Finding Happiness.How to Walk on the Sunny Side of the Street

By Jackie White

Some people are wired to see life through a positive lens. They find the silver lining even in troubled times. How do these people do it because we know that not everyone finds sunshine on a gray day?

The question begins with are some people just genetically positioned to be positive, happy people? A depression study done by Stanford University looked at whether some people were genetically predisposed to having higher life satisfaction. 

What they found was that 50% of life satisfaction can be attributed to genetics, now if you are a glass-half-full kind of person you will see that the other 50% is under your control (40% with intentional activities and 10% related to external events). What that means is even if you are a glass-half-empty person, you can shift your life experience through intentional activities.

How to Walk on the Sunny Side of the Street:

1. Mindset: It always comes back to mindset! Believing that the world is inherently good and choosing to be positive as you move throughout your day is how you train your mind to feel happier. 
   
2. Gratitude: Here we go with the gratitude thing again. It is true that if you have a daily practice of gratitude, you will soon see all the blessings and not focus on the negatives.
   
3. Exercise: Physical exercise increases your endorphins, dopamine, and adrenaline, which are the brain chemicals responsible for feeling happy, confident, and less anxious.
   
4. Get Enough Sleep: Running on empty in the sleep department is an invitation for bad moods and negative behaviors. Get the sleep your body needs so that you are giving yourself a leg up on seeing the world in a positive light.
   
5. Connection: This is a big one. Keep connected with family and friends. Loneliness is a recipe for poor mental health. Keep your connections positive too. If your friend group tends to focus on the negative, that will affect you. Surround yourself with happy positive people.
   

By being intentional and implementing any or better yet, all of these 5 tips, you too will find yourself walking on the sunny side of the street!

Shine On!