Does an overflowing inbox stress you out? You’re not alone – but according to Shawn Achor, author of Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change, some subtle shifts in mindset can dramatically increase your happiness and productivity: “An overflowing email inbox could be a soul-draining activity, but it could be an opportunity to connect with people or a source of leads.”Shawn notes there are five things you can do to train yourself to be happier:
- Writing down three new things you’re grateful for every day;
- Journaling about positive experiences for two minutes;
- 15 minutes of cardiovascular activity, which is “equivalent to taking an antidepressant”;
- 2 minutes of watching your breath go in and out; and
- “The most powerful one is we have people write a two-minute, positive email praising or thanking someone they know for 21 days in a row,” says Achor. “Not only do you see happiness significantly improve, but you see stress levels drop and social support increasing. Social connection is as predictive of how long you live as obesity, high blood pressure, or smoking, so it’s pretty incredible.”
Read more at Forbes.
