Happiness & alternative meditation

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HAPPINESS"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln

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Why am I talking about happiness?

Me

My happiness quest

Your happiness quest?

What will you get?

Mild amusement

Some interesting facts

Happiness techniques you MIGHT want to try

What won’t you get?

Happiness

References

Actual science

Sensible answers to questions

International Happiness Day 20TH March

Sunday Assembly

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What makes you happy?

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But what is happiness?

Whatever you say it is……

Subjective Well Being

“The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful,

and worthwhile.”Sonja Lyubormirsky. The How of Happiness

Social

Physical

MentalEmotional

Spiritual

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And why do we want it?

Live longer Live healthier

Better relationshipsMore productive – can contribute to society

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What are the barriers to happiness?

Us!

STRESS

TECHNOLOGY

MEDIA

SEEING HAPPINESS AS A

DESTINATION

OVER RELIANCE ON THE

EXTERNAL

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What makes a happy person

Being open

Optimism(No s&%t Sherlock!))

Good relationships

Satisfaction in career

Religion/a sense of

belonging/SundayAssembly

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Happiness is not a constant state

Without context, “happy” has little meaning

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10%

50%

40%

External

circumstances

Genetics

WHAT YOU DO

● Lack of freedom

● Below the poverty line

● Mental illness

Happy doesn’t happen to you

Sonja Lyubomirsky

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Happy doesn’t happen to you

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Can you improve your base level happiness?B

ase

Hap

pin

ess

leve

l

Time

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There are lots of happiness increasing techniques

Short and intense periods of positive feelings are good…..

…….but they won’t change your “base level” happiness

Use the 40% to shift the 50%

Shift the lens on the 10%

Change outlooks, thinking habits – not circumstances

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Hardwiring Happiness – Rick Hanson

Our ancestors could make two types of mistake:

1. Thinking there was a tiger in the woods, but there wasn’t

2. Thinking there wasn’t a tiger in the woods, but there was

The negativity bias

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Hardwiring Happiness – Rick Hanson

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Taking in the good – Rick Hanson

● Simple yet powerful method to change passing experiences into lasting, useful structure inside our brains

● We can rewire our brain to overcome the negativity bias

● Taking in the good

● Do not waste good opportunities – however small

● Gradual accumulation

● Doesn’t take much of the day

● Law of little things

● Have to ensure positive and negative do not cancel each other out (a common mistake)● Do not cover over negative truths

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HEAL – Rick Hanson

Have a positive experience

Enrich it

Absorb it Link it to something negative

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Alternative Meditation

Regularshort bursts

Enjoyable

Active

Focused

No brainnoise

No self assessment

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Alternative Meditation

The technique?

You tell me

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When all else fails

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Do not think lightly of good, saying, "It will not come to me." Drop by drop is the

water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills

himself with good.