happiness
Magic Potion to Banish the Blues
It was a dreary day and had started badly. One of my colleagues at work seemed to find fault with everything I did. Then we ran out of milk. I wished I had a reset button for the day or a magic potion to banish the blues. But there was a lot to do and…
Read MoreHow random acts of kindness light up everyone’s life
Random acts of kindness may seem an eccentric and inefficient way of making the world a better place. Yet research shows that as well as cheering up the recipients, the givers benefit even more. The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up. – Mark Twain What are “random…
Read MoreABC of Ways to Cheer Yourself Up
Feeling down in the dumps after your holiday? Or depressed that you didn’t get away? If you are working and most people aren’t it’s easy to feel miserable. Everyone else seems to be off, regular routines are disrupted, and nothing seems quite right. Credit cards are maxed out, we feel sluggish and things seem a…
Read MoreMaking the best of it: It’s how you play your hand
Making the Best of It Over the recent bank holiday, I hope you’ve had time to relax and do something different, as I’ve had. I entertained, walked in woods bursting out in bloom, played board games and worked on puzzles. One of the puzzles was a series of anagrams, no clues, just anagrams. I was…
Read MoreHow to Reset a Bad Day–With a Smile
ad You know those days when everything seems to go wrong and you wish the day had a reset button? Well, amazingly, there is something that works just like one. A smile. So how do you reset a bad day with a smile when you’re already down in the dumps? Fake it? Well, although some…
Read MoreChange Your Luck Scientifically
Is there such a thing as luck? We all know people who seem incredibly lucky. Everything they touch seems to go well. Others seem remarkably unsuccessful in just about anything. “The Secret” and other mystical books suggest ways to change your luck. Scientist and magician, Professor Richard Wiseman, decided that this was a subject worthy…
Read More5 Ways to Boost Your Resilience (even works for grumpy people)
5 Quick Ways to Boost Your Resilience and Mood (even for grumpy people) January Blues? Run out of steam on the New Year resolutions? Tired of gray skies and grumpy people? Just like a ball without much air, you’ve lost your bounce. You need some help to boost your resilience. And no, it isn’t just happy,…
Read MoreKeeping the Peace at Christmas
Keeping the Peace at Christmas What’s important to you this Christmas? Is it making sure the kids are happy? is it keeping the peace between your brothers and sisters?What about making sure you don’t argue with your mother-in-law? And then there’s the presents and the food… Does the whole idea make you grumpy? Christmas…
Read MoreFinding happiness–like catching butterflies
So much time is spent on finding happiness. Just when you think you have it right, it flits away. Happiness seems just round the corner, just beyond the next goal, just over the next hill, just through the last obstacle. If I get that job, I’ll be happy. If I can earn enough to…
Read MoreFinding Treasure: Everyday Magic
Finding treasure–we all dream of it: winning the lottery, unearthing that bargain, making that deal, meeting that wonderful person. Have you ever thought that it might just be lying there, waiting to be noticed? It is easy to complain, to feel the world is unfair, to spot the mistakes, the fashion faux pas. People often ask if…
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