy competitive sport, try dance or swimming. If you're pressed for time try to walk to work.
Don't overachieve. Don't be temped to eat nothing and spend hours in the gym in your quest for a healthy body. Studies suggest that dieting and over-exercise will not only harm you physically, they can also lead to psychological disorders such as depression. It's far better to learn to trust your inner signals in order to get a healthy and happy body.
More resources
Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts (Dorling Kindersley)
Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen Desmaisons (Pocket Books)
On Eating by Susie Orbach (Penguin)
The stress factor
Life is busy. Stress is your body's way of signalling there's something wrong and can lead to a range of physical ailments and mental symptoms. For true contentment, you need to reduce the stress in your life. Improve happiness and curb stress levels by:
Learning how to say no. Modern life is very demanding and you may feel discontented because you are overachieving. Keep a commitment diary for a week and see exactly what you are asking of yourself. Then be brutal. Cut out what you don't have to do. Renegotiate with partners or colleagues to decrease your workload. Stop feeling guilty and take more time out.
Stretch. Stress studies show that people sometimes get tense not because they're doing too much, but because they're not doing enough. So if you feel you are underachieving - or turning into a couch potato - get moving. Ask for more responsibility at work. Take up a new hobby. Set yourself a challenge for the coming year. If you're fulfilling your potential, you'll feel more content.
Get enough rest. Lack of sleep creates depression, so make sure you get the amount that's right for you. Current research suggests six or seven hours a night. If you have trouble sleeping, create a pre-sleep routine consisting of a warm bath and gentle music and consciously think calm thoughts to wind down. Take regular relaxation breaks during the day to keep your energy levels high.
More resources
The Assertiveness Workbook by Joanna Gutman (Sheldon Press) or ask your local evening class centre if they run assertiveness courses.
The Ultimate Stressbuster by Sarah Brewer (Ebury Press)
Getting a Good Night's Sleep by Fiona Johnston (Sheldon Press)
Your personal space
An unsupportive environment doesn't just make you feel uncomfortable short term - it can also leave you feeling depressed in the long term. If you want to be happy:
Take sanity time. Everyone needs regular opportunities to mentally process what's happening and stay sane. Each day, take some time out, without input from other people or even the television or radio. Sit quietly, lie back, take a walk and spend a few minutes allowing your mind to settle so you can start to make sense of the day's events.
Create your own space. It's good to have somewhere that is yours and under your control. Whether that's in your office, your bedroom, your car or at the bottom of your garden, your space needs to be yours alone. Don't share it or its organisation and decor with anyone else. Make it your own.
Surround yourself with nice things. Designer William Morris said, 'Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.' Don't clutter your life up with stuff that you neither need nor enjoy. Choose things that are good to look at, listen to or touch. And indulge yourself with a few things that make your heart sing - whether you feel you can afford them or not.
More resources:
Practical Feng Shui by Simon Brown (Cassell)
Comfort for Depression by Janet Horwood (Sheldon Press)
Introducing The Happiness Workshop:
Quiz: The Happiness Test
Week one: Happy body
Week two: Happy mind
Week three: Happy interactions
Week four: Happy life
Message board: Get happy
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