I have a wonderful lady in my life who has greatly inspired me and helped me to realise the importance of making the choice to be happy and to let go of the things that I have no control over. She probably doesn’t even realise this impact that she has made on me. It’s so true that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

We all want to be happy. But we sometimes think of happiness as a thing that happens to us – something we have no control over. It’s easy to link the idea of happiness with the situation we’re in. We might tell ourselves, “If only things were different, then I’d be happy.”

But that’s not really how happiness works. Research shows that just a small portion of happiness (only about 10%) depends on a person’s situation. So where does most of our happiness come from?

Part of happiness depends on personality. Some people have a naturally happy nature. We all know people who are cheerful and optimistic most of the time. Their upbeat personalities make it easier for them to be happy.

So what does that mean for people who are born with a personality that’s on the grumpy side? They might see the faults in people and situations instead of the good. Their mood might be glum more often than it’s cheerful. But if they’d like to be happier (and who wouldn’t?), it is possible to get there.

Researchers have found that more than half of happiness depends on things that are actually under our control. That’s really good news because it means everyone can be happier.

A big part of how happy we are depends on our mindset, the habits we practice, and the way we live each day. By learning the key ingredients of happiness, we can use them to become happier.

Happiness is more than a good feeling or a yellow smiley face. It’s the feeling of truly enjoying your life, and the desire to make the very best of it. Happiness is the “secret sauce” that can help us be and do our best.

Here’s what researchers found when they studied happy people:

• Happy people are more successful.
• Happy people are better at reaching goals.
• Happy people are healthier.
• Happy people live longer.
• Happy people have better relationships.
• Happy people learn better.

Happiness is so important in our lives that it has it’s own field of research called positive psychology. Experts in this field have found that there are key things that make people happier:

Joy. Gratitude. Love. Amazement. Delight. Playfulness. Humour. Inspiration. Compassion. Hope. Creativity. Interest. Excitement. Enjoyment. Calm. We all like to have these positive feelings.

Besides feeling good, positive emotions do good things for our brains and bodies. They lower stress hormones, help ease anxiety and depression, and improve our immune system.

Feeling some positive emotions every day has a big effect on our happiness and well-being. That’s why it’s so important to do things that give us positive feelings. Even simple actions like playing with a child or a pet or going for a walk outdoors can inspire these feelings.

Knowing how to manage our negative emotions is also key to happiness. Difficult emotions are a fact of life. But the way we handle them makes all the difference.

[kidshealth.org]

A massage will also make you happy and will lower stress hormones, help ease anxiety and depression, and improve your immune system. J Creative Wellness Solutions provides a convenient massage with innumerable benefits on a comfortable massage chair.