5 Ways to be Happier This Summer

June 10th, 2010 | Posted in Diet tips | No Comments » | Share this article

The new season is coming, and along with it come tons of opportunities to get out, get active, and most importantly — be happy!

Here are 5 ultra-easy things you can do to definitively increase your happiness this summer (and forever!)

See Your Friends More Often

Sometimes, especially if we live in a cold climate, we don’t put the effort in to getting out and seeing our friends as often as we should. Or, if we do, we make it a big production — dinner out, or a dinner party, or something elaborate featuring a gifted bottle of wine and semi-formal clothes.

That’s all great, but there’s nothing like the summer to bring back that spirit of casual, fun contact that we might have let go of during the winter. Want to be happier all summer long? Make sure those casual contacts are as frequent as possible! Meet for coffee, go for a walk, head to a museum, grab lunch — the possibilities are endless!

Be Anonymously Kind

Do something fantastic for someone and don’t tell a soul. Don’t mention it, don’t gloat about it, don’t even write it down — just do something kind and generous and see how it makes your overall happiness increase.

People throw this cliche around a lot, and with good reason — it’s one of the most sure-fire ways to really make yourself feel better, and it’s quick, virtually painless, and brings a little more good into the world, all from you simply deciding to do something nice.

Laugh More

I don’t mean just sit there, laughing randomly — watch one of your favorite funny movies, the one that makes you laugh out loud every time. Go read The Onion. Meet up for a drink with that hilarious friend of yours that you haven’t seen in a long time. Tell a funny, crazy, hilarious story to a group of friends that haven’t heard it in a while. Laugh!

Do Something Active, Every Day

Day in and day out, being active, working out, and exercising will have a measurable impact on how happy you really feel. Exercise has been proven — time and time again — to alleviate depression, anxiety, and boost self-esteem, and if you stick with a commitment to remain active all spring & summer long, you’ve just made a commitment to be happy all spring & summer long, too.

Remember This One Fact About Self-Consciousness

There’s one simple line that I tell people when they’re self-conscious about anything — about going to a gym, about going to the beach, about working out, taking before & after pictures — whatever.

It’s this: people are too busy worrying about themselves to be concerned about what you look like. When you feel self-conscious? That’s all you — people aren’t going around, analyzing your every last move for all the flaws you’ve found in it — they’re living their own lives, with their own worries.

Now that the summer is finally coming, remember this the next time you think “I can’t go to the beach” or “I can’t play frisbee in the park” or “I don’t want to go out for a walk.”

When you get over these feelings — your life will change!