How to Stay Sunny

I'm going to be focusing one of my composition classes in the Winter on the idea of happiness and its relation to place or culture.  We'll be reading Eric Weiner's book "The Geography of Bliss," which focuses on his travels around the world seeking to learn what he can from inhabitants of the world's happiest and most unhappy places.  In the meanwhile, I'm also doing some additional reading and came across this list of ways to "stay sunny," which I love especially in our dark and dreary Seattle winters. 

• Count your blessings. Express gratitude for what you have privately and also by conveying appreciation to others.
• Cultivate optimism. Keep a journal in which you write your best possible future. Practice seeing the bright side of every situation.
• Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. When you start to dwell on problems or compare yourself to others, distract yourself with positive thoughts or activities.
• Practice kindness. Do good things for others.
• Nurture relationships. Pick a relationship that needs strengthening, and invest time and energy in it.
• Do more activities that truly engage you. Increase the experiences at home or work in which you lose yourself in total absorption.
• Replay and savor life's joys. Pay attention, delight in and review life's momentary pleasures.
• Commit to your goals. Pick one or more significant goals and devote time and effort to pursuing them.
• Develop coping strategies. Find and practice healthy ways to manage stress, hardship or trauma.
• Forgive. Keep a journal or write a letter in which you let go of anger and resentment toward those who have hurt you.
• Practice spirituality. Get more involved in your church, temple or mosque. Read spiritual books.
• Take care of your body. Exercise, meditate and laugh.

Source: "The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want," by Sonja Lyubomirsky

I also came across the Authentic Happiness homepage, which belongs to Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of the field of positive psychology, which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, etc.  He's got a bunch of surveys you can take, including getting your Authentic Happiness rating.  Ironically, getting my Authentic Happiness rating actually makes me kind of depressed.  I thought I was fairly happy but I'm just a 3.21 out of 5!  This is exactly what Lyubomirsky meant when she said, "Avoid over-thinking and social comparison."  I'm going to go distract myself with eating some chocolate instead.