What is True Happiness and How to Experience True Happiness Now

What is True Happiness and How to Experience True Happiness Now

This is a great article that was suggested to me by my lovely friend Jessica. Being that it is all about about happiness, I loved it and highly recommend you read it as well. I love the way the author wrote this article and especially enjoyed her "How to Experience Happiness Now" section. Thanks Jessica!

Educational Research 515

I was recently asked to develop a research question for my Educational Research class.  Since I’ve recently spent a lot of time reading and thinking about happiness, I was naturally drawn to this topic. 

So, I’m wondering what the relationship is between teacher happiness and student behavior.  Everyone knows that if someone is happy, she will work harder and be more productive in her chosen profession.  Day after day, I listen to my co-workers in education complain.  It seems like we have so much to be down about these days.  There’s no money for us.  Our students are not meeting state standards.  We have little or no supplies.  Our students don’t seem to care about learning and their behavior is, at times, a little scary, to say the least. 

We cling on to the little rays of light to make us happy – the student who continually excels, despite the crazy behavior of her classmates; the student who finishes his first book all year; the student who manages to go from a D- to a C+.  And still we leave everyday drained and exhausted, only to turn on the news and hear what a lousy job we’re doing and how we’re letting down our children and communities.  

I can’t research it all.  My course is only eight weeks long, after all.  So what do you think?  Is there a significant relationship between student behavior at school and teacher well-being and happiness?  I know education is all about the student.  But shouldn’t some of it be about the teachers?  Isn’t our safety and success important too?

“Exhuberance is beauty.” -William Blake

Okay, let’s lay it all on the table.  It has been two weeks since I posted on my blog.  So, because I’m behind, I’m not going to talk about Gretchen Rubin’s video for this week, I’m going to talk about her video from the week of March 8^th (the last week I posted).  It’s funny.  Her video from the week of the 8^th is about exercising during the week.  I knew her reasoning before I even watched the video.  Exercise makes you happy, healthy and gives you energy.  Considering I danced about 12 hours a week from the time I started middle school until my high school graduation, one would have thought I would have made exercising a habit, but I didn’t.  And, to top it off, all of my reasons for not blogging are the same excuses I use for not exercising.

My rationalization usually sounds something like this:  “I can’t exercise/blog because…

… I have too much planning for school to do.

… I have too many papers to correct.

… I have too much to do after school.

… I have too much homework to do.

… I am too tired.

… I don’t feel well.

… I don’t want to exercise/blog.

… I’d rather go out with my husband.

... etc.

But this weekend, completely out of the blue, I exercised…. Twice.  Friday was so beautiful that hubby and I went for a three-mile walk when I got home.  And thanks to Day Light Savings Time, it stayed light enough for our walk, even when we arrived home at close to 8 p.m.  This morning, even though I had homework, I went to gym.  Instead of taking class like I usually do, I did the elliptical machine and read my textbook at the same time – two birds with one stone!  I really do feel good now.  So good, in fact, that I’m posting a blog.

So, tell me.  How do you make time for exercise (and blogging, if you do it)?  

Finding the "Happy" in "Unhappy"

I haven't written in my blog in about two weeks.  While it was really starting to bug me that I wasn't writing, I didn't feel as if I was in the right state of mind to do so.  To be perfectly honest, I haven't really been happy lately.  I did get to spend about four-and-a-half wonderful days in Walt Disney World with my amazing husband and parents.  And I was definitely happy then.  But just before and after my vacation, I've pretty much felt completely lousy.  Between all kinds of challenging situations at work, trying to finish up a Masters class, and fretting over selling our house and finding a new one, I have probably been one of the most cranky people on earth.  (I'd like to send a special shout out to my husband, my mother and my work partner-in-crime for helping me out and not telling me to go jump off a cliff.)

It had been a long time since I'd visited the Happiness-Project website.  Maybe if I'd gone to it just a few days earlier, I would have found the awesome post I've copied and pasted below.  The resolution for this week is to get enough sleep, which is something I definitely need to do.  But the other suggestions in the post below are equally helpful and are starting to make me feel happier already.  I guess I'm just the kind of person who needs to be pro-active, not re-active.  I need to feel like I am in control.  Hopefully this will put me back in control of my happiness.  Now, if only I could control the weather to get the sun to come out and melt all of this snow.

8 Tips for Feeling Happier During an Unhappy Time.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: 8 tips for feeling happier during an unhappy time.

At some points in life, it's not possible -- or at least not easy -- to feel happy. However, even then, it's sometimes possible to feel happier. By taking whatever steps you can manage to give yourself whatever happiness boost is possible, you give yourself a deeper reservoir to deal with your happiness challenge. Here are some strategies to consider:

1. Remind yourself of reasons to be grateful. When things look really dark, it's hard to feel grateful, but remembering what's good in your life can help put problems into perspective. I have a friend who recently suffered a big disappointment at work. She said to me, "As long as my family is healthy, I can't get too upset about anything." This may sound like hackneyed advice, but it's really true.

2. Remember your body. Take a twenty-minute walk outside to boost your energy and dissolve stress. Don’t let yourself get too hungry. Get enough sleep. Manage pain. When you’re anxious, it’s easy to stay up late and eat ice cream -- and that’s going to make you feel worse in the long run. It's very tempting to run yourself ragged trying to deal with a crisis, but in the long run, you just wear yourself out.

3. Do something fun. Temporarily distract yourself from the stress, and re-charge your battery, with an enjoyable activity. Watching a funny movie is a reliable way to give yourself a pleasant break, and listening to your favorite music is one of the quickest ways to change your mood. When my older daughter was in the intensive-care unit as a newborn, my husband dragged me off to a movie one afternoon -- and that few hours of distraction made me much better able to cope with the situation. Be careful, however, not to “treat” yourself by doing something that’s eventually going to make you feel worse (taking up smoking again, drinking too much, indulging in retail therapy). My comfort-food activity is reading children's literature.

4. Take action. If you’re in a bad situation, take steps to bring about change. If you’re having trouble with your new boss, you could decide to try to transfer. Or you could change your behavior. Or you could find ways to pay less attention to your boss. Ask yourself, "What exactly is the problem?" It's astounding to me that often, when I take time to identify a problem exactly, a possible solution presents itself.

5. Look for meaning. Re-frame an event to see the positive along with the negative. Maybe getting fired will give you the push you need to move to the city where you’ve always wanted to live. Maybe your illness has strengthened your relationships with your family. You don’t need to be thankful that something bad has happened, but you can try to find positive consequences even in a catastrophic event.

6. Connect with friends and family. Strong relationships are a KEY to happiness, so fight the impulse to isolate yourself. Show up. Make plans. Ask for help, offer your help to others. Or just have some fun (see #3) and forget your troubles for a while.

7. Make something better. If something in your life has gotten worse, try to make something else better – and it doesn’t have to be something important. Clean a closet. Organize your photographs. Work in the yard.

8. Act toward other people the way you wish they’d act toward you. If you wish your friends would help you find someone to date, see if you can fix up a friend. If you wish people would help you find a job, see if you can help someone else find a job. If you can’t think of a way to help someone you know, do something generous in a more impersonal way. For instance: commit to being an organ donor! When you’re feeling very low, it can be hard to muster the energy to help someone else, but you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel. Do good, feel good; it really works.

What other strategies have you used to make yourself happier during an unhappy time?