Smiling is contagious!

Back from Thanksgiving break, and newly refreshed, yeah? Maybe not. For me, I somehow feel a bit more exhausted after break than I was before. The many project deadlines are quickly approaching and final exams are now only two weeks away. Instead of getting overburdened and stressed, try some of these tips, available from Prevention.com, which are intended to beat the stress and cool you down a tad. According to experts, your happiness levels can be broken down quite precisely. Life circumstances are said to account for only 10% of happiness. Fifty percent depends on your genetic “set point” of where you are in life, and about 40% of your happiness is influenced by what you do deliberately to make yourself happy.Tip #1 – Flip through some old photos. This one is certainly on the top of my list, as doing this definitely brings up my mood. I find that having a computer and phone filled to the max with pictures of friends and family makes me chill out and relax even if my current state of mind is not the most pleasant. Researchers at the United Kingdom’s Open University did a study on people and how viewing pictures affected them, as well as consuming alcohol or chocolate, or listening to music. Picture viewing scored an 11% increase in happiness compared to the others which were less than a 1% change. This idea could also be an excellent Christmas gift, something like a personalized calendar or even a mug with your photo on it would be a unique gift that would be looked at time and time again, increasing happiness with each glance. Tip # 2 – Munch on some nuts: they are packed with omega-3s and they actually taste really good too. I wasn’t aware how tasty they were until recently. They are said to decrease depression and increase your happiness, so grab a handful for your walk to class or for a cure to your mid-afternoon snack attack. Tip #3 – Inhale a calming scent, such as oranges. A smell such as this is said to release anxiety and increase positivity and calmness. Citrusy things just smell yummy. I suppose you could drink some lemonade too. Tip #4 – (Although a bit obvious), open your shades: For me personally, it’s extremely hard to even get up in the morning without immediately opening my shades. If possible, eat breakfast near a window that gets plenty of daylight, and put exercise equipment near a bright view. It is similar to the whole idea of being outside and ingesting some of the sunlight (Vitamin D) into your system. Tip #5 – Clear away some clutter. My desk is full of papers and just so much junk. It is on my list of things to do and I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually, but for a lot of people the sight of clutter is rather stressful. And that’s probably why I haven’t cleaned my desk yet. Clean something. You could dust a little too. I’ve also found that doing this makes me feel real good. Also, re-organizing furniture is great as well. Anything that will make your personal environment more organized and roomy is what we are going for with this one. Tip #6 – YouTube! We all take advantage of YouTube videos, so go at it when you’re feeling glum. There are so many hilarious videos that bring us laughter time and time again. Tip #7 – Put on a happy face. Studies show that even muscular changes in your face can elevate your happiness, so smile. You can do this solo or make it a group thing, for we all know smiling is contagious. By utilizing these tips, the next few weeks should be a breeze. That’s all for now, folks!