10 Secrets To Staying Happy, Especially When Times Are Tough
Happiness is a choice, after all
Glance at any news headlines these days and it's easy to get disheartened, as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic. Every day, the death toll climbs a little higher, more infections are announced, and social distancing practices (although we prefer to use the phrase "physical distancing" instead) are slowly becoming a norm.
Which is why the International Day of Happiness, which falls today (March 20), couldn't come at a more opportune moment. If we ever needed to remind ourselves that life is still worth living, and to take time to find happiness, today is the day.
Finding Happiness
In 2019, the UN's World Happiness Report ranked us 34 out of 156 countries in the world, in an annual happiness survey that takes into account things like life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, real GDP per capita, generosity and perceptions of corruption. A 2017 Jobstreet survey also found that 45 per cent of Singaporeans are unhappy at work.
Of course, it’s hard sometimes to grasp what true happiness is, and it’s natural to question whether you are really joyful within. But if you find that you’ve just been keeping your head down, living day to day or feeling really down in the dumps, it’s time to do something about it.
To help you tide through the stressful season and find happiness again, we’ve gathered some small tips and tricks that you can implement every day. It’s often the smallest battles that deliver the biggest wins:
We’ve saved the best for the last. It may be a very basic and simple function but it’s the most important. Worryingly, many people suffer from insomnia in this modern day and age — we find ourselves kept up with work stress, family worries, finance issues or even just an addiction to smartphones and social media.
Not getting at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night will really change your entire outlook that day, your mood, your energy levels and, over time, your appearance too! We can’t stress the importance of sleep enough.
A severe lack of sleep, borderline fatigue, is going to drain you out of any happiness you manage to find. Go to sleep early and keep your phone away. Listen to some music and do aromatherapy if that helps. With sufficient rest, you’ll feel ready to conquer the world the next day. And we all know we need all the energy we can get.
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