Friday, October 31, 2008

Happiness

Happy Halloween sticks in my throat a bit today. I want to be joyous as I watch my kid's excitement about the holiday and dressing up and sugar, but underneath is sadness at what today could have been for us--welcoming a new little pumpkin into our hearts and homes. But when I opened the paper today I found this article on the formula for happiness and it resonated with me so I'll share the 6 tips here and try to remember them today when I feel sad!

1. Give yourself permission to be human.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Mere pleasure for its own sake is fleeting.

3. Happiness is dependent on our state of mind, not on status or the state of our bank account. We can control happiness by choosing to be optimistic.

4. Simplify!!

5. Remember the mind-body connection: exercise, healthy eating and good sleep habits affect our physical and mental well-being.

6. (AND MY #1 fave, especially on Fridays!) Express gratitude whenever possible, whether large or small--a good life or a good meal--the wonderful things in life are too often taken for granted. Take time to reflect on the positive gifts of a life well lived.

Time to go trick or treat!! I'll post my little goblins later, but for now: Happy Halloween!!

1 comment:

Steph said...

I love these tips. Thank you Amy. I hope you're doing well.

Hugs to you,
xox