41 Happiness Hacks

How To Turn Your Frown Upside Down

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Healthy Mind, Healthy Life

7 min readMar 4, 2019

If you need immediate help, please scroll to the bottom of the page for resources available in your community. You are not alone, and there is help should you need it.

The below list of 41 Happiness Hacks is divided into 4 sections. If you are too busy to read the list in one sitting, keep it in your back pocket for a rainy day.

Get 10 minutes of sunlight by sitting outside during your morning coffee or lunch break. Sunlight deficiencies can wreak havoc on your body.¹
Feng Shui your house. Pictures of water are bad, and leaving your toilet lid closed is good. Himalayan salt lamps clear negative energy, and facing your headboard North may drain energy.² I didn’t believe in it until I tried; now I believe.
Smudge your house or your person with a white sage stick to bring calm and purify heavy energy. Sage has been used for hundreds of years by Native Americans during cleansing rituals.²¹
Clean your house. The cornerstones of a good mood are a clean home and sunlight.
Organize your junk drawer, clean out your fridge or hang your laundry that’s been sitting on a chair for a week. Organization makes for light energy and serene spaces.
Light an aromatherapy candle.
Avoid office gossip at all costs. Positive people, positive beliefs and positive energy invite positive outcomes. It’s not Rocket Science, but it is Quantum Physics.²³
At night, acknowledge the good things and give thanks. Give thanks that you have eyes to read, legs to walk or a car to drive while sitting in traffic.
Say 1 positive phrase 20 times, once or twice a day. The more you say “I’m happy” the more it becomes reality. This is an exercise my therapist taught me to pass time while driving.
If you’re blue, take inventory. Does this particular date trigger a memory? Is it hormonal? Is it raining? Try to take stock of the situation and pinpoint what is triggering the sadness. Most importantly, allow yourself to feel it, acknowledge it, then, after 5 or 10 minutes, it’s time to get on with it. Being sad is normal, dwelling in sadness is detrimenta

Write a pros and cons list of the circumstance causing you angst. Everything in life has a positive and a negative, but this exercise might show you the positive aspects you hadn’t thought of.
Stand up and stretch your arms high above your head and do calf crunches. Blood flow boosts your feel-good chemicals. Jumping jacks are even better.
If you sit in a cubicle the majority of the day, set your Outlook calendar to flash a reminder every 1.5 to 2 hours. When you see it, get up and stretch. Keep your blood moving.
Praise a co-worker for a job well done. Building a positive team at work invites a positive atmosphere based on mutual respect. Don’t be afraid to praise others in front of the boss too.
Surround yourself with positive people. If negative circumstances seem to happen to you more than others, take inventory of your friends. We are what we associate with.
Mute Debbie Downers on Social Media. A) They will never know and B) By reading negative rants, you are inviting negativity into your life. It’s your life! Control your environment by controlling the information flow.
Note how you feel after checking Facebook or Instagram. If you walk away feeling sad or unworthy, it might be time to take a break. Social Media should bring joy, not tears.
Search “tv news bloopers” on YouTube or “brothers convince sister of a zombie apocalypse.” Whatever you find funny, search for a video on Youtube and save it to your favorites. I use this trick often, and it never fails to make me laugh.
Put in headphones at work or bring a fan to control noisy distractions. You may not be able to control who you sit next to, but you can control how often you hear him smack gum or play drums on his desk with pencils.
Meditate. One minute? Better than no minutes. Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Have a happy, safe place that you picture when meditating.

Listen to chants. Music has the power to penetrate the soul.³
Force yourself to smile. Studies have shown that forcing a smile for 20 seconds will trick your brain into happiness. I do this regularly. It works @ work.⁴
Take a power nap in your car during lunch or at home. The key? Make sure it is less than 20 minutes to prevent grogginess.¹² If you take a nap on your lunch break, don’t forget to set your cell phone alarm to avoid tardies and/or scowls from an overbearing boss.
Buy indoor plants for your desk or home. No money? Ask a neighbor for a clipping from their plants or use seeds from fresh fruit. There are local groups dedicated to sharing seeds as well.¹¹
Decorate your cubicle or office. You are at work 8 hours a day, so why not make it look nice? Take pride in your surroundings and don’t forget the Feng Shui energy flow. A trick of the trade: buy a face mirror that clips to your monitor (vanity mirrors from auto supply stores work well), and you will always see who is behind you.
Bring a mini gumball machine to place on your desk if you are new to the office. People will stop by to grab gum and say hi. (I learned this from a former Congressional Deputy Chieftess of Staff whose job security relied on successful relationships). Make the gumball machine “free spin,” i.e. no change necessary. (See footnotes for the link).¹³
Treat yourself to a mani, pedi or twenty-minute massage. On a budget? Most Beauty Schools offer spa services to the public at significantly reduced rates, allowing advanced cosmetology students to hone their craft while you enjoy luxury spa services on the cheap. Services are overseen by licensed instructors.
Turn down the a/c, order your favorite pizza, grab the duvet off your bed and watch a movie. Sometimes your mind just needs a break.
Take a shower and shave. Cleanliness is Godliness, and being clean revitalizes depleted energy.
Do laundry so you have clean clothes and crisp linens. Fresh laundry brings fresh energy. No washer or dryer? Shake out your linens and spray with Febreeze.

Get creative: paint, write, record, video blog, play or plant. Creativity has been shown to reduce stress.¹⁴
Window shop or shop shop.
Write in a journal. It doesn’t need to make sense to anyone but you.
Lay in the grass or under a tree. Enjoying nature is a quick and easy mood booster.
Make a teepee for your kids or for your dog. You might find yourself relaxing in there as well.²⁴
Buy Crest White strips to whiten your teeth. Looking good builds confidence, which makes you feel good. Swishing with Hydrogen Peroxide does the same, but you should consult with a dentist first.
Moisturize your body with lotion and a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil. Skin is your biggest organ, so nourishing it reaps many benefits for your overall well-being.
Take your neighbor’s trash can back up his or her driveway after the trashmen make their rounds. Neighborly acts of kindness help create positive living environments. A spiteful neighbor with an ax to grind can quickly turn a calm environment into a warzone.
Leave a quick note for a neighbor giving thanks for something he or she might’ve done for you.
Leave a positive review for your favorite restaurant, hotel or local business. Keep in mind that google reviews always include your first and last name from your Gmail profile.
Cut yourself a break. No one is positive or happy 100% of the time unless they took MDMA. Allow yourself to feel emotions.

DIAL 211

If you find yourself feeling sad or depressed more often than not, and you can’t seem to kick the doldrums, there is help. You do not have to live an unhappy life; happiness is your birthright and our elected representatives agree. Any person in the United States and most of Canada seeking community resources or assistance can dial 211 and speak with a United Way Representative Resource Specialist for free whose sole purpose is to match callers with local services, including, but not limited to:

mental health and depression support groups;
addiction recovery;
prescription assistance;
domestic violence hotlines and shelters;
childcare;
emergency rental assistance;
emergency utility or phone assistance;
free legal aid clinics;
low cost or free vaccinations for pets;
food pantries;
SNAP, food stamps & EBT
clothing vouchers;
car repairs for the needy;
homeless shelters; and
suicide prevention services for the public and for Veterans.

These are just a few of the services available to the public that you can inquire about by calling 211.²² http://www.211.org

For those who are employed, many employers’ benefit plans offer 2 free therapy sessions a year to employees. Most employers offer EAP’s (Employee Assistance Programs) when faced with obstacles. Take a look at your employee benefits packet, which will explain the services available. In addition, 211 is for all community members whether employed or unemployed.