How to be happy, according to a psychologist
After the International Day of Happiness (which took place on Wednesday March 20), we’re thinking a lot about being happy – specifically, how to be happy more often.
Who better to ask than Cheryl Freeman, a psychologist practicing at Burleigh’s Lives Lived Well Specialist Centre? Below, she shares her insights on the pursuit of happiness, urging us to pause and contemplate our own happiness and wellbeing.
“Celebrating the International Day of Happiness invites each one of us to check in with ourselves, to gauge our own level of happiness, and to explore new ways of growing more,” she says.
Happiness, Cheryl explains, is often confused with pleasure. But while pleasure is short-lived, ‘happiness is ethereal’.
By recognising and embodying our personal values, we can find true happiness – a deeper, more sustainable sense of joy than simple ‘pleasure’.
“The formula for accessing happiness involves identifying your values and recognising the link between what you think, what you say and what you do in relation to each specific value,” Cheryl says.
For example, if you value knowledge as one of your personal values, you might find happiness in the lifelong pursuit of learning. If you value adventure, happiness could be found in spontaneous travels.
It’s all about working out, and then focusing, on what you really want. So, how do we do that? Cheryl says it’s as simple as how you start each day. Herpractical daily routine, ‘the 6 Ws’, is a way to start each day with positivity and intentionality.
“Through tailored evidence-based interventions, it is our intention to help you rediscover your authentic self, where true happiness resides,” she says.
Daily self-care routine
Cheryl Freeman, BPsySc Hons, MProfPsych
Wake up: Get out of bed
Wash: Your face
Water: Drink one glass
Walk: Outside (no matter the weather), a minimum of one minute out and one minute back
Witness: Become mindful of your surroundings. Be still, take a deep breath. Pay attention to something you see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Supercharge three different things each day to be grateful for. For example, get a download of serotonin and dopamine simply by imagining yourself walking on the beach, toes in the sand, wind in your hair, sun on your shoulders. Listen to the surf, take a deep breath in, and smell the salt air.
Wish: With the best of your intentions, wish for something that aligns with your values, imagine it. Avoid wishing for what you don’t want.
After, and only after, you have completed the 6 W’s can you reward yourself with a cuppa.