There are a lot of “H” words that we love. Hello. Hot. Hair. Horticulture. Okay, maybe not that last one. But do you know what our favorite “H” word is? Happiness! When you’re happy, everything is better. The sky is bluer. The birds sing sweeter. And work is more bearable.

You might be thinking, “Yeah. That’s all great, but you can’t just snap your fingers and ‘get happy.’ That’s not how it works.” We hear you. Sometimes life seems to do everything in its power to bring you down. That’s when you have to fight back and demand happiness. It might not always be easy, but it’s always possible.

So, how can you increase your happiness?

Get Moving

Exercising just seven minutes a day can entirely change your outlook on life. A recent study in the Journal of Healthy and Psychology discovered that people who exercised felt better about their body, even without physical changes. Another study, published in The Happiness Advantage, looked at patients treated for depression. Three groups were treated using meditation, exercise, or a combination of the two. Out of all three groups, the exercise group had the best results with only a 9% relapse rate compared to 38%. So, you see, just a little bit of exercise can change your level of happiness.

Spend Time with Friends and Family

Money can’t buy happiness, though it can buy Happy Tea. However, no matter how well our Happy Tea works, it works better when you drink it with someone else. Spending time with people you love is worth so much. A study in the Journal of Socio-Economics revealed that relationships are worth more than $100,000. But even more than that, your relationships are the key to living a long and happy life.

Help Others

No one lives in a vacuum. No matter how shy, introverted, or happy, you are being alone, sharing your life with others is key to happiness. In fact, you should spend about 100 hours a year helping others, or about two hours per week. You get far more back in benefits than what you sacrifice to help others. A study within The Journal of Happiness looked at people’s happiness. The happier participants felt, the more likely they were to spend money and time on someone else. You don’t even have to go crazy. Helping someone else can be as simple as bringing a cup of Happy Tea to their house, when you know they’re going through a rough time.

Smile More

Your smile and laughter are far more important than you realize. Smiling makes you feel better, reduces your pain, helps you think, and improves your overall mood. That’s a lot of benefits from a simple smile. You don’t even have to have a reason to smile. You can just practice smiling where you not only smile with your lips, but it also reaches your eyes. A study by Michigan State University found that people who smile improve their mood and withdraw less. However, you have to make sure your smile is backed up by positive thoughts. Think about an upcoming vacation, your favorite movie, or someone you love. Then, let your smile shine.

There are literally thousands of ways to be happier. A few more include:

• Spend more time outside
• Sleep more
• Meditate
• Listen to music
• Get a new hobby
• Write down your negative thoughts and then throw the paper away
• Learn to let go
• Practice self-care daily
• Eat more nutrient-rich food
• Be kind to yourself
• Wear a yellow shirt
• Learn to reduce your stress
• Have meaningful conversations
• Drink Happy Tea!

Yours in Happiness,
Your Tea