Today is International Day of Happiness. This year’s theme is ‘Happier Together’ – ‘celebrating what we have in common, rather than what divides us’.  The United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

In a nutshell, and as the name suggests, it is a day to be happy and celebrate everything that we are grateful for. So here are some simple tips to help improve your happiness and over health and wellbeing:

• Manage your stress levels – know what your stress triggers are and make sure you take time for relaxation – try mindfulness techniques and introduce regular exercise. Evidence shows there’s a link between being physically active and good mental wellbeing.
• Smile, laugh, have fun and enjoy yourself – Doing things that you enjoy and that you are good at is good for your emotional wellbeing and spending time with your family and friends builds a sense of belonging, self-worth and provides an opportunity to share positive experiences.
• Have a healthy lifestyle – eating a well-balanced diet, regularly exercising and getting a good nights sleep will help with your overall mood and wellbeing.  Looking after yourself in such positive ways can lift your self-esteem.
• Talk and share – communication is important, whether it’s talking things through with a friend or family member or a counsellor – it can help you to release tension, share our feelings and know that we’re understood.
• Build your resilience – this will help you to cope with life’s ups and downs.
• Give to others and be kind – research suggests that acts of giving and kindness towards others are associated with positive mental wellbeing, can create positive feelings and give you a sense of purpose.
• Learn something new – evidence shows that continuing to learn throughout life can improve and maintain our mental wellbeing. Learning can boost self-confidence, help build a sense of purpose, and help us connect with others.
• Positive thinking – when you intentionally accentuate the positive and focus on speaking and acting in a positive and constructive way it can help to change the way you feel. Recognising negative thoughts, and intentionally replacing with positive ones, will improve your positive/negative thought ratio and will help with your overall happiness.

You can find lots more information and advice on how to stay healthy and happy on the University’s Staff Wellbeing site, including the Five Ways to Wellbeing.

To get involved in this years happiness campaign visit #InternationalDayOfHappiness and join in by sharing pictures of some of the things that make you smile!