Can You "Force" Yourself Into Happiness?

Here's the scenario:

#1 Your boss has been bugging you for an entire week to get that presentation done.

#2 You discover that one of your kids has caused some trouble in school and he was sent to a detention class by the teacher.

#3 Your washing machine and refrigerator have broken simultaneously and it's going to cost several thousands of dollars to fix.

You can add a few more incidents if you want.

The point is when these are conditions happen, concurrently or separately, they probably aren't going to make you happy.

However, a better question is, can you actually make yourself happy just by changing how you think?

There's plenty of evidence to support that you can indeed force yourself to be happy.

In fact, it's been scientifically proven that by forcing yourself to smile for just 2 minutes, there's a radical shift in your chemistry and psychology, which can be the catalyst for the turnaround.

While it won't make all the day-to-day problems disappear, it will surely help make life easier.

One way to reinforce this happiness is to focus your thinking on all the things you have in life, rather than those transient problems.

Those problems will eventually go away.

You will finish your boss's presentation and he'll leave you for peace (for a minute maybe).

You will work with your kid that is having trouble and get him some extra help.

You will find the money required to fix the home appliances and they will run smoothly again.

If you can picture those positive outcomes, the actual problems themselves will become less important.

Set up a vision of what it's like to be happy and your brain will work to help you get there.

When you are happy, the people whom you work with or live with will naturally pick up your mood and they will be positively affected.

Of course, there are certain times when no matter how hard you try, you simply can't get past feeling a bit de-motivated.

In those instances, it's always better to talk to friends and family.

Sometimes, just having someone listening to you can shift your mood around. A few of those people may even give you some constructive advice on how to solve the problems you are facing and this can help you lighten the burden, which eventually set you up for happiness and other positive emotions.

Another way to make yourself more happy is to take a break once in a while.

Spend some time in solitude and nature. Read an inspirational book. Go for a mini vacation with your family and kids.

People need to realize the importance of recharging themselves and getting away from the usual routines. It lets you see life from a different perspective and allows you to think more clearly and broadly.

This can be all that is needed to break through tough challenges and negative situations so that you are relieved and can go back to experience your default setting of happiness.

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