During uncertain times it is common to feel unhappy or suffer from low mood. Although this can be very difficult, it his possible to increase your happiness and improve your mood. There are many ways to do this, inside and outside of your home.
The three most popular happiness practices that currently exist are mindfulness, kindness and gratitude.
Below are lists of activities that are a part of these practices that may help you to feel happier and more relaxed. Not all activities will interest everyone, but it may help and also be fun to try out the ones that you are interested in!
Mindfulness
Mindful eating- instead of just eating food, try to enjoy it, think about the memories you associate with the food you are eating.
Meditation- there are lots of free apps and meditations on YouTube. They vary in length, but are all focused on relaxation and de-stressing. There are different types of meditation that you might want to look at, such as body scan, breathing and visualisation.
Kindness
Make the people you are living with a cup of tea or a different drink, or some food if you can.
Call a friend or relative to check in on them. Let them know that you are thinking of them.
Offer to help someone with a task they are doing.
Gratitude
Each day, think of at least one thing you are grateful for. You can write it down, tell someone or simply just think about it.
Actively tell those around you why you are grateful for them.
These are just some brief examples of how you can become happier by practising mindfulness, kindness and gratitude. You can practice in any way you want to, adapting these examples to what suits you. For example, you may want to use your sense of smell or taste if you are visually impaired or cannot hear very well. Or just use different senses for some variety.
There is lots of information available online about mindfulness, kindness and gratitude that you or someone you live with can look at.
I hope this helps and that you have fun trying out some of these activities!
