Happiness in Your Hands
World Happiness Day - 20 March 2025
While it can often feel like life’s twists and turns determine how happy we can feel, research shows that external circumstances only impact our happiness by 10%. In fact, around 40% of our capacity for happiness comes down to our daily choices, attitudes, and actions.
On this page, you will find 30 scientifically-backed activities designed to increase life satisfaction, wellbeing, and health. The aim is to empower you with simple yet effective practices that demonstrate how, regardless of what’s happening in the world or your life, you have the power to enhance your sense of wellbeing.
Dive into these activities – over the course of a month or as inspiration takes you – and take charge of your happiness today!
For more information about the traits and practices that boost happiness and help us flourish, check out
Thrive: 52 Principles for a Flourishing Life.
Available for worldwide delivery!
Quick Links
Practice 1
When it comes to physical and emotional wellbeing, laughter truly can be the best medicine!
Today, I invite you to bring more laughter into your life by actively seeking it out. Watch a comedy show, view funny videos on YouTube, or hang out with friends who make you giggle. Make a commitment, today, to bring a chuckle, belly laugh, or giggle into your life.
NOTE: If you are working through grief, trauma, or mental illness, a simple reason to smile will be enough to celebrate.
Resources: Feel free to begin your laughter journey here.
Practice 2
Today, I ask you to join me in celebrating you and all that you have learned, achieved, grown into, and accomplished recently.
Take some time, today, to reflect on everything you’ve accomplished over the past 5 years. Questions to ask yourself are:
- What skills have I gained that I now take for granted?
- What goals and dreams have I accomplished?
- How many lives have I lifted through acts of kindness, forgiveness, or compassion?
- In what ways have I grown into a greater version of myself?
- What am I most proud of in the past 5 years?
- How many moments have I wanted to give up, and carried on regardless?
- How many times have I found the courage to change careers? Change relationships? Change my mind?
Practice 3
Today, let’s boost our wellbeing with some conscious compassion. Studies show that loving-kindness is not just a pleasant emotion to feel – it also increases emotional and physical health in multiple ways. So, today, I encourage you to practice a loving-kindness meditation. A quick internet search will bring up lots of versions, or choose a favourite app or practice you’ve used before. Spending just 5 to 10 minutes in a quiet space of compassion is going to lift your mood, clarify your mind, and brighten your day.
Resources: Click here for a brief 5-minute loving-kindness meditation. For a soul-lifting 30-minute meditation, click here.
Practice 4
Let’s make time to connect! Studies have shown that individuals with strong social bonds are happier and more resilient, and live healthier, longer lives. It seems that connecting frequently and authentically with the people around us is a vital key to our ongoing well-being. And one of the most powerful ways we connect with others is by sharing a meal with them – allowing us to feel closer and more connected. So, today, I encourage you to share a meal with a friend or loved one – however that fits into your schedule. Ready to connect? Let’s go …
Practice 5
Happy memories can be an incredible wellbeing booster. So, today, I invite you to make your phone a source of joy and inspiration. Go through your phone’s photo gallery and choose an image that brings you a sense of joy, love, gratitude or inspiration. Then, make it your lock screen image or phone wallpaper.
Practice 6
Whatever your usual kindness level, today I encourage you to consciously activate kindness at least 5 times and flood your body with happiness-enhancing hormones. You can be kind to others, kind to yourself, or kind to nature. Not sure where to start? Follow these simple prompts:
1. Become mindful of who is in your environment (lift your eyes; tune in to the others around you.)
2. What are they trying to achieve? Notice what their intended actions are.
3. How can you help them in a kind (and possibly surprising) way?
Practice 7
Today, I encourage you to enhance your emotional wellbeing by prioritising your medical needs. It can be easy to put off medical appointments, delay checkups, or prioritise other tasks over our own physical and mental health. So today (please) I ask you to follow up on any medical appointments that are outstanding or that would be of value to you – mentally, physically, emotionally. A quick call today could make the world of difference to your ongoing health and wellbeing.
Practice 8
Play is incredibly beneficial in adulthood – relieving stress, boosting creativity, and improving brain function. So, today, I encourage you to tap into your inner child and do something playful. (Offline, folks! Digital games simply don’t have the same effect on our well-being.) What forms of play did you enjoy as a child – eg. creative, social, competitive, or imaginative? What activities bring you a sense of fun and abandon? How can you use imagination to lighten your day? C’mon … let’s inject a little childhood silly into our day!
Practice 9
It’s time to get some stuff done! Okay, friends, here’s the hard truth: those unfinished tasks aren’t just clogging up your to-do list; they’re also causing incredible stress in your brain and body. So, today, please gift yourself a sense of freedom, accomplishment, and well-being by completing an overdue task (or two). Getting overdue stuff done is not a chore – it’s an act of kindness and self-care!
TIP: Check in with an overdue task – is it something you really ‘must’ do? Or is it something you can delegate to someone else or remove from your to-do list altogether?
Practice 10
Your connection to nature is inescapable, and studies show that interacting with natural spaces is incredibly beneficial for your health, your well-being, and your longevity. So, whatever your plans, please integrate a moment with nature into your schedule today. Take a walk in the forest. Sit on a beach. Eat lunch in a natural space. Weed, plant, or tidy in your garden. Your brain, body, and soul thrive in nature … so let’s take the opportunity to boost natural wellness today.
Practice 11
Today, I invite you to personally thank someone who has been a source of support, help, strength, or encouragement to you. None of us get through life without the support of others, so who can you reach out to today to say “I see you. Thank you”? You may choose to thank them in person, over the phone, or via a heart-felt gratitude letter.
Resources: Not sure how to find the right words? This gratitude letter template may help.
Practice 12
Today, I encourage you to conduct an intentional self-care ritual. Turn bath/shower time into a meaningful sequence of self-care actions; add intentional elements (soothing music, a moment of journalling) to your morning mealtime. The trick is to add intention, meaning and/or symbolism to a simple activity. The benefits to your outlook and mood may surprise you!
Practice 13
Research shows that we *thrive best* when we’re gently expanding our comfort zone. So, today, I encourage you to try something new or adventurous. Eat at a different cafe, come home via a different route, watch a show you’ve never seen before, chat with someone new, or sign up for a study course. You don’t need to push yourself too far – all it takes is a gentle nudge into newness to invite greater well-being into your life.
Practice 14
FACT 1: your brain has a negativity bias that compels you to seek out and notice ‘negative’ information more readily than positive information.
FACT 2: modern media outlets understand this bias and drum up business (clicks) by running with mostly disturbing and upsetting news stories.
FACT: despite our many challenges, the human world is generally safer, healthier, and more civilised than it has ever been.
Today, I encourage you to take a break from headline anxiety (or doomscrolling) by limiting your headline news intake to just 5 minutes, all day. The bad news can wait. Today, dear friends, we all deserve a ‘positivity recalibration’.
Practice 15
Today, I invite you to set aside a small amount of time in your day to be present and still – you can use the time to breathe deeply, reflect, practice self-compassion, or meditate.
IMPORTANTLY, I encourage you to *ignore* the first pangs of restlessness (that moment when your body wants to get going and/or your mind is stating “I’ve got things to do!”) Consciously choose to ride out that initial compulsion to take action, and gift yourself a few more moments of mindfulness. In this way, you will have taken a step towards prioritising your well-being over the demands of the world.
Practice 16
When it comes to ongoing health and well-being, there are few things as important as sleep. That’s why, tonight, I encourage you to go to bed a little earlier than usual. Set the lights low and have gentle music playing. And then, pick up a book or journal (preferably paper!) and read or write until you are sleepy. This exercise will help trigger your body’s sleep response and offer you a better chance of a good night’s rest.
Practice 17
The health and well-being benefits of living in the ‘here and now’ are incredible. So today, I invite you to try a practice I have been using myself to stay mindfully present.
Choose a colour at the beginning of your day (eg. blue, or yellow) Then, throughout the day, look for and acknowledge that colour wherever it presents itself in your environment. In doing so, you bring your thoughts and attention to the present moment – where you are, when you are, and what the current situation is around you. As well as being more mindful, you may be delightfully surprised at just how colourful your world is!
Practice 18
The research is clear – if we want to flourish, we need to get real with ourselves when we are feeling pain, discomfort, grief, anger, shame … etc. That’s why, today, I encourage you to get really vulnerable with yourself and admit any hard truths that you may be suppressing, ignoring, or trying to gloss over. It’s okay if things aren’t okay. Once you have been truthful to yourself about anything that’s not working for you, I ask you to look for solutions or support to help you move through, change, and/or rise above the situation.
Practice 19
Today, I invite you to increase the positivity in your information diet. The information we ingest has a huge impact on our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Though we can never expect to eliminate unpleasant or upsetting information, we can balance our lives out by *inviting in* more positivity. So, today, I encourage you to find 3 (or more) uplifting social media accounts and add them to your newsfeed.
(Bonus self-care practice: feel free to unfollow any people or accounts that regularly leave you feeling upset, angry, or inadequate.)
Practice 20
As you go about your day, today, make a conscious effort to count kindness. Notice the kind acts offered to you, the kind things you do for others, and the multitude of kindnesses unfolding in the world around you. Our conscious minds filter out much of the world around us and our brains are wired to notice the ‘negative’ more than the ‘positive’. This means that most of us are blind to the commonplace kindnesses in our world, each day. But by seeking out these kind acts, you will be able to notice the many, many ways kindness is unfolding in your world, and remind you of the goodness that underpins your community.
Practice 21
Let’s strengthen our social bonds today! Life can get a bit crazy and it’s easy for time to go by without hearing from, or connecting with, good friends. But robust social connection is vital for great well-being. So, today, I encourage you to send a message or make a quick call to a friend you haven’t heard from in a while and let them know: “Just saying hi. Thinking of you today.” It only takes a few minutes of your time to reconnect with your vital support network.
Practice 22
Music can be an incredible well-being booster so, today, I encourage you to consciously fill your world with inspiring, uplifting, and/or healing music. According to studies: classical and meditation music is great for reducing stress and enhancing sleep; happy music helps increase memory, good mood, and motivation; and background instrumental music will help with study and concentration. So, let’s go friends! Choose the music that’s right for you and gift yourself *at least* 15 minutes of soul-nourishing tunes.
Practice 23
Today, it’s time to highlight one of the most sacred things in our lives – our personal space. For many people, it can be difficult to set (or even identify!) important personal boundaries; it can be hard to say no, speak up against unjust demands, recognise our worth, perceive our own needs, or balance giving with receiving. But if we want to thrive in life, it’s vital that we acknowledge and express the perimeters of our emotional, physical, and spiritual capabilities.
Today, I invite you to consciously review (and reset!) the boundaries of your Self. Are there ways you can say no, pull back, gently assert yourself, or walk away to protect the sanctity of your time, energy, well-being, values, or needs?
Practice 24
Let’s brighten our attire and lighten our souls! A recent survey found that 80% of people have wardrobes filled with black, grey, or beige clothes. These clothes may be practical, reliable, or comfortable … but are they great for the heart and soul? Today, I encourage you to lighten your mood and brighten your soul by *deliberately* wearing something that makes you feel fun, carefree, or elegant. Every day can be a day to feel special … so let’s break out our party frocks and Sunday Bests.
Practice 25
Today’s practice is about creating greater peace in your mind, your heart … and your phone! Most of us understand the pain and awkwardness that can come from a break-up. Whether it be the end of an intimate relationship, friendship, or business partnership, emotions can run high and wounds can cut deep. So, one thing we can do for ongoing well-being is to eliminate triggers that remind us of (and revisit) those painful endings. That’s why, today, I urge you to cleanse your contacts! Peek into your contact list and remove any names that are lingering, and that cause pangs of pain whenever you accidentally scroll past them. Let’s set those contacts free, and invite a greater sense of peacefulness and resolution into your life!
Practice 26
One of the biggest hurdles to everyday contentment and well-being can be our dedication to the ‘shoulds’ of our life – the obligations, expectations, and demands of the outside world. Doing what we ‘should’ so often takes priority over doing what makes us feel alive. So, just for today, I invite you to scan your diary and take out something that you are doing because you ‘should’ or ‘have to’. (There’s sure to be something that can wait a few more days!) In its place, I ask you to schedule in something that brings you joy contentment, or peace. One gift of happiness to yourself. Because you deserve it.
Practice 27
Today, it’s time to ignite a personal goal. The fact is, we thrive best when we are living with purpose and pursuing meaningful goals. But, of course, life can sometimes get in the way. Today, I encourage you to consider a personal goal – big or small – and take some form of action on it. If you’re not sure what to ‘do’, make a step towards finding out (conduct research, reach out to a mentor, sign up for a course). If you know the next move and have been procrastinating, gift yourself some momentum (in whatever way is available to you today). The important thing is to inject some intention and energy into the dream or goal that lights you up most. Ready? Set. Go!
Practice 28
Fun experiences are great for our mood and emotional wellbeing – triggering health-boosting anticipation before the event, joy and excitement during the event, and happiness-boosting memories after the event. These events don’t have to be big or expensive to positively affect our mood! So, today, I invite you to schedule in something to look forward to in the near or mid-future. Gift yourself a reason to look forward in anticipation.
Practice 29
Let’s face it, we can all create mess and collect clutter. It’s a fact of modern-day living. However, a tidy, decluttered environment boosts health and well-being by reducing stress and enhancing focus. Clear spaces lead to clear minds, fostering a sense of calm and productivity. So, today, I encourage you to embrace the power of organisation for a healthier, happier life! Start decluttering your spaces today and feel the difference!
Practice 30
Today, we’re going to tap into the power of the compliment for greater wellbeing. Whether paying a compliment or receiving one, this simple expression of kindness has a wonderful effect on our mood and well-being. So today, I invite you to compliment 3 different people throughout the day *and* compliment yourself 3 times. What a way to wrap up this month of goodness!