Practise being happy
Friday 19 November 2010
No matter how complex and exciting our world might be we are always seeking consciously or unconsciously to be happy – joyful if you will.
The following clearly expressed statement comes from a school digest printed in New Zealand earlier this year.
Practising being happy
In a study, people were asked to talk about their memories. While they talked, they had to move marbles in an upward or a downward direction. Researchers found that when the people were moving the marbles upwards, they talked about happy moments. When they were moving the marbles downwards though, their memories became sadder.
We all start to feel a bit down as winter comes to an end so it is a good time to practise being happy. Happy people tend to do all kinds of things better because feeling happy helps us be positive and confident.
You can help make yourself feel happy by doing a few small, simple things that will lift your mood.
For instance, spend more time with your happy friends. Their happiness will rub off on you. And when you are with your friends try to avoid talking about problems – yours or theirs. Remember your happy times together and make one another laugh.
Dislike and resentment take up too much of the happy space in our minds. If there is someone you don’t like, find three of their characteristics you admire. Then you might find you are looking at them with new eyes. Forgive the bad things; try to concentrate on the good.
Analyse what makes someone else interesting and good to be with. Then try to build those qualities in yourself. You will find you start to attract positive, happy people.
And here are some tips that may sound odd but they will help you feel happy and banish the winter blues.
- Make your bed every morning. This will help you feel tidy and organised right at the start of the day.
- Make a list so you spend your time on the important tasks.
- Get the worst job done first so you can look forward to everything else.
- Spend time outdoors in the sunshine.
- Learn something. Learning stimulates all the good parts of our brain.
- Find things that make you laugh.
- Keep a smile on your face. Just the act of smiling can make you feel happy.
So often in our workplaces we are reminded of how to deal with bullying and harassment.
The definition of bullying is “any repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety”. Harassment, by comparison, is defined as “any form of behaviour directed at another person that is unsolicited, unwelcomed or unreciprocated”.
A great deal of continual work takes place on a daily basis to ensure that schools are safe and secure for all students, teachers and the whole community.
In our local newspaper during July the ‘Don’t Hurt’ concept was launched. Its aims are straightforward but could have profound and positive results.
Don’t Hurt
Donna Carton and Rachel Flaherty
As many as one in 10 children have reported being cyber-bullied at school.
Secondary school students are particularly at risk and research shows victims are targeted more on social networking sites than mobile phones.
Today, Leader Community Newspapers launches Don’t Hurt, a campaign aimed at giving young people strategies to deal with cyber-bullying and to help parents understand the issues.
Over the next four weeks, with the help of our campaign partner, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, we will talk to the country’s leading experts and probe how school children and their parents are dealing with the problem.
School children are asked to make The Promise, which helps them deal with cyber-bullying.
Our campaign is supported by Premier John Brumby, who calls on parents to work with schools to guide and protect children.
“Parents, carers and teachers all have a key role in the education, supervision and protection of our children and young people from the variety of risks they face in cyberspace,” he said.
The campaign has won the support of former Family Court Chief Justice Alastair Nicholson who is calling for a national working party to investigate how best the law might tackle cyber-bullying.
He warned Australia had been hit by “an electronic revolution” and did not rule out making cyber-bullying a crime.
DON’T HURT
The Promise
- I will not join in, laugh, or look on, if I know cyber-bullying is happening
- I will not stand by and do nothing
- I will tell a teacher, a parent, an adult or a trusted friend if I become aware of cyber-bullying
- I will not respond to any bullying message or image, and I will save the evidence.
The promise is clear and makes very good sense – especially if we can also understand how to ‘Practise being Happy’.