Here are a few ideas on how to increase your feeling of well-being, from happiness researchers Sonja Lyubomirsky and Suzanne Segerstrom. But, Lyubomirsky said, you need to beware of overdoing it. In one study, writing down five things for which you’re grateful three times a week didn’t boost happiness, but doing so once a week did. “We believe three times a week was too much,” Lyubomirsky said.
– Turn off the TV, and do something more active and engaging. These things work, the researchers say: Socialize, pray, meditate, exercise, have sex.
– Take up hobbies or work tasks that use and build on skills. (This may lead you to lose yourself in a task, which some psychologists call an experience of “flow,” considered an extreme feeling of well-being.)
– Write down what you’re thankful for. The more detail, the better, but don’t do it too often. Lyubomirsky found that once a week is more effective than three times a week for this exercise.
– Write down the way you would like your life to be in five or 10 years.
– Do something nice for someone else. Make sure you pick the good deeds yourself, and vary them to make them more effective.
– When you set goals, keep trying to achieve them even when discouragements occur. (This is something that optimists do).
Note to pessimists: Trying to ignore your worries may not work, according to pessimism researcher Julie Norem. For you, Norem suggests trying to rein in your anxiety by coming up with concrete, active ways to head off negative outcomes for specific endeavors.
