Today is International Day of Happiness, a day set aside globally to make people’s overall wellbeing a priority. To mark the day, this week’s Simple Living Sunday theme is happiness. Read on to learn more about this day, how experts measure happiness, and what we can do to bring a little more of it into our lives.

So, how did this day come to be?

In 2011, a United Nations General Assembly resolution recognized happiness as a fundamental human goal. A year later, the first UN conference on happiness took place. This resulted in a resolution declaring March 20, 2013 as the first International Day of Happiness.

Recognizing the effect of current world events on our mental health, the theme for 2022 is Choose to Help. To learn more about this day, visit the International Day of Happiness website at https://www.dayofhappiness.net.

Today might not be perfect, but it’s a perfect day to be happy.

Lori Deschene

Three simple pleasures and highlights

Continuing my practice of celebrating the simple things in life, here are three simple things that made me happy this week.

• A threatened strike by college teachers that would have disrupted both of my daughters’ education was averted at the last minute.
• More daylight in the evenings, combined with warmer spring weather, meant more and longer outdoor walks.
• Last but not least, the snowdrops are in bloom. These first spring flowers always amaze me. A week ago, they were buried under a foot of snow. With this week’s warmer weather, the snow melted and there they were! They were a much-needed sign of hope and renewal.

This week’s simple living focus: Increasing happiness

A couple of weeks ago Rachel over at Jasperden Health put out a tweet looking for bloggers who were willing to write a paragraph or two on what makes them happy. You can read her post on the health benefits of happiness, including my response, here.

There has been a lot of scientific research done about happiness. The field of positive psychology tells us that happiness is generally understood as the positive emotions we have related to the pleasurable activities we take part in through our daily lives.

Every year, the UN’s World Happiness Report studies wellbeing and ranks countries by their happiness levels. Founded in positive psychology principles, the study considers three criteria:

1. Life evaluations—How do people feel about their lives?
2. Positive emotions—Did they smile or laugh a lot, or mostly experience enjoyment, yesterday?
3. Negative emotions—Did they experience negative emotions during a lot of the day yesterday?

The 2022 report has just been released. In this tenth annual report, Finland again ranked number one, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Further down the list, Canada, USA and UK ranked 15th, 16th and 17th respectively.

So, what is the secret of happiness? In many ways, it’s about choosing to see the positive side of things and being grateful for what you have instead of yearning for what you want.

Let’s look at some practical things you can do this week to increase your happiness.

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Three things to do this week

Last year, the International Day of Happiness website suggested three ways to celebrate. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ve borrowed them here.

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise man grows it under his feet.

James Oppenheim

Do something for your own happiness

Take the time to do something that makes you happy. That can be as simple as going for a walk, making time to connect with a friend, or spending time on a hobby you enjoy.

You can also sign up for Action for Happiness’ free 10 Days of Happiness program. You’ll get a daily email with a simple activity designed to make you happier. I’ve signed up. Why don’t you?

Do something for someone else

Science shows that helping others can increase our happiness. Take time this week to do something good for someone else.

It could be as simple as helping a neighbour or reaching out to someone affected by world events. If you’re able, you could donate to the food bank or a charity close to your heart, volunteer your time, or buy a co-worker’s morning coffee.

And, if someone does something nice for you, why not pay it forward?

Share with others

Take the time to tell others what you’re doing. Share what makes you happy on your blog or social media channels. Encourage people you interact with to get involved and take steps to increase their joy.

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Buddha

This week, let’s all take a break from everything going on in the world and focus on increasing our own wellbeing. 

What will you do this week to increase your happiness? Tell me your thoughts below.