6 Things to help us be Happier


‘Happiness depends upon ourselves’ Aristotle 

As educators, we want and need our pupils to succeed academically, but generating happiness in our pupils is a top priority for all good teachers. In fact, I imagine you could ask anyone ‘What do you most want for your loved ones?’ and I guarantee that ‘happiness’ is amongst the most popular responses. 

It’s what we all strive for and something we wish for our nearest and dearest, but what is happiness, and is our happiness really in our hands? What an important question to be asking ourselves as teachers and in fact as humans!

To help me understand more, I did what any intelligent person would do and googled for an answer. Here is what it said: 

noun: happiness

1. the state of being happy.

Well that explained a lot. After some further research, I found a more useful, yet simple explanation. It turns out that happiness is the abundance of positive emotions and a minimal amount of negative emotions. Of course, this makes total sense: being happy is about feeling good feelings. Pride, excitement, inner-peace, joy, hope, interest, confidence. Science tells us that experiencing these feelings releases chemicals in your brain (endorphin, oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine) and these ‘happy chemicals’ make you feel great. 

Bearing this in mind, ask yourself- ‘What makes me feel pride?’, ‘What makes me feel inner-peace?’ and, if you have an answer, then consider how often you do those things. If singing makes you feel joy- when was the last time you sang? If spending time with loved ones makes you feel at peace, how much quality time have you recently spent with them? 

In comparison, consider the negative emotions you experience (which release low levels of ‘happy chemicals’). What makes you feel stressed, irritated or bored? How often do you do those things? Sadly, many of the things that generate negative emotions in us are things we cannot completely avoid (like ironing, working late to prepare for the week ahead, reading tens of emails or report writing to a looming deadline!), but what if we can change the way we view these negative experiences so that the negative impact they have on our well-being is minimal? 

Reflecting on a personal level this week, I have found myself feeling overwhelmed. A feeling of ‘So much to do’ has created a flurry of activity and, being honest, left me feeling a little burnt out (just in time for the summer!). I am my own worst enemy in many ways as I have a profound desire for things to be perfectly prepared; a typical teacher and school leader who wants things done, and done well. Being overwhelmed isn’t a feeling I am comfortable to experience (or in fact one I am proud to admit I have even felt!), yet I am a realist. 

Feeling negative emotions is natural and we should stop beating ourselves up for doing what all humans do. What I will do now is reframe how I perceive at the feeling. I will tell myself that things will be ok, jobs will get done and that this is just the typical end of year whirlwind all educators go through. 

So, if our experiences and how we view them bring about our emotions, let’s choose our experiences carefully. As the summer holidays approach, we can aim to rejuvenate ourselves and reconnect with positive experiences. We spend hours planning for pupil progress. Could we next spend some time planning for our own happiness? Here are six things to consider trying when embarking on an emotional MOT this summer holiday:

One: Find your happy place…and go there. For me, it’s a simple walk along the beach (so many stunning beaches around our coastline!). There is something about breathing in that sea air and hearing the waves roll in. Where is the place you feel most at ease?

Two: Block your time. Set time limits for ‘after work work’. If you must take work home, set an alarm on your phone to tell you when you’re out of time (And no pressing snooze!). Prioritise tasks, and when time is up, it’s up. Once the boring or arduous stuff is out of the way, be ready to do something you love, something that induces those happy chemicals. 

Three: Read. The internet is such an interesting place. Social media. News. Google. Youtube. You can waste hours, days…a lifetime. Why not waste time reading? I find reading one of the most engaging activities I can do. 

Four: Detox. Not so much like a diet, but a cleanse. More water and plenty of fresh foods for a week or two can make the world of difference. Try cutting out sugar for a week (remarkably challenging!).  

Five: Meditate (or at least just breathe). Meditation can be perceived as something monks and hippies do, but science is telling us more and more often about the value of mindfulness and meditation, and how they have an enormous impact on our wellbeing-even changing the shapes of our brains with repeated practice. Try using the Headspace app or (as a bare minimum) as you breath, count in for four and then out for four, ten times- just focussing on your breath. Practise this for ten minutes a day and you’ll notice a difference. 

Six: Be ever the optimist. In many ways, positivity is the key to overcoming negative emotions and moving forward. Whenever something bad happens, find a way to see some good in the situation before moving on from it. Pessimism has been linked to long term depression and something called ‘learned helplessness’. If you want to know more about this, read anything by Martin Seligman (I have a huge intellectual crush on this guy). 

Suggestions and ideas aside, although happiness can’t be forced, it is important to bear in mind that without some action from ourselves, experiences that evoke happiness in us could end up being few and far between, leaving us moving through days rather than living through them. Consider these actions as ‘planning for happiness’. Just like an intervention for a pupil, the actions provided will lead to better outcomes! As teachers we all love planning, right?

And, if Aristotle was right all along, if happiness depends on ourselves, then maybe we need to depend on ourselves for happiness.  

Have a wonderful summer break and if you need some ideas on filling your holidays, check out these 6 Kent animal parks to visit this summer. 

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