Happiness Hints
By Aiden, Young Person
It's World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10 October. With that in mind, we're delighted that one of our occasional bloggers Aiden has returned to share some ideas on how to feel happier. Aiden is 13 years old and goes to school in Edinburgh. He enjoys sports playing basketball and badminton as well as the piano.
Sometimes we wonder how we could be happier but we can’t think of anything no matter how hard we rack our brains. So here is a list of things that help me feel happier and generally help me to have a good day.
- Exercise. Even though before you do it, exercise can seem like a chore, afterwards you feel rejuvenated and happier, and ready to do other things that might have felt harder before. It also makes you physically fitter so it’s not just a mental boost.
- Talk to someone. Even if you just talk about trivial things, talking to people really helps and it takes your mind away from anything that might be bothering you. Also, it can help if you speak about what is bothering you ,depending on what it is, as the person you are talking to could help.
- Doing something which takes up your concentration and / or is your favourite thing to do. This could be anything, ranging from watching TV to playing chess. Whatever it is, it can help you move on because your attention has been diverted.
- Consciously stop negative-thought chains. If you think of something negative that might happen then you can start to think of other negative things and eventually you can make yourself uneasy because you are worrying about so many things. It also stops you from concentrating.
I hope this helps. These definitely work for me!
If you enjoyed this blog, Aiden has written others for us you'll want to read too.
Keep the Heid: A young person’s reflection on taming the beast of anger
