How To Be Happy – 6 Tips for Happiness from the UK’s Doctor Happy

 

A couple of weeks ago I went to an event for Butterkist popcorn who are have recently launched new flavours (the yoghurt coated popcorn is divine) and switched up their packaging to have different colours for different flavours. The British brand (the popcorn is made in Pontefract) are tying their marketing approach to popcorn being one of the nation’s “happy moments”.

That makes sense to me – my  daughters love it when we turn the front room into a pretend cinema. We draw the curtains, put their newest favourite film on (it’s Moana at the moment) and sit them down with a bowl of popcorn. As a result I can sneak off to tackle my To Do list ha – win / win!

Dr Andy Cope, the UK’s Doctor of Happiness (he’s got a PhD specialising in happiness and flourishing in the workplace), spoke at the event. These are (my interpretation of) his tips on finding happiness:

How to be happy

1. Spend time with happy people. Happiness is infectious, it will rub off on you, lifting your mood. As a result,  you will pass it on to those around you.
2. Stop seeing happiness as a destination. You know the script. You’ll be happy when it’s the weekend, when it’s the weekend, your holiday, when you’ve lost 10 pounds, when your child can put their own shoes on etc etc. The goalposts just keep shifting! Consequently  we spend an average of 4000 weeks of our lives wishing them away. Stop! Realise that happiness is a state of mind at any time, not a destination.
3. Stop reading the Daily Mail. Apparently if you do, you’ll be 7% happier! Daily Mail aside, 20 years ago we read or watched the news once or twice a day. Now it’s constant. You can’t avoid news stories being shared around on social media. And as we know, it’s the sensational, gory, sad stories that make the headlines. Step away from the constant news feed. It’s completely possible to be engaged in current affairs without being switched on to frequent updates.
4. Wear your best pants.  Dr Andy encouraged us to go home and chuck out every pair of tatty pants in our underwear drawer. Every day deserves to be a Best Pants Day!
5. Hug. Hugs release happy hormones, but it takes a 7 second hug to properly release them. So don’t pull away too quickly!
6. Practice Hygge. I’ve been a bit over the hype all around hygge – the Danish art of practising cosiness – but there’s no denying that Scandinavians top Happiness Indexes again and again. So, find whatever your cozy moment is – lighting your favourite scented candles, a relaxing bath or curling up on the sofa with your cat on your knee. And appreciate the moment.

Can you put into practice any of this How To Be Happy tips? Feeling happier yet? 

Find out more from Dr Andy Cope – artofbrilliance.co.uk and more about Butterkist’s tasty popcorn range – www.butterkist.co.uk.

About Hue Me Happy

Hue Me Happy is a happiness journal, memory jar and bright idea space. Written by Sian, a 40-something Mancunian living in north London. After, 15 years working in corporate marketing roles, I took a career break after the birth of my second daughter in 2014. I’ve been trying to regain a sense of calm, creative balance every since!