Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! On the 20th of each month, we encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more who join the #HappyActs movement, the more positive impact we'll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters!
June’s theme is family. Positive relationships, especially with those we’re closest to, are one of the five key elements of Martin Seligman, Ph.D.’s, PERMA theory of well-being. Our June 20 Happy Act is to help families thrive. This month, we are featuring the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a mentoring program for at-risk youth and single women, and volunteering at The Stewpot, an organization that supports families experiencing homelessness.
3 Steps on How to Prepare for a Happy Act:
- Research what charitable opportunities are near you.
- Contact the organization and discuss how you can help.
- Plan a time to go volunteer and/or determine what you can donate.
Learn more:
- Develop family strengths. Common ways to do that are through nurturing relationships, establishing routines, adapting to challenges and connecting to communities.
- Tell family stories. Family narratives can help kids forge their own identities in the world and weave together generations.
- Summer is here; enjoy! 33 ideas of what to read, do, watch and listen to for summer togetherness.
- Play games! From Parcheesi to Ping-Pong, tiddlywinks to tag, games teach sportsmanship, communication and other social skills.
- Create a happiness board. Dream about your next vacation, focus on goals, plan volunteer outings as a family with a Family Happiness Board.
Five Tips to Increase Family Bliss:
- Unplug. Unless you’re expecting an urgent message, stash your phone and tablet and focus on your family when you’re together.
- Divide and conquer. If siblings aren’t getting along, give the relationship some space and spend an afternoon on separate activities to help give everyone a break from a bickering patch.
- Maintain family routines. For special traditions like family meals, game nights or bedtime reading routines, keep everyone together and at ease by providing a predictable framework and making everyone feel welcome.
- Focus on what’s going right. Family togetherness can translate into too much of a focus on messy rooms, uncleared dishes or curfews violated. Don’t forget to point out the daily wins and acts of kindness that you’d like to see more of.
- Greet with a hug and part with a kiss. Hugging produces happy neurochemicals such as endorphins, oxytocin and serotonin. Take the time to give your family a warm hello and goodbye even if you are in a hurry.
