Why happiness should be in your team’s strategy

WHY HAPPINESS SHOULD BE IN YOUR TEAM'S STRATEGY

Happiness is a general sense of positivity incorporating both joy and meaning in life.

While we all have different things that make us feel happy, putting happiness in your team and workplace’s strategy is essential for positive wellbeing.

Spending time with people we love, self-care, exercise or activities that make us happy are popular ways to experience joy.

To gain feelings of purpose and meaning in life, we benefit from achieving goals, taking care of loved ones, fulfilling responsibilities, and finding meaning in our work.

Whether it’s our own happiness or that experienced by our team members, it’s important to remember being happy doesn’t mean we are in a constant state of elation – rather, it is generally feeling more positive than negative in your life.

And of course, we all have off days.

The person we think, or who even describes themselves as a happy person, still experiences negative emotions – such as anger, jealousy, sadness, boredom, loneliness, and frustration – from time to time.

To support ourselves and our team members, we can encourage actions and practices to promote optimism and positive feelings – that good days will follow the bad days and there will be happy emotions again.

Here are 10 things to remember when it comes to promoting positive actions and happiness in ourselves and our teams.

1. Socialise – It’s easy to put off a catch up when we’re feeling off but spending time with people we care about has multiple benefits.

Commit to a time and place with your important people and watch your stress levels go down, while your mental wellbeing and resilience go up.

2. Set goals – and make a plan to achieve them. Setting and achieving goals helps us to feel a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

Be realistic about what you can achieve, but don’t be afraid to set a challenge.

3. Reframe negative thoughts – Challenge negative thoughts – this doesn’t mean ignoring anything bad, but trying to take a balanced view and seek positives from the outcome you’re in.

For example – you need to walk to work because your train was cancelled but the weather is nice, and you will get some good exercise.

4. Smile! If you need to – fake it till you make it. Smiling causes our brains to produce dopamine, which makes us happier.

5. Get off socials – social media is a great way of staying in touch with people when seeing them isn’t always possible, but it can also have a negative impact on our mental wellbeing.

Take a break from social media occasionally to refresh your outlook.

6. Practice gratitude – take time to recognise the things that bring you happiness.

It can be hard to remember them when we’re down.

Try noting down five things every day that you are grateful for, and it will help to positively shift your mindset.

7. Be in the moment – and savour it. Be fully present and notice the small things that bring you joy.

Pay attention to things that bring you positive emotions and take a moment to recognise how you’re feeling.

8. Practice mindfulness – there are countless tools available for this and it doesn’t need to take long.

Practicing mindfulness can increase your awareness, openness, and acceptance, and is a good opportunity to reset your mind and body.

9. Take care of yourself – from eating well to getting a good night’s sleep.

Taking care of your physical wellbeing and health has a huge impact on our mental wellbeing and happiness.

10. Exercise – it doesn’t have to be for long, even just seven minutes will do the trick.

Exercise releases endorphins which increase happiness so it can be a quick way to feel more positive.

Combine it with a socialising or a specific goal to achieve and you’ll get even more benefits.

A corporate challenge is a great way to promote fun and happiness within your organisation.

Help your employees improve their wellbeing both in the workplace and at home with a custom wellbeing platform by Springday, find out more here. 

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