I recently read “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, where she spends a year documenting her efforts to maximize her happiness in everyday life. The way she puts it is, “changing your life without changing your life.”
Although Rubin is a wife, mom of two, and full time writer, I think that some of her tactics can be applied to college life here at JHU.
1. Boost energy
As college students, we tend to get run down fairly easily, whether from hangovers or lack of sleep or stress. Some obvious ways to boost your energy are exercise, healthy eating, and a daily 8 hours of sleep. However sometimes all three of these can be difficult to keep to, especially when faced with midterms or the like.
Studies have shown that simply acting the way you want to feel can contribute greatly to your overall mood. For example, even if you aren’t feeling happy, smiling can help improve your mood. Using this example, simply acting like you have more energy can help to increase your overall energy level if only in the short term.
2. Improve your attitude
“It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.” – G. K. Chesterton
High school is over, so we assume that the worst has passed but unfortunately sometimes this isn’t completely true. We still complain, and gossip, and vent just like we did in high school. These can be big factors in unhappiness.
We tend to compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to grades and social situations. Setting yourself free from this mindset can prove vital in increasing your own happiness.
First of all, one of the best ways to make yourself happy is by making other people happy. Giving thanks, helping strangers, saying hello, being polite and fair regardless of the situation–all of these can help improve your mood.
Comparing yourself to others is easy to do, especially in terms of grades. Try not to. If you are feeling down, the best steps to take are to identify the problem and figure out what needs to be done to solve said problem.
3. What do YOU want?
“The chief happiness for a man is to be what he is.” – Erasmus
These are some of the most exciting years of our lives; we have the world at our fingertips. I think it’s important to realize that although we can do ANYTHING, we cannot do EVERYTHING. Explore, discover, learn, create and figure out what you like and, maybe more importantly, what you don’t like. People say that college is the time to try new things, but the reality of it is that any time during your life is the right time to try something new. Basically, the time is NOW. Don’t limit yourself because of your insecurities or inhibitions. People don’t notice your mistakes half as much as you think they do.
Learn to let go, relax, and enjoy the moment!
For more information about the Happiness Project, visit http://www.gretchenrubin.com!
Photo Credit: http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-happiness-project/9…