5 Happy Inducing Things to Do

Simple tricks and treats that will open the door to happiness are often too expensive, too far or too unrealistic.
Would a brand-new car make me happy? Yeah, maybe. Until the money came out of my hard-earned savings. Would I like to travel (anyone else had travel plans cancelled recently?!) – I am currently drooling over a trip to Calgary, Canada. But it’s too far right now. Would I like to win the lottery? Yeah, but I’ve got to play it first.
To say I am a dreamer wouldn’t be too far from the truth. That’s why I write. I create worlds for imaginary friends to run wild, to search for happiness, to try, to fail, to dream and most importantly, to fall in love.
In the real world, all these things are possible too. Here’s my 5 Happy Inducing Things to Do

1. Get enough sleep. I have always been a bit of a dormouse. Even when I was a college, I needed a solid 8 hours sleep a night. No, I’m not going to lie, there were nights when I only managed 3 or 4 hours sleep, but that’s what being at college is all about, right? Working hard and playing hard. Just not every night, in my case. We all know that feeling of contentment when we pull back the covers and climb into fresh bed linen. Sleep has all sorts of magic qualities. So that’s why it’s my first Happy Inducing Thing to Do.
2. Walk. Even a short walk each day makes me happy. I’ve got ‘house maids’ knees’, well my version of them – I can’t run or do any high impact exercise due to problems with my knees. But I can walk. There is a forest near my house, and I love trailing behind my two dogs as they dash about, sniffing and exploring. A short half hour walk does me. And if it’s raining, I get wet.
3. Live in the now. I have a corkboard in my kitchen. Pinned to it are curled, old photos of my children and husband. I can remember the moment the photographs were taken, what we were doing, where we were. Not so long ago, these made me a little sad. Time has moved on while I wasn’t looking, and now those kids are nearly grown. And those cheeky, loud, sometimes unpleasant pre-schoolers are actually quite nice! I enjoy their company, and as they keep coming back, I assume they enjoy ours. Do you think the fridge that is under that corkboard has anything to do with all that boomeranging?
4. Pick up the phone, send a text or email a rude joke. I am not the best at keeping in touch. I like quite a lot of ‘on my own time’, and then when I’m ready to re-emerge from my exile, I am surprised that no one calls me. So, I must reach out more. And you know what? It takes a little courage, but every time I’ve done it, I survived!
5. In a land of expresso, I order latte. If I have the chance to order a coffee while I’m out and about, I like to savour it. I miss my regular meet ups with an author friend of mine. We used to meet every four to five weeks or so. We’d talk about what we’d learnt about writing since we last met, discuss our current plot issues, our works in progress and just about anything else that came up. Often that latte became do you want another one? Giving yourself the luxury of time isn’t easy, that damm To Do List is always lurking, but I’ve found the best solution to that. Add the coffee break onto the to do list, and hey presto! Tick! It’s done!

Life’s been a bit hit and miss for so many people over the last 18 or so months. The word Unprecedented has been bandied about by all the news channels and I’m sick of hearing it. I’m also sick of being fed up, fearful, frightened to go out. I want to dream again. I want to see other people. I want to feel the sun on my face and be happy if it rains on my hair.
I’m choosing happy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still following the government’s advice. I’m just doing it with a smile on my face.