Happiness is fleeting.  So is unhappiness.  A lot of bad stuff happens all the time. There is no lack of things to bum you out.  Last week I suggested ways to help you add to your unhappiness.  And, now, voila!--the antidote, vaccine, or force field to help you and everyone else be happier.  Because when you're happy, you unwittingly pass it on to others and, heaven knows, we need more smiles, exhales and hugs.

#1. You Are Not Alone.  We live in an interconnected world.  I know, it's not the American way.  We are raised that you're either Cowboy or Indian, Barbie or Ken. But studies have shown that the healthiest, happiest folks on the planet have strong social ties through family, shared interests or religious organizations.       

#2.  Don't Take Things Personally -Really, it's not always about you.   Don Miguel Ruiz said this best in The Four Agreements, which is definitely worth reading.

#3.  Be Clear With Your Words - Don't lie (and don't cheat while you're at it).  Understand your intentions and make them clear.  [You passive-aggressive types will have a doozie with this one.]  While you're at it, find yourself saying "I don't know" and "I'm sorry, it was my fault" more often.

#4 -  Simplify your Life -  Take pleasure in activities that are lower on the complication index and don't require airline tickets, Red Bull, or half your paycheck.  If that sounds boring, you're addicted to (over)stimulation.  See #6.   

#5 - Loosen Your Grip - You could lose everything at any time and that includes your home, spouse, and your health.  All the more reason to have a very good relationship with yourself.  See #6.    

#6 -  Sit Still -  It's not easy.  Take a few minutes to do nothing---no People, IM'ing, Facebooking, nail polish chipping or hair tossing.  Sit and breathe.  Start with 30 seconds and work your way up to 5 minutes.  Up your happiness quotient and do it in nature.  Call it meditation if you want and learn about the research here. 

#7 -  Be Grateful -  Daily.  Be grateful for everything no matter how small or immaterial it seems.  Car starts-grateful.  Didn't spill your coffee on your iPhone-grateful.  Things could be a whole lot worse sounds trite, but think about it.  Start a daily gratitude journal.  It's more effective than Prozac.  Lots more on this topic here.  

Happiness is a huge topic these days.  Google's search for "How to be happy" returned almost 1 billion hits in an amazing 17 seconds (how do they do that?).  Have so many of our basic needs been met that we now are hyper-concerned about our happiness?  It feels a bit bourgeois and selfish when so many people are suffering.   But, it's dang hard to help others when you're stressed and miserable.  So, play with working some of these "antidotes to unhappiness" into your life and see how it goes.  As always, I love to hear from you, so drop me a note at cheryl@cherylthomas.com. 

[Want to read some of my earlier posting.  You can find them here.  Enjoy.]