I remember, about a year ago, coming across a story on Facebook about an exchange program where one could be ‘adopted’ for the summer by a family in the Netherlands and re-learn how to be happy for three months. Interested, I looked at profiles of available families and saw what each family would teach their exchange individual. Each profile I clicked on showed laughing host parents backed by traditionally European idyllic small-town scenes. Some host families offered things like spending time working on a family farm, visiting a tulip field, having a picnic by a nearby stream or simply sitting down and having conversations with locals over a cup of tea. Looking at the images posted on the website, I found myself overcome with a yearning for an experience to become a happier person. I wanted to be taught what it was to be happy again. But at what point did I forget what it means to be happy?

  Happiness, I’ve discovered over time, is not something for which one should yearn, as if one does not already have the means to be happy in one’s possession. In a society that seems so fast paced, it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Nine to five jobs, chasing after children, bills to be paid, schedules and engagements to keep up with, it can all be quite consuming. It’s easy to forget to find happiness in life’s little moments. Instead, we feel rushed during the day and exhausted in the evening. The next day presents an opportunity to do the same thing as the day previous. It’s as if we’re all running on hamster wheels, all excited to be running but never really going anywhere different.

  The interesting thing about happiness is that you don’t have to travel very far to find it, despite the pull of an international trip, in my case. However, my bank account doesn’t support travel expenses at the moment. Therefore, one must look locally.

  My advice for you is to take some time to notice the little things in life that you may have overlooked or neglected  before.

  Find someone to laugh with- someone that enriches your life and whose life you enrich yourself. Laughter lifts the spirits.

  Crack open that book you’ve been meaning to read for such a long time. Get lost in someone else’s story for a while. Live vicariously through the book characters. Take on their emotions. Escape from reality for a while.

  Choose to learn yoga or practice breathing exercises. These can be done throughout your day and lower your stress levels. They also get you up and moving.

  Pack the car and go for a drive. Go to a place you’ve been meaning to visit and haven’t before. Take in the new sights and take some photos to remember the moments.

  Take a hike. Notice the way the wind plays through the branches, how the now changing leaves flutter down from the trees, the noise the different species of birds make, and the way the light plays across the paths you walk.

  Watch cute animal videos on the internet. I mean, who doesn’t like watching cats get into things they’re not supposed to and feeling no guilt? Or dogs. Dogs are cute too.

  Go on a mini shopping spree (emphasis on ‘mini’) or leisurely pick through that antique shop you pass but into which you haven’t yet ventured. For some people, shopping lifts the spirits. Shopping makes me happy until I see how much I’ve spent. So, know your limits.

  Or, better yet, just try out smiling. According to  Dr. Isha Gupta a neurologist from IGEA Brain and Spine, a smile releases chemicals in your brain that are linked to making one happy-dopamine. Increased dopamine levels means more happiness.. Try a simple smile and see where it takes you from there.

  In an environment so inundated with gloom and stress, get back to the little things. Don’t tune in to the negativity. If you find yourself influenced by a certain person or outlet that introduces the things that keep you from happiness, remove them from your life. Such an action is easier said than done, but it works by leaps and bounds in one’s life. Just give it a chance. 

  Happiness is not something for which one should go actively searching. It is right in front of you, if only you will just take a chance and stop to notice. Choose happiness.

  Long column short, take a break. Take a break from what has been keeping you from seeing the little things that have the power to lift your spirits, even if only for a moment. Take a break, however small, and see the impact it makes in your daily life.