How To Be Happy

So maybe this post is really for me, but I'm sure it can help countless people out there too... I think I've got myself stuck in a rut. I'm feeling quite dissatisfied at work and, in my opinion, the future is just not coming fast enough. The problem is, when I get like this, everything takes a nose dive. My mood, the quality of my work, my ability to care about the quality of my work. I tend to hole myself up in my apartment, ignore incoming phone calls, claim I'm busy when friends ask me to go out, when in reality, all I do is watch marathons and repeats of Law and Order SVU or NCIS. I become depressed, one could say, and I stay that way for days, sometimes a week, before I get bored with being depressed and find a way out of my foxhole.

I believe I'm coming dangerously close to that point of depression again and so I thought, why not combat it before I get sucked in?

So here is how I'm am going to make myself happy:

1. Turn off the TV for a minute and turn up the music! The daily routine of re-runs of people getting killed or hurt or sexually abused doesn't do much for one's mood. So turn it off and dance, instead, to happy-go-lucky music, such as my two faves below.

Esta vida by Jorge Celedon

Soul Sister by Train

2. Go outside. Okay, so my dermatologist told me to stay out of the sun this summer but I hear the sun is a surefire mood-lifter. So slather on that sunblock (seriously, contracting cancer from the sun won't have the effect you're hoping for), grab a good book or, for that matter, your iPod with happy music, and just sit outside, breathing in happiness.

3. Have lunch or dinner with someone who makes you laugh. There is nothing happier than laughing, like, truly laughing from your gut. And I'm willing to bet that there is at least one person in your life who makes you snort from laughing so hard. So invite him or her out to eat and get your laugh on.

4. Work out. According to the experts, working out releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, thus working out = happiness. Now I can honestly say that the last thing I want to do when I'm depressed is work out, but it does help, so force yourself to go for a run (like outside in the sun and you knock out two of these in one go). You'll be thankful you did in the end.

5. Pick up the phone and call the person you love. Hearing your boyfriend tell you you're beautiful even when you feel like an utter disaster of a person does wonders for your self-esteem, which may or may not just have a positive effect on your mood. (Warning: this probably only works if you're NOT in a long distance relationship. For us LDR suckers: Yes, you'll feel better because you know someone out there there adores you, but you'll also feel sadder because he's not with you when you need him most. i.e. Now.)

And if none, or all, of the above don't do the trick:

6. Look at pictures of puppies. Who can resist smiling or saying "Awwww" when you see a face as adorable as this?


Note: This could have the opposite effect if you actually want a puppy but are not yet able to have one.

And there you have it. My key(s) to happiness (hopefully), even if just for a short while.

I think I'll start by sitting out in the park and having lunch today.