How to Make Yourself Happier in 30 Seconds

Let's face it, at times we all feel down and sometimes we simply get the blahs. Did you know there are several things you can do to make yourself happier in 30 seconds or less?

Happiness is defined as the overall experience of pleasure and meaning. You need meaning to give you a sense of purpose in life, and you need pleasure to give you a sense of joy or well being in the present moment.

According to psychologytoday.com, here are several ways to make yourself happier in 30 seconds or less:

1. Take a deep breath. Just by taking one deep breath, it can turn down your fight or flight instinct and activate your rest and restore mood. I do this all the time and it really does help. It gives you a sense of calm.

2. Find something in your day that triggers a feeling of gratitude. I think this is so true, because everyone should focus on positive experiences. It could be as simple as reading the newspaper or having a good breakfast.

3. Take time to appreciate something that didn't happen during your day. Any day without car problems is a good day. How about the fact that you went the whole entire day without fighting with someone.

4. Smile. This is something I could work on more. The deliberate decision to smile actually activates happiness inducing chemicals. I think we should all smile more often and make this world a better place.

5. Appreciate yourself. I like this one a lot. Think of one thing you've already accomplished or handled well today. Focus on a good quality, like starting a project, or maybe an honest talk with a co-worker that ended well.

At this point I would like to add one of my favorite's to this list:

6. Dancing. This works for me and it will definitely work for you. Play one of your favorite dance songs and just start dancing. Talk about an instant way to make yourself happier in 30 seconds or less. (psychologytoday.com)