TeamSometimes, you just need to put that frown upside down, and you need to do it fast. You’re not feeling so great, and you could use some cheering up. You know, they say that you should always try to make yourself happy. But how? You don’t have time to meditate or take a vacation, what you need is a quick solution that will instantly make you feel better. So, without further adieu, here are 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minute or less:
1. Celebrate an accomplishment
Why not start by opening up a bottle of champagne and congratulating yourself on what you’ve accomplished. Didn’t accomplish much? Well, you chose to learn about 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minutes or less, so you must have been feeling down. Now, you’ve decided to put a stop to it, so congrats!
2. Eat a bar of chocolate
Okay, so you need a quick fix for your problem, and you might want to cut yourself some slack on the whole weight loss thing. Don’t start solving your problems with food, especially not unhealthy food, but when you need an instant dose of happiness, trust science (or commercials) and eat a bar of chocolate.
3. Give yourself a treat
Maybe chocolate just doesn’t cut it for you, but surely you could give yourself a treat. Maybe you like wine, and they say that it’s healthy to drink a glass a day. Perhaps ice cream always makes you smile instead or deciding to order pizza and watch a movie when you’re done with everything sounds like a plan. Don’t turn this into a bad habit, but in case of emergency, break the glass and take out your secret weapon against sadness.
4. Listen to the song that makes you happy and sing along
One of the 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minutes or less is listening to your happy songs. Most songs don’t even last 5 minutes, and you can always create a “make me happy” playlist so that you have your songs ready for whenever you’re feeling blue. Don’t just listen to the song though, sing along.
5. Dance
You thought that singing will be enough? Why when you could also dance? Dancing is the ultimate “I feel great” message, and you can trick your brain into thinking you’re dancing because you’re happy, so it will make you happy. Well, it’s not exactly how it works, but dancing will surely cheer you up.
6. Think of the people who care about you
Whenever you need a truly meaningful pick-me-up, just think of the people who love you. Maybe you can even call someone to chat about what’s bothering you for a second or simply talk about something else and forget about your troubles.
7. Play with a pet
I think puppies and kittens are a scientifically proven treatment for depression, and if you don’t believe me just Google pictures of them and make that “aww” face that will chase the blues away. Seeing a picture might not be enough though, so if you have a pet, play with him/her. If you don’t, you might want to read about 6 reasons why guinea pigs are the perfect pets and consider getting one. If getting a pet doesn’t make you happy, nothing will.
8. Do something nice for someone
People feel good when they do good things for others. Maybe there’s someone you could help, give advice to or simply cheer up. It might be tricky when you have only 5 minutes to do it though, but someone might be glad to get a message from you, or you can help someone on social media with an insightful comment. No one said it has to be something huge, just that it needs to make you feel good.
9. Buy something
Okay, I’m giving you some possibly bad advice again because, just like you don’t want to turn chocolate and treats into a habit, you don’t want to spend all your money on things you don’t need whenever you’re feeling down. Occasionally, though, buying something to cheer yourself up is a great solution. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be something that you need. Maybe there are things you didn’t let yourself buy even though you wanted to. Unless they’re super expensive, buy them now.
10. Take a break from everything
Sometimes, you just need to put a pause on everything, close your eyes, and simply exist. People often recommend meditation, but no one tells you that you don’t have to call it that or do it in a specific way. Put yourself into a horizontal position on a comfy bed, close your eyes and just relax. That won’t make you happy? That’s fine, have a different kind of break, but make sure to take a break.
11. Give yourself a pat on the back
When was the last time you said “Good job!” to yourself? Just think about everything you did well lately. Maybe you met all your deadlines or chose a salad instead of a burger for lunch. Again, it doesn’t have to be anything major. Sometimes, even getting out of the bed in the morning is a challenge, but you did that, and you deserve a pat on the back!
12. Read a joke or search for a funny meme
Naturally, one of the 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minutes or less is to simply read a joke, search for a funny meme or look at a funny video. Don’t wait for Facebook to show you something funny on your news feed. Search for it and let it cheer you up.
13. Hug your loved one
Do you have someone to hug? If you do, hold them tightly and tell them you love them. Feel their warmth and feel their energy improving your mood. If you don’t happen to have someone to hug at the moment, hug yourself! It’s not stupid, it’s a way of showing yourself love, and you need to love yourself to be happy.
14. Look yourself in the mirror and smile
Speaking of loving yourself, look yourself in the mirror, give yourself a wink and thumbs-up, and smile. You might want to give yourself a small pep talk too. Look yourself in the eyes and say “You got this.”
15. Make a plan that would make you happy
Okay, maybe you need 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minutes or less, so you can’t actually go on a vacation, but you can plan to do it. Make a plan to do something that will make you happy like going fishing next weekend. It can be anything you like as long as it will make you happy and you’ll see that just planning it for 5 minutes will already make you feel better.
16. Don’t rush yourself
Needing 16 happiness hacks that take 5 minutes or less says something about you. You’re rushing yourself, and you have no time to actually enjoy your life. Stop and relax for more than just 5 minutes because you deserve it.
Don’t hurry be happy! 🙂
