Simple Self Improvement

Time alone can boost your happiness     Image:Dana Tentis Today's happiness tip is to spend some time alone. At the moment, with the COVID 19 situation, you will either find this very easy (even if you don't enjoy time on your own and wouldn't normally choose it) or very difficult if you share a house with several other people who are now home all the time. Some people enjoy and actually need to spend a fair amount of time on their own. These people are often called introverts and are sometimes divided into four categories - social thinking anxious restrained Others, generally labelled extroverts, get energised by being with people and they may avoid being alone if possible. Then there are ambiverts or omniverts who have some extrovert traits and some of an introvert. I fit in this category. There, we've got the label thing done. Researchers suggest everyone benefits from some alone time. I'm no expert on the subject, I

                                 Image: Pexels from Pixabay My happiness tip for day 27 is take photos. We tend to take photos of the good times, things that brighten our day, something beautiful or quirky. Having a camera or your mobile phone in your hand encourages you to look for something interesting to snap so you are focussing on the positive. It doesn't need to be a complicated or sophisticated piece of equipment, just something that will take a snap. What should you take photos of? Photojournalist David Allio gives the following advice, ‘ Photograph what makes you happy. It may not have value to anyone else, but it will have value to you.’ In order for taking photos to boost your happiness you need to concentrate on the things that interest and are important to you. Some of these things may have no interest to others, that doesn't matter. I feel happy every time I look at my pic of baby swallows                     Image:Marie Vono

                                                            Image : Free-Photos from Pixabay Today's happiness tip is smile. You may think you need to be happy first in order to smile. However, just smiling, even if you are faking it, can make you happier, decrease stress levels and give your immune system a boost.  For an article about smiling and happiness go to http://selfavenue.com/smiling-can-make-you-happy/

Today's happiness tip is Talk to someone. Sometimes talking about your problems boosts your mood. Other times talking about something other than what was upsetting you may be helpful because it distracts you from your worries. Just the fact you are interacting with someone else can make you feel less alone. When things are going well sharing your positive news can also make you happier. Some people love to talk and will try to engage anyone near them in conversation. Others are quieter and prefer to know someone before they get into conversation, but you need to talk to someone first in order to get to know them. Then there are those who suffer social anxiety and are often uncomfortable talking to people. With all this in mind it is not surprising not everyone feels happier after talking to someone. However, many people do, as long as the chat is congenial.                                                                            Image: FuSuSu fro

                         Image:Gerd Altmann My tip for today is don't read/watch/listen to the news too much. Research has found 'the news' can make people depressed and anxious. I think we already knew that but there can be a temptation to be constantly checking the latest news, especially in the middle of a crisis, such as this current coronavirus pandemic. Even under non-crisis conditions we are bombarded with information about what is happening in the world around us. There is news on the radio, television, internet and in newspapers and magazines. Different sources of news have varying levels of credibility. Some sources favour sensationalism in an attempt to attract more attention. There are those that give the barest details while others choose to go into more depth and hopefully provide a more informed picture. When there isn't much 'real news' sometimes it appears events are exaggerated to make them newsworthy. The media is k

Flowers growing in the garden can brighten your day                 Image:Marie Vonow Today's happiness tip is get some flowers into your life. Studies have shown what many people have noticed for themselves, flowers make people happy. You may get a boost of happiness from growing your own flowers, taking the time to enjoy blooms in your garden, buying yourself a bunch or receiving a gift of flowers. If you want to make someone else happy give them some.                                                                                                                Image:Marie Vonow Studies have found flowers can decrease stress, anxiety and depression. Apparently flowers cause an increase in dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin, the happy brain chemicals. Plants of all sorts are good for people. Read more - http://selfavenue.com/why-you-need-more-plants-in-your-life/ http://healthyhints.com.au/plants-can-help-hospital-patients/ http://selfavenue.com/flowe

                                                                                                           Image:Marie Vonow Today's happiness tip is be willing to adapt. This is particularly relevant as I write this post because the coronavirus is forcing us to change how we carry out our daily lives. We don't ever know what the future will bring but sometimes unexpected events can turn our lives upside down. Being willing to adapt is more likely to make one happy than mourning the need to make changes. Psychologist and author Guy Winch, Ph.D. says, 'Our ability to have life satisfaction, to be happy [and] to have good relationships really depends on our ability to adapt.' This ability to adapt comes more easily to some than others.  Some people are organisers and will plan their life in great detail but find it difficult to cope with major changes which are out of their control. There are those who simply like things to stay the same. For oth