Notice your breath
You must have heard this one many times. Whenever you have to relax, they tell you - “Notice your breath”. Come; let us do it together right now. Sit in a relaxing posture or lie down on the bed. Now, just notice your breath. Don't breathe faster. Don't take a deep breath. You don't need to DO anything – just notice the way you are already breathing. Notice the air rubbing past your nostrils as it enters your nose.
Notice it go inside and fill your lungs. Notice how your stomach automatically rises. Then notice this air coming out of your lungs, through your nose. You might feel irritated as you do this initially. That's common. I mean it is irritating at first! But let the irritation be. It's OK. You might also be interrupted by many thoughts. That's OK too. Bring back your attention to your breath whenever you become aware that you are thinking of other things.
Keep noticing your breath for a few minutes – maybe even 5 minutes. That's it. You're done! If you do it correctly, you will feel irritated and harrowed for the first 1 or 2 minutes and then peaceful, relaxed and calm for the next 3 minutes. :) You will have found your moments of joy in your normal day. Whenever you have the time, keep doing this again and again.
Do nothing: just come back to this moment and notice your breath. The reason this technique works is very simple: most of our unhappiness is caused by our negative thoughts about the past and future. We keep thinking – “He did that”. “She did this”. “He is so bad!” “I wonder what will happen in the meeting tomorrow!” And so we ourselves become sad thinking about the past and the future.
Just noticing our breath immediately brings us back to the present moment. This moment. Right here and now. That's what we will learn more about as we proceed through this book. Peace is here and now. So is happiness and joy. So, when we focus our attention on this moment, slowly the negative thoughts disappear and we become happy. :) If you haven't yet tried this simple technique out – please do it right now! Just 5 minutes...
Look around in wonder
This is yet another beautiful technique that helps me be happy – just so many times! The technique is simple: for some time come back to the present moment – here and now. Look around you! There are so many things that you may not have noticed in your daily life. For example, if you are sitting at a desk – notice the texture of the desk. What is it made of – wood? Notice how the design on the wood is. Notice the colors of the walls near you.
Notice the people near you and the clothes they are wearing. Notice the expressions on their faces. Notice the floor near you. What is it made of? Is there a design on it? Just look around with the curiosity of a child for some time. Come on, when was the last time you just looked around and noticed things without any reason? As you do this...some thoughts may creep in.
As soon as you notice you are thinking of something, let the thought go and come back to the present moment. Again – look around...and observe things you may never have observed before! Sometimes, I use this technique when I go to dine at restaurants. I notice the tables and chairs. I notice the walls. I notice the paintings. I notice the clothes the waiters are wearing and I notice the expressions on the faces of people.
If you do this for just few minutes, you will feel joy. It might seem irritating at first or maybe even foolish. But do it anyway and the irritation and thoughts will vanish. Soon, you'll think: “Wow. I never knew there was just so much to notice around me.” Repeat this activity as many times in the day as you want.
If you do it often enough, you will actually feel like a world of wonder has opened up. This is because generally we are so lost in thoughts that we hardly look around and notice many interesting things. The reason this activity works is also similar to the reason the first one works: it brings us back to the present moment for some time and helps us release our common negative thought patterns. So, well, why not try it right now? :)
Listen to the sounds around you
Almost every time I practice this activity, I feel a greater sense of peace. Right now – just STOP. Pause. Come back to the present moment. Now, pay close attention to whatever you are hearing. What can you hear? Can you hear the hum of the air conditioner? Maybe the sound of the fan? Or a dog barking? Or people talking? Or the sound of sheets of papers ruffling? Notice these sounds. Just listen.
Observe...and feel these sounds. Again, initially this might seem irritating. Let the irritation be. It is completely natural. For some reason – the path from unhappiness to happiness in this moment – passes through irritation and resistance. That's OK. Don't force yourself to listen or anything – just be – and observe the sounds that you would normally never observe. If you do this for around 5 minutes, you will feel peaceful and calm.
Of course doing this for 5 minutes can also be tough because so many thoughts may interrupt you and distract you from your listening mode. But that's OK. As soon as you become aware of your thoughts, go back and listen to every sound you can hear. You may soon think: “Wow, there are just so many sounds and voices I always ignored. I mean they were always there in the background – but I am noticing them for the first time!” And that is true.
If you keep doing this often enough – you will catch so many beautiful moments that most of us miss. As you are walking down the street, you may hear a bird singing or a car driving past you. You may even hear the sound of the air brushing past your face. And you have always missed these sounds... Why not try this happiness hack right away? (I can hear myself typing as I write this on my laptop.)
Excerpted from the book 100 Incredible Happiness Hacks.
This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Download this book on Boostlane:
https://boostlane.com/p/mercie/3205671/100-incredible-happiness-hacks/
