Got 60 seconds? 4 Tiny Practices to Boost Everyday Happiness

20 minutes ago

3 min read

Have we made happiness too hard to find?

We often wait for our big dreams or plans to come through, believing that when they do, they will finally bring us happiness. In the meantime, we may be missing the present moments. These are small everyday experiences in the moment that can shift our mood and bring a little more joy into an ordinary day.

If you were to rate your simple everyday happiness level on a scale of 1-10, where would you land?

For me, my number is a solid 5. That doesn’t mean I’m unhappy. I’m generally content with today while still working toward my long term goals. I’ve learned to have an appreciation for the “normal” everyday ordinary moments that make up most of our lives. Of course, there are times where my happiness level shoots up higher or dips lower. That’s when it helps to have a few simple steps to bring myself back to center.

What if some of those steps only take 60 seconds?

Research suggests that small intentional choices and experiences can influence our mood and emotional well being.

I’ve gathered four 60 second simple exercises below. Some may surprise you. You may be expecting them to be yoga, napping, journaling, and mindfulness. These are wonderful practices and research supports many of them. However, the four below caught my attention because they are a little unusual and so simple that you can do them almost anywhere.

1. Re-live a moment of joy.

Close your eyes and in your mind’s eye, step back into a memory of a joyful moment. What do you remember? Recall the smell, the scenery, the taste, the feeling of someone’s hand, or anything else that made that moment special. Try to experience this memory again through these senses. Let yourself linger in that memory for 60 seconds or longer.

2. Visualize a warm light around you.

Imagine a warm glowing light surrounding you. Picture it wrapping gently around your body, creating a sense of peace, calm, comfort or protection. If you’re feeling vulnerable and wounded, you might imagine the light as a protective covering or a gentle armor around you.

Take 60 seconds to simply sit with the image and notice how you feel.

3. Listen to a bird sing.

When was the last time you stopped to listen to a bird?

Bird songs may be more than background noise. Research has explored the relationship between exposure to natural sounds, including bird songs, and mental well being.

Clinton Francis states in a National Geographic article, “tuning into birds is also a form of mindfulness, because it roots you in the present moment.”

For one minute, stop and listen.

If you don’t hear many birds where you live, try a walk in the park or a wooded area.

Don’t analyze it, just listen. Let the birds bring to the present moment.

4. Smile.

Yes, simply smile.

For 60 seconds, hold a smile. Smiling may not automatically make you happy. However, taking a moment to intentionally smile may be a simple way to shift your attention and create a positive pause in your day.

Smile at yourself in the mirror.

Smile while sitting in your car.

Smile while you’re home alone.

It may feel silly at first. That’s ok. Just notice what happens.

Why Practice Happiness Boosts?

We sometimes expect happiness to happen automatically. For many of us, it doesn’t.

Our brains have what psychologists call a negativity bias. This is where we tend to pay more attention to negative experiences and events. These can have a stronger impact on us than equally positive ones. Paying attention to potential threats helped our ancestors survive. But it can mean to us now that one negative comment overshadows five positive ones. The good news is that we can become more intentional about noticing the positive.

Raising your everyday happiness doesn’t aways require a major life change. It may be so simple we overlook it.

A memory.

A warm light.

A bird’s song.

A smile.

And all it takes is 60 seconds. You might be surprised what 60 seconds can do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~