Small Joys: A Buzzfeed 'Amazing New Book You Need to Read ASAP'

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Spending time with man's best friend is a fool-proof happiness booster. Not only do dogs improve our happiness, they have also been found to alleviate loneliness and improve our overall health. Dog owners have been known to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, too. 12. Practice Forgiveness Moving, funny and tender, Small Joys is an epic novel about ordinary lives that introduces the world to an unforgettable cast of characters and a major new literary talent. If you find yourself consumed with negative thoughts, write down what's troubling you. Then seal the piece of paper in an envelope as if you were going to mail it. Research shows that physically sealing off negative emotions actually helps you overcome them. 91. Write a List of Every Single Amazing Thing You've Seen and Done

Drifting off while you’re reading (or watching Netflix) on the couch is one of the best feelings out there. There’s no pressure for a serious sleep so you can just get comfy and enjoy dozing off in the sun. 18. Being told you look good. Time to renew that subscription to the local daily paper. Studies show that people who get their news from a broadsheet paper are happier than those who turn to television news to keep informed. 79. Be SpontaneousBreathtaking and heartrending, by turns hilarious and devastating and surprising and wild. . . Elvin James Mensah’s prosemakes the intangible deft and tremendous—from the balm of friendship to the beauty of queerness to the all-encompassing elixir of community. Tender, thrilling, and honest, Small Joys is a beam of light.” —Bryan Washington,author of Memorial

Studies show that people who are given an entire bag of chocolate candy enjoy those morsels less than people who are given just one piece of candy to taste. So if you want to increase your happiness, indulge in small portions. 77. Pop in a Sappy Movie I loved it - Small Joys is a wonderful book full of music, life and a great deal of heart. An extremely BIG joy!' Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth There are so many things to be grateful for in life. Each day is a reminder that no matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise again in the morning. It’s essential to appreciate the simple joys of life because they are what makes life worth living. But happiness is a difficult thing to measure. It's a spectrum — not an absolute. There's a whole science behind our happiness levels, why they fluctuate, and what we can do to boost them.Do it not once, but three, four, five times in a row. Force out a few big, long ones even if you're feeling fully energized and alert. Yawning can improve your memory and lower stress, neuroscientists say. Think of it as wiping away the clutter in your brain and giving yourself a clean slate. 41. Take a Power Nap

If you want a happier existence, imagine it and it will be. Scientists have found that if we visualize ourselves in a happy state we can actualize happiness. 47. Sit Up Straight Have you ever noticed that when you are car shopping you suddenly notice a lot of certain types of cars on the road? When you increase your level of awareness of a particular thing, you begin to notice more of it even if it was something that was there all along.Studies show that multitasking may actually make you feel better. But there's a trade-off. While trying to accomplish numerous things simultaneously will leave you feeling more emotionally satisfied about the work you're doing, it will also make you less productive. 84. Draw Your Favorite Junk Foods I also struggled with the mental health stuff, mostly because it continually leads Harley to make poor decisions and, as a reader, that's frustrating to repeatedly read. I too have depression and anxiety, and thought his bottoming out and slow road to recovery was handled well, I just had a hard time toward the end of the book when Harley was still keeping secrets and sabotaging relationships.