When you have some major "ouchyness" going on, the happiness kick the world seems to be on might not seem like something you can manage. And when you're grumpy the last thing you may want to do is read some cheesy life advice from people who tell you that it's your own fault if you're not happy healthy and perfect. (No, I am not the world's biggest fan of the Secret.)
However, I am a fan of being happy-ish. I particularly enjoy being content. I even like being giddy and having fun every once in a while. I also like giving other people advice, (right?) so when I read an article on HowStuffWorks.com about the "Top 5 Ways to Trick Yourself into Being Happy" I was intrigued.
So I perused the list and have cut it down into a nutshell for you especially for the "Crohnnies."
1. Hang out around smiling people. Don't forget the ancillary side of this which is that sometimes you should avoid those people who suck the happiness out of you. Like Toxic Friends.
2. Eat a healthy meal. In specific they note: that complex carbohydrates -- like legumes and whole-grain breads release glucose slowly for a lasting "happy." Folate from spinach helps the production of serotonin. Proteins like fish, meat and beans have some of the same chemical that make up dopamine - tyrosine and phenylalanine.
So perhaps a happy menu might be:
Lentil Soup
Nice lean steak, fish, or other protein rich entree
Creamed spinach
3. Try the The 5% trick from zenhabits.com. It goes like this - say to yourself "If I were 5 percent more responsible today, I would _________" . This will help identify things in an incremental and bite-sized manner.
4. Spend money doing something nice for someone else. I say donate to the World Food Programme or the CCFA.
5. Workout - even just once. Turns out people who worked out and then stopped were happier than people who didn't try it in the first place. This is a tough one for me as a lot of workouts leave me exhausted and sore. That's not happy. I need to get out and about and get just small amounts of activity.
