Wish people well (and mean it).
THE LOWDOWN
This is the time when we constantly hear others and ourselves wishing a happy new year to everyone we encounter. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a lovely thing to do, but it can become mechanical if we don’t focus on our real intention to truly wish others well. Paying attention to fully and honestly wish others well is a completely different experience, and not only it will make you (and often the other person) feel good immediately, you’ll also be creating the building blocks for a long-term happy and resilient brain.
So for this first practice of the year we invite you to take a second and truly mean it when you say your wishes. And since this also happens in our daily life, when we say good morning or goodbye or enjoy your meal, this is a practice that you can use throughout the year. Yay!
WHY IS IT GOOD?
Something as simple as wishing other people to be happy can have a great impact on our own happiness:
Research shows that wishing others well increases your empathy, connectedness and happiness levels whilst reducing anxiety.
Your prefrontal cortex, associated with social behaviour, gets activated.
You’ll snap out of your own self by shifting your attention to others and breaking the excessive preoccupation with yourself.
Wishing others well is an act of generosity, which also brings a whole cohort of positive effects.
(A word of advice: Remember this won’t work if you’re only motivated by your personal benefits, your wishes need to be true and honest!)
SOME IDEAS
The main thing here is to pause for a few seconds to tap into your wish and feel that true aspiration for that person to be happy.
Besides the seasonal and daily opportunities of wishing others well, you can also:
Secretly wish random people well during your commute, standing in a queue or in a waiting room.
EXTRA BROWNIE POINTS
Send your honest wishes to someone you don’t quite like. Even just having the intention will properly shake up those neural pathways!
We (really) wish you a very happy new year!
Vero and Enrique
Choose your rhythm.Kensho Life
Please help us spread happiness by sharing the boosters!
Web: https://kensho.life/weekly-happiness-boosterNewsletter: http://eepurl.com/c7Q88z
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