The focus of Act Happy Week is to educate the public about purposeful actions you can take to create chemical shifts in your body that drive Positive Emotions.  Here is today’s exercise (298 words) :

This newsletter speaks to Leadership, Happiness, and Coaching in your life and work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I. ACT HAPPY WEEK, DAY 3: DANCE WITH THE UNKNOWN

Hang Out With Happy People

I remember when my children were younger and we were trying to get past the childhood disease phase, we’d send the boys to hang out with friends who had chicken pox, hoping they’d get infected. 

Emotions are more contagious than viruses.  I’m sure you’ve had the experience of having a roomful of people shift within moments after someone with a really heavy anger issue enters the room—or conversely, when an infectiously upbeat person arrives. We’re seeing this phenomenon play out in social media and the world in general right now.

If you’re having a “mood” that just won’t quit, consider your environment.  Studies show that friends and family influence us in many invisible ways – that includes online “friends.”

Your friends also make you happy – or scared, or angry, or joyful!  A quick way to shift to a more positive emotional space is to find and spend time with others who are already there. 

Step away from the phone. Even if you can’t find happy people right now (because corona virus!), try shutting off all media for at least a few hours. No FB, LI, Twitter. No TV. No news feeds. Trust me, the world will still spin even if you’re not pushing it. Allow your nervous system to rest before you dive back into the bubbling stewpot of emotions!

CHEAP TRICK for mood shift: A Night at The Movies.  Research shows that watching a movie with a happy ending will lift your spirits for up to 48 hours after watching -- even if you’ve seen the movie before! Stream something you know will make you laugh or cry for happy.

Remember to keep dancing with uncertainty (see yesterday’s edition for living in Curiosity) and remember, Happiness is a Decision, not an Event!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~