More importantly, you don’t have to make big changes to feel happier; you can find feelings of happiness right now. Here are some quick strategies for instant feelings of happiness. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts
Use Music
Music is known to have the ability to change one’s mood, which makes it an excellent stress reliever. In fact, music has been used therapeutically in hospitals for pain management and emotional well-being. Research has also linked music with happiness, especially certain types of music. Researchers at Japan’s Osaka University studied salivary cortisol levels and other physiological responses and found that music, especially music with a major (rather than minor) tone, is correlated with lowered stress as well as feelings of happiness. So, for a quick burst of happiness, why not throw on your favorite upbeat music?
Incorporate Laughter
The phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine,” has become a cliché because it’s so true. We know that laughter has benefits far beyond mood. Laughter can actually enhance immunity and prolong life. However, to elevate your mood, laughter can’t be beaten—in fact, the mere expectation of laughter has been known to bring benefits. There are several quick ways to have more fun and get more laughter in your life (jokes are some of my favorites), but the long-term strategy of maintaining a sense of humor about life can bring continual happiness, as well as less stress.
Change Your Perspective
Often, your satisfaction with life is tied to your frame of reference and the comparisons you make. If you’re trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses,’ and the Joneses are millionaires, it’s much more difficult to stay happy and satisfied with your place in life than if you’re volunteering your time to help those in need, and are constantly reminded of how much you have in comparison. One quick and simple way to turn your mood around is to change your expectations and comparison. Instead of looking at what you don’t have, look at all that you do have. There will always be people who have more than you in one area of life or another, but many have less. Revel in the benefits of gratitude, and change the way you view what you have (and don’t have), and you can feel more happiness right away.
Do a Good Deed
Many people find that helping others brings feelings of happiness. In fact, research shows that those who volunteer tend to report greater levels of health and happiness. This is thought to be true for a few reasons. One is that altruism itself brings many benefits, including greater levels of emotional well-being. When you do something nice for someone else, your focus turns away from yourself and your own problems, and toward others and helping them feel good. A smile that you bring to someone else’s face is a contagious smile, bringing contagious happiness. Also, when faced with others in need, people tend to focus more on what they already have than on what they don’t. A quick, happiness-toting good deed can be anything from a kind word to a stressed store clerk to a large gift for a loved one or a charity, and can make you feel happy right away—happiness that’s shared.
Try Meditation
While a technique like meditation seems more of a stress management tool than something that can boost happiness, meditation has been known to be an excellent tool for both. The stress management benefits of meditation are well-known, but research also shows that regular meditation can lead to greater levels of happiness. There are many different meditation techniques to try, and you can feel greater levels of happiness in only minutes a day.
Choose Joy
Happiness expert Robert Holden, Ph.D., author of a successful 8-week course on the development of happiness, claims you don’t need need to work toward happiness, you can just be happy. Think about it: you likely already know what activities make you feel good, and what brings you joy. Just do those things. And why not start today? As Holden recommends, “Live NOW—procrastinate later!” Another thing you can do is decide in the morning that you’re going to be a little happier. Think about the things that can make you a little happier that day, and try to do them. While building a life that fosters happiness is a good idea, you don’t need to wait until that happiness-lifestyle is in place: you can be happier now by simply choosing happiness.
A Word From Verywell
If your efforts to lift your mood aren’t working or you’re struggling to give yourself a much-needed boost, consider whether professional help might be in order. If your mood has been down for more than two weeks, or it’s starting to take a toll on your relationships, work, or school, talking to a mental health professional can help.
