Happiness tips: Experts reveal ways to raise your happiness quotient

French poet and novelist Victor Hugo once said, “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves” and we feel truer words have not been spoken because there is only one happiness in this life – to love and be loved. However, for some, happiness may be about reaching the pinnacle of success in their career, while for others it may mean earning piles of money yet some may seek it in sustaining healthy relationships.

Whatever the reason, the ultimate goal of all is to be happy but happiness is a relative term and while its causes may be innumerable, there is only one great obstacle to happiness and that is our expectations. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Vikas Khanna, Mental Wellness Guide, Psychologist and Corporate Trainer, shared, “When we talk about happiness quotient, it is a concept to measure one’s relative happiness or a sense of wellbeing – how does one feel, relatively placed in life.”

Listing some tips to raise our happiness quotient, Dr Anjeli Misra, (MD Path), Founder and Director, Lifeline Laboratory asserted:

1. Focus on holistic wellness: Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Wellness is multi-dimensional – a concept that encompasses all the aspects of physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual wholesomeness and well being.

2. Energy management: All daily activities require you to expend your energy. However, you also need to recoup this energy to keep going. Manage your energy wisely by following an energy management plan.

3. Nourish your body, mind and soul:

i) Healthy, nutritive diet – Have a balanced diet replete with energizing carbohydrates and fats (in small amounts), proteins, vitamins, minerals and fiber. These are obtained from adding colour to your diet – green leafy vegetables, colourful fruits and vegetables, wholegrain flour, brown rice, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, sea food and nuts and seeds.

ii) Exercise daily – Exercise for 45 minutes daily. A brisk walk accompanied by light weight training and combined with a balanced diet is ideal to maintain optimum body weight. Go for fresh foods and avoid processed and frozen foods. Drink 8-12 glasses of water to flush out toxins from the body.

iii) Quit unhealthy habits like smoking, alcohol consumption, colas and fizzy drinks laden with sugar and other addictive substances. Keep tea and coffee consumption within limits.

iv) Rejuvenate through restful sleep for 8 hours a day.

v) Go for regular annual health screening.

vi) Believe in integrity – Do what you love: love what you do. Recognize opportunities for

vii) Professional growth – Be committed to excellence with dedication and a positive attitude, work hard, learn time management, practice good work ethics, and give and receive respect at workplace.

viii) Care for your emotional health by maintaining a positive outlook. Keep good company with those who radiate positive energy and with whom you enjoy being with. Spend quality time with friends. Raise your self esteem by marking boundaries for giving and receiving and practice forgiveness. Nurture healthy and harmonious relationships with family and friends, make responsible life choices, respect elders and be patient and tolerant towards children.

ix) Give back to society through acts of charity and community service, which need not be just about financial contributions but active participation which involves your time and effort.

x) Practice stress management techniques like mindful meditation, Yoga and other relaxation techniques to maintain mental-emotional-spiritual balance which helps in facing challenging life-situations.

xi) Boost your intelligence quotient by engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations and interaction, challenging mental activities like learning a language or skill, or playing scrabble, word games, solving crosswords or puzzles, quizzes, card games like bridge. Avoid watching television or indulging in social media for long hours; instead, read a book for 20-30 minutes a day for self-education and expansion of knowledge and engaging in creative pursuits and hobbies.

xii) Pay attention to your spiritual growth – Introspection, self awareness, coping well with life’s challenges with faith and hope, going with the flow, commitment to good values, principles and beliefs, mindful meditation and Yoga.

xiii) Improve your social well being with developing good communication skills and healthy social interaction with peers. Develop empathy and kindness towards those less fortunate than you, have good civic sense, and give back to society through active involvement in community service and humanitarian activities to make a difference. Be socially aware and tolerant.

xiv) Develop environmental awareness, recycling, mindfulness towards water, forest and natural resources consumption and conservation, avoid chemical use, go organic, and reduce your carbon footprint.

Wishing you a happy living or rather a relatively happy living!