LifeWorks, the Employee Assistance Programme Introduces:
4 Tips to Happiness
Positive psychology is about how to improve the quality of our lives and feel better and happier. Experts call this the “science of happiness”.
Here are four tips for achieving greater happiness in your life, based on the teachings of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, a psychologist and author who teaches at Harvard University and consults around the world.
He also features on a new recording “60 Minutes To A Better You” that is available to order or download by all employees covered by Ceridian’s employee assistance programme, LifeWorks.
4 Tips for Happiness
- Give yourself permission to be human
- Giving yourself permission to be human means allowing yourself to experience all of your emotions, both positive and negative. “We think that if we experience anxiety, sadness, fear or envy, that there must be something wrong with us,” says Dr. Ben-Shahar. “Actually, the opposite is true. There is something wrong with us if we don’t, at times, experience envy, anger, disappointment, sadness or anxiety”. Admit to yourself and those close to you when you are feeling unhappy. Recognise that feeling down, disappointed or unhappy at times is normal and natural. Similarly, emotions such as joy, pleasure and delight are also natural, so accept and embrace them as well.
- Simplify your life
- We often feel too busy, as if we’re trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. As a result, we sometimes fail to enjoy the potential sources of happiness all around us - feeling happiness at work, with a friend, with a loved one, or with a child; listening to music; noticing a beautiful landscape. Time pressure leads to feelings of frustration and can have a negative effect on productivity and creativity. Try to reduce the time pressures in your life by reducing the overall number of activities in your day and the number of things you do all at once.
- Recognise the importance of the mind-body connection
- Physical exercise, meditation and deep breathing are essential for our physical and emotional health. They help alleviate symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, and help improve relationships, work, sleep and levels of happiness. Many of us know about the importance of getting physical exercise, but we often ignore the importance of the mind-body connection. Try practicing breathing deeply for five breaths on your way to work, while sitting in front of the computer, before an important meeting or whenever you want a moment of calm.
- Focus on the positive
- Our happiness depends not only on what we have but also on whether we appreciate what we have. This is why a person who seems to have everything may be unhappy, whereas a person with relatively little may be living a full and happy life. Research shows that by focusing on the positive and learning to be grateful for the things you have, you’ll achieve greater levels of happiness. What can you be grateful for today?
If you have a personal issue you would like assistance with, please contact your Ceridian LifeWorks Advice Line.
Not a customer? Call us on 0800 0482 737, or contact us online.
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