“The How Of Happiness” – activities 1, 2, 3, 4
I have recently finished reading a book called “The How Of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. The main section of the work is a description of 12 happiness-enhancing activities. Activities 1-4 are as follows:
- Expressing gratitude: Counting your blessings for what you have (either to a close other or privately, through contemplation or diary-writing) or conveying your gratitude and appreciation to one or more individuals whom you’ve never properly thanked.
- Cultivating optimism: Keeping a journal in which you imagine and write about the best possible future for yourself or practise looking at the bright side of every situation.
- Avoiding overthinking and social comparison: Using strategies (such as distraction) to cut down on how often you dwell on your problems and compare yourself to others.
- Practising acts of kindness: Doing good things for others, whether friends or strangers, either directly ot anonymously, either spontaneously or planned.