7 Ways to Change and Sustain Happiness

When we think of interventions we don’t normally think of them as positive… however these 7 techniques are called interventions because they change and sustain happiness…

1. Savoring – also referred to as anchoring in the mindfulness community is when you bring your full awareness to a satisfying sensation. You can bring yourself out of your head and into your being by doing something simple and grounding like eating a strawberry. Smell it, taste it, notice the texture of it.. The juicy, pulpy vibrancy of it all. 

2. Gratitude – This is my go-to intervention for an in the moment pick-me-up. We all know what it feels like to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and wish we could shake the blues. Gratitude immediately produces more positive and motivated feelings.

3. Kindness/Altruism – giving back is what makes the world go round… in my humble opinion. I hand out ‘you are beautiful’ stickers to strangers, and write personal notes to brighten peoples day… honestly I think the effects are more positive for me than they are the receiver.

4. Empathy – sometimes it seems like the world is against us, and we need to practice the skill of actually taking ourselves out of our own shoes and putting ourselves in the shoes of others. Let’s put our own reality on the back burner for a minute and consider what someone else is feeling, thinking, saying and doing by leaning into the context of why they might be behaving this way. 

5. Optimism – Optimism can be learned and it is one of the main things we can do to build up our resilience. By generating optimistic thoughts we produce the same chemical reaction in our brain as if they were naturally occurring

6. Character Strengths – Research has shown that when you are actively engaging in your strengths you will feel better. You can take the VIA strengths assessment if you are unsure where your strengths lie.

7. Meaning – Engage in something purposeful or meaningful, and you will meet one of the highest levels of human need by increasing your self-enhancement and self esteem.

Choose whichever one suits you… you can even stack them for even more sustained happiness. If you want support with your happiness goals, set up a free discovery session today!