What’s What Wednesday: What You Can Do to Encourage Your Child’s Happiness
Courtesy of Georgia Department of Public Health
What’s What Wednesday: What You Can Do to Encourage Your Child’s Happiness
March 20th is International Day of Happiness. Here at SSCC, we encourage parents to help their children make healthy habits that will help them to lead a happier and more successful life. International Day of Happiness is a campaign coordinated by Action for Happiness, a non-profit organization. According to Action for Happiness’ website, there are “Ten Keys to Happier Living” and they give descriptions on how you can put these techniques into practice. (Action for Happiness). The ten keys are the following:
Giving: Do Things for Others
(Caring about others and giving are very important for our own happiness. It helps us create stronger connections with others and build a happier world of caring around us. There are many ways to care and give to others. This includes our time, ideas, conversations, a listening ear, and more).
Relating: Connect with People
(One major key to happiness is having good relationships with others in our lives. Our closest relationships can give us feelings of self-worth, love, and happiness. These meaningful relationships help us to live happy and healthy lives. It’s important that we continue to strengthen our relationships because it will help us and others).
Exercising: Take Care of Your Body
(Mind and body are both important factors to consider for one’s happiness and healthy lifestyle. Just like you should exercise your brain, you should exercise your body. You can do physical exercise to bring more happiness into your life, or you can even do simple things like going outside and enjoying nature, taking a break from social media and technology. Give yourself that play time that you need).
Awareness: Live Life Mindfully
(Take a moment to stop, look around, take in everything that is around you. We are often so busy in our lives. We even keep our children busy by keeping them constantly engaged with activities or screen time. This is the kind of world we live in, and each day is passing by quickly. This fast-paced busy lifestyle may lead to stress. When we slow down to take in our surroundings and be fully present in the moment, it can help us feel more fulfilled in how we manage our time, helping us to feel happy and balanced).
Trying Out: Keep Learning New Things
(Learning new things can be very good for us by keeping us engaged and giving us a sense of accomplishment. It also can help boost self-confidence. Learning new things doesn’t only take place in the classroom. You can learn new things by joining a club or finding a new hobby).
Direction: Have Goals to Look Forward To
(Goals are important for us to have because they keep us motivated. Having said that, it is also important to make sure that your goals are a bit challenging but achievable. When we have goals in our life that we are able to reach, it brings us satisfaction and makes us feel good about ourselves. We feel accomplished when we reach our goals that we have been working towards).
Resilience: Find Ways to Bounce Back
(We all go through hard times, but overcoming these hard times makes us stronger. Having a positive attitude even in times of stress can help us through our struggles and having a lasting good impact on our overall well-being. If we learn how to jump back and face hard times with optimism, we help ourselves greatly. Having this kind of resilience is hard, but through dedication we can make it happen).
Emotions: Look for What’s Good
(In life, good and bad things happen to all of us. Facing everyday life with an optimistic mindset and positive emotions, like joy, contentment, and gratitude, can help us as we go through our daily experiences. There will always be bad days and good days but when you have positive emotions, it helps us to see the world in a better light).
Acceptance: Be Comfortable with Who You Are
It’s important for us to understand that no one is perfect, and accepting ourselves is so important for our well-being. We often compare ourselves to others or perfect standards, focusing on our flaws and everything that we think is wrong with us. It’s hard to be happy when we constantly tear ourselves down. When we accept ourselves for who we are, love ourselves, be kind to ourselves, and accept others for who they are we will learn to be happy and feel good about ourselves).
Meaning: Be Part of Something Bigger
(Meaning and purpose are valuable parts of everyone’s life. Many people find meaning and purpose through their religion, lifestyle practices, and personal identities like being a parent. Those who are a part of something bigger in life, can experience less stress, anxiety, and depression. Being connected with something meaningful can help us to lead a happier life).
If you are experiencing depression or lack of happiness or you think that your child may be suffering from depression, please contact Sunshine State Counseling Center.
Works Cited
International Day of Happiness – 20 March, www.dayofhappiness.net/#new.
“10 Keys to Happier Living.” Action for Happiness, www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys.