We recognize that habit-building and good mental health can’t be isolated to just one corner of the internet. Myrth is our favorite tool, but it’s not our only tool. In our regular Recommended Reading series, we’ll share links to articles, books, and other tools that we think you’ll find helpful in your journey.

The end goal of life isn’t necessarily to be happy, and nobody can be always happy all of the time, but it does feel good to increase our happiness level, doesn’t it? And with the constant flood of negative news stories, work stress, and other downers, you might need a bit of a boost.

In this week’s Recommended Reading, we’ll be exploring tips from experts that can help improve your happiness.

1. Helping Others Makes Us Happier--But It Matters How You Do It

Ever do something small to make another person’s life easier or better and find that your own mood is boosted, too? You’re not alone. It turns out there’s a reason behind it, and social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn gave a great TED Talk explaining the phenomenon:

When we analyzed surveys from more than 200,000 adults across the globe, we saw that nearly a third of the world's population reported giving at least some money to charity in the past month. Remarkably, in every major region of the world, people who gave money to charity were happier than those who did not, even after taking into account their own personal financial situation.

But as she explains in her presentation, giving money is only the start of it. When people feel a real connection to the recipient of their kindness and can see tangible results, the increased happiness is even stronger. Checking in on your Moai with the MyMoai app and doing something positive could be an easy idea.

2. Replace Frustration with Appreciation

If you maintain a regular gratitude practice, you’ve probably noticed the positive effects it has. Focusing on the things you’re grateful for, and finding reasons to be grateful in the midst of tough times, can have a measurably positive impact on your mental health and well-being. We loved this short piece from minimalism expert Joshua Becker:

Practicing gratitude is one of the simple things in life we take for granted. It takes effort, intentionality, and a refusal to be influenced by marketers bent on sowing dissatisfaction in our lives. But giving thanks can start as small as being grateful for your shelter, your food, or your friends and family.

We work hard on practicing gratitude here at Myrth, but it’s good to have a reminder every now and then. It can make a big difference.

3. Maintain Your Social Connections

We talk about this one a lot here at Myrth because we really, truly believe in the power of community ties to make everyone’s lives better. The folks over at Health.com agree with us. Among other tips in this excellent round-up of happiness ideas, they included this tidbit:

But mounting research shows that developing meaningful bonds with others is critical for your happiness, too. And ideally, those relationships would exist mostly off-line: While email and social media are convenient ways to keep in touch, studies show that you derive more happiness from actual human encounters. Even a 10-minute catch-up can provide a warming glow of genuine connection.

Not a surprise, if you ask us, but it sure is nice to see data backing up what we’ve instinctively felt for years!

4. Experiment with Happiness Strategies

Some techniques will work better than others depending on who you are, the way your life is structured, and what you need. That’s why it’s important to try different strategies to see what works for you. We loved this piece from HuffPo where various people tried out happiness strategies to see what worked for them:

For years, experts have been recommending the same healthy lifestyle habits to reduce stress and improve your mood. … But we live in 2020, when our lives are directed by our phones, busy schedules, the news cycle and more. We’re so burned out at work that it’s become an official medical diagnosis. The pressure to have it all, and to balance it once you do, is immense. … So, we decided to sort through a few of the suggestions and give you a list of which happiness habits are worth trying and which were a bit more difficult.

The great thing about happiness is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition. You can pick and choose the things that truly make you feel joyful, and then you can forget the rest.

5. Make Sure to Move

Even just a little gentle movement every day is good for your body and your mind. This is the perfect addition for your Moai and your MyMoai app. You may not be up for a super intense workout with lots of sweat and sore muscles the next day, but how about some walking or beginner yoga? The New York Times explains why it matters:

Of greater interest to the researchers, people using the app turned out to feel happier when they had been moving in the past quarter-hour than when they had been sitting or lying down, even though most of the time they were not engaged in rigorous activity. In fact, most of the physical activity that people reported was gentle walking, with little running, cycling or other more strenuous exercises. But the links between moving in any way and feeling happy were consistent for most people throughout the day, according to the data from their apps. It also didn’t matter whether it was a workday or weekend.

The science is in: moving your body is good for your heart, both literally and figuratively.

Have you undertaken an intentional happiness project? How did it go? Leave a comment and let us know!

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