Life Style: Boost Your Feeling by Eight Strategies 30分鐘迅速快樂法則
◎ Gretchen Rubin
Maybe you’re feeling down because of the financial crisis. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed by holiday tasks. Or maybe you are just having a lousy day.
If so, you can make yourself happier—right now. In the next thirty minutes, check off as many of the following items as possible. Each one will lift your mood, as will the mere fact that you’ve tackled and achieved some concrete goals; by doing so, you boost your feelings of self-efficacy, which can boost happiness.
1. Boost your energy
Stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information. Plus, because of “emotional contagion”, if you act energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too.
2. Count your blessings
Take ten minutes to think about all the things in your life that are going right, about all the things that other people do to help you, about all the things that you’re thankful for. In the tumult of everyday life, it’s very easy to focus on the negative and to lose sight of what really matters.
3. Reach out to friends
Make a lunch date or send an email to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Having warm, close bonds with other people is the key to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.
4. Perform an action that reflects your values
Do you think organ donation is a good idea? Sign up online to be one yourself; it takes less than a minute. Worried about climate change? Refill your water bottle from the tap instead of buying a couple of bottles throughout the day. The first splendid truth holds that to work on happiness, we should think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. Living up to your values will help you “feel right”.
5. Rid yourself of a nagging task
Answer a difficult email, do an errand you’ve been putting off, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and relief.
6. Create a calmer environment
Clear some physical and mental space around yourself by sorting papers, pitching junk, cleaning a closet, answering a few emails, filing, or even just making your piles neater. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizeable dent. Try to get in the habit of using the “one minute rule”—i.e., never postpone any task that can be completed in less than one minute. And always make your bed in the morning!
7. Lay the groundwork for some future fun
Order a book you’ve wanted to read (not something you think you should read) or plan an excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater—whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.
8. Do a good deed
Make an email introduction of two people who could help each other, or set up a blind date, or shoot someone a piece of useful information or gratifying praise. Do well, feel good—this really works. Also, although we often believe that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. When you act in a friendly way, you’ll strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.
What other strategies have you tried to give yourself a happiness boost?
也許你正因為金融危機而情緒低落。也許你正因為假期的工作而感覺壓力太大?;蛘咭苍S你今天恰恰諸事不順。
如果真是如此的話,你應(yīng)該讓自己快樂起來——馬上。在接下來的30分鐘里,盡可能按照下列幾項中說的去做。每一項都會讓你的心情好一點,就好像你真的解決了具體問題,完成了具體目標似的。這種做法可以提高你的自我效能感,提升你的幸福指數(shù)。
1.打起精神
煲電話粥時站起來走動走動,能到戶外輕快地散步10分鐘則更好。研究表明,當人快速運動時,新陳代謝會加快。而且,戶外活動和陽光有助于你精力集中,情緒變好,記憶力增強。另外,由于“情緒感染”,如果你表現(xiàn)得精力充沛,那么你周圍的人也會感到精力充沛。
2.數(shù)數(shù)你的幸福
花10分鐘想想生活中所有順當?shù)氖?,想想別人對你的所有幫助,想想所有讓你心存感激的事。在日常生活的紛擾中,人很容易想到消極的事情,看不見真正重要的東西。
3.聯(lián)絡(luò)朋友
如果有段日子沒見某個朋友,不妨約個飯局或發(fā)封電子郵件。與他人保持溫馨緊密的聯(lián)絡(luò)是幸福的關(guān)鍵,所以,要花時間保持聯(lián)系。多多少少令人驚訝的是,社交活動不僅能提高外向型人的情緒,對內(nèi)向型人同樣有效。
4.實施一件能體現(xiàn)自我價值的事
你支持器官捐獻嗎?那就在網(wǎng)上報名成為一名捐獻者吧,這要不了一分鐘的時間。擔心氣候改變嗎?那就用直接喝自來水來代替一天買好幾瓶瓶裝水吧。人生第一個輝煌的真理是:為了幸福,我們應(yīng)該把感覺良好、感覺不好、感覺舒服都當成是成長過程中必不可少的組成部分。按自己的價值觀生活會讓你“感覺舒服”。
5.解決一件棘手的事
回一封困難的電子郵件,處理一件你一直拖延的事情,或打電話給牙醫(yī)進行預(yù)約。解決掉很多煩心事中的一件,就會讓你突然渾身是勁,心情輕松。
6.創(chuàng)造更加平靜的環(huán)境
把文件分門別類,倒倒垃圾,清理一下儲物間,回幾封電郵,整理整理檔案,甚至只是讓文件堆放得更整潔一些。很多繁瑣的小事情加在一起會讓人沒了頭緒,感到困難,但是,常常只需幾分鐘,就可能解決掉很大一部分。要努力養(yǎng)成利用“一分鐘規(guī)則”的習(xí)慣,即決不把任何不到一分鐘就可以解決的事情拖后。還有,每天早上要整理床鋪!
7.為未來的快樂作鋪墊
訂購一本你想讀的書(不是那種你認為你應(yīng)該閱讀的書)或者計劃去游覽博物館,去徒步旅行,去看體育比賽、去園藝店,去電影院——只要聽著很有趣,去哪兒都行。研究顯示:定期娛樂一下是幸福的基礎(chǔ),而期待是這種快樂感的一個重要組成部分。還有,要盡量邀上朋友或家人一起去。任何的活動,只要跟其他人在一起,感覺都會比自己單獨一人時更好。
8.做一件好事
用電郵介紹兩個互相能幫上忙的人認識,或者安排一次相親,或給某人提供一條有用的信息或動聽的夸贊。做好事會讓人心情好——絕對有效。而且,雖然我們常常認為行為是隨著感覺走的,但事實上,我們的感覺常常是受行為影響的。當你行為友善時,你對別人的友善感就會增強。
你還嘗試過其他讓自己快樂的方法嗎?