19 March 2022 • The Week Junior 19
Wellbeing
Understanding happiness
Realising what really makes you feel happy is the key to finding joy.
Anwen, who is eight years old,
says, “Walking my dog with my
family in the fields makes me
happy. I even like it when it’s
really rainy and windy! My dad
took a photo of me with wet
hair on my face and a big grin
and he said that I come alive
outdoors. It makes me happy to
see flowers like daffodils. I like
drawing them too. I feel very
happy when I’m with my dog,
cuddling her, playing hide and
seek and teaching her tricks.”“Walking my dog with my
family makes me happy”International Day of Happiness
is on 20 March. The day
was created by the United
Nations (an organisation of
193 countries that works on
issues that face humanity)
to highlight the importance
of happiness and wellbeing.
Since it was started in 2013,
the day has been marked with
a different theme each year.
For 2022, the theme is “Build
Back Happier”. You can find
out more about International
Day of Happiness, along with
advice, at dayofhappiness.net20 March is International
Day of HappinessGE
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veryone wants to be happy but sometimes it can be
difficult to feel happiness. That’s because there are
misunderstandings about happiness that can get in the way.
The good news is that changing the way you think about
happiness can help you to feel more joy each day.What is happiness?
There are lots of definitions of happiness.
Dr Mark Williamson from the charity Action
for Happiness says, “Happiness is not
about denying negative feelings or
being joyful all the time. It’s about
making the most of good times and
learning to cope effectively with bad
times.” Francesca Geens, creator of
The HappySelf Journal, believes that
happiness comes when we feel good
about who we are and our life. She says,
“It’s a feeling of appreciating what we
have and feeling safe and loved.”How to find what makes you feel happy
Noticing when you feel happy and what you’re doing or
what’s happening at that time can help you to find more
happiness. You may realise that figuring out a tricky puzzle
makes you feel better than watching a favourite TV show,for instance. What helps you to feel happy might be different
to what makes someone else happy. For example, you might
enjoy getting messy with brightly coloured paint on paper,
whereas a friend is happiest when carefully colouring a
detailed drawing.
Start a list of things that boost your happiness and keep
adding to it as you discover new ones. Make time to do
what you know makes you happy and remember
that joy isn’t only found in what you do for
yourself – being kind and thoughtful to
other people helps you feel happier too.What stops you feeling happy?
There are misunderstandings that can
make it hard to feel happy. One is that
it’s selfish to be happy when other
people are sad. However, stopping
yourself from being happy doesn’t make
the other person less sad. In fact, research
has shown that happy people spread
happiness to others. Another thing is thinking that
you need lots of money and things to be happy.
Studies have shown that when people win the lottery they
feel a short burst of happiness but they soon return to feeling
the same as they did before they won. So it’s important to
notice the simple things that make you feel happy.Try to notice which
activities make you happy.
HAPPY^
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.
Happiness rubs off
on other people.Being kind helps
you feel happy.Anwen