How to Get a Quick Fix of Happiness.

There are certain images, phrases, songs, and memories that always make me happy.

For some reason, this line from Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson strikes me as one of the funniest things I’ve ever read (and it's not even a quotation from Johnson):

"Lord Chesterfield being mentioned, Johnson remarked, that almost all of the celebrated nobleman's witty saying were puns. He, however, allowed the merit of good wit to his Lordship's saying of Lord Tyrawley and himself, when both were very old and infirm: 'Tyrawley and I have been dead these two years; but we don't choose to have it known.'"

An image that always makes me happy: the famous opening hat toss from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary Richards’s feeling of sudden exhilaration is familiar, but rare and precious.

A memory that always makes me happy: early in our marriage, my husband walked into our bedroom in his boxers and announced, “I am LORD of the DANCE!” and started doing that Celtic dancing. I still laugh out loud every time I think of it. He’s never done it again, though I’ve often begged him for a repeat performance.

I like keeping a mental list of these kinds of things. It’s a way of cultivating an area of refuge.

Do you have any ways to give yourself a quick fix of happiness when you need one?

*
Want to talk more about happiness? Join the Facebook Page.

Comments

[Positively Present]

Love the image! I find that anytime I need a quick happiness fix I either dive into a good book or spend time with my dog. After writing that response, I realize those are both pretty anti-social activities...hmmm...

[Ann]

It’s remembering a household tip – in spring, put your dryer lint outside somewhere for the birds to use to line their nests…

[Julianna]

I tickle my daughter or think about tickling her. Her giggles make me smile.

[Alex @ Happiness in this World]

This one is embarrassing and puerile but...
My father and I were once sitting around joking and he started pulling out the corniest name goofs for books and authors I'd ever heard and this one always makes me laugh (even now I'm laughing as I write this): "Spot on the Wall" by Who Flung Poo.

[psychsarah]

To give my husband a quick dash of happy, I do an "interpretive dance". This means I act silly and prented I'm a tree, or fire or something. There are no repeat performances, and they are always absurdly ridiculous.

When I was a kid, and pouting or upset about something, my dad would "sternly" say "Now, don't you dare laugh at my finger" and stick his finger right in my face. I couldn't resist giggling to that. Sometimes my husband will do that now, knowing the story.

[Era]

I like TV theme songs: Gilligan's Island, The Jeffersons, The Flintstones, and Fresh Prince of Belaire. Humming and recalling the words and some of the antics puts a smile on my face!

[Era]

I like TV theme songs. Humming and recalling the words to Gilligan's Island, The Flintstones, The Jeffersons, and the Fresh Prince of Belaire to name a few (I watched way too much TV as a kid) puts a smile on my face.

A mental list to create a personal refuge is a great idea and has given me an idea for a blog post. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Liz Stanley]

I have a favorite memory that I think of. Also for some reason Denis Leary's a$$#0le song really makes me smile, don't ask me why....
I think I should make a list of happiness fixes in my toolbox!
Thanks!

[Matthew]

I have a lot of these. Here's a few:

When I'm have internet access and I'm feeling upset about something, I watch the Fish Slap Dance from Monty Python's Flying Circus ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwLirQS2-o ).

Basically anything involving Gonzo the Great makes me happy.

On a less pop-cultural note, I just try to stop for a second and notice something pretty around me. Light filtering through leaves, an interesting pattern made by architectural elements, a pretty woman, whatever is around and worth paying attention to. It takes me out of the blinders-on upset place and helps me be aware of the world around me and usually makes me smile.

I also just like to imagine my bare feet in soft grass. This helps pretty much every time.

M

[Rick]

We went to downtown Minniapolis this February. Stood next to the statue of Mary throwing the hat. I looked for the lady behind her in the scarf. I have always wondered who she was, what happened to her. I have a feeling she is not with us anymore.

My memory is of sitting in the top of an apple tree on a perfect summer day. Eating a box of sugar cubes that I took from my mom's kitchen. I was 9. Perfectness.

[Christopher]

Oh yeah, I just put on some Michael Jackson or anything I loved when I was younger. It makes me smile.

[Anthony]

Quick fix of happiness??? I listen to swing out sister's "somewhere in the world". That's a happy song.

[Diane Wells]

I feel happy every time I see the the Forever Young Pepsi commercial. The juxtaposition of images and musical styles touches me--especially Gumby to Shrek and John Belushi to Jack Black. I just watched it again (thank you, YouTube) and I'm still grinning.

[LeanRainMakingMachine]

I have a digital photo frame with lots of pictures of my cute little dog, vacations with wife and family, parties with friends, friends with stupid faces on, ski mountains, beaches... all fond memories..

If I have real time, I go to gymand really go heavy and hard with Rolling Stones loud on my IPOD. After 20 or so minutes, I'm dancing on one leg playing air guitar to Gimme Shelter or Start Me Up.... Often, [people see me and start laughing...

[lilpacsmom]

To motivate your husband, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHvATmUsSg

[Rhonda]

Music is my big pick-me-up. A happy, fast song can get me out of a rut very quickly. Happy Friday.

[Ingrid]

I'll put on mixtape CD that we made for our wedding that has both our favourite happy songs on it. Calling up mental images from the past is also very helpful - either calming or energizing when I need it. For example, thinking about the sun reflecting off the bottom of an outdoor swimming pool is both calming and refreshing to me, taking me back to happy summer holidays with my cousins, and outdoor aquafit with my best friend from college.

[Meream]

Images that makes me happy: cute cat photos
Louis Armstrong's On the Sunny Side of the Street is a great quick fix for me, too.

[iwan]

to Rick re MTM show opening...from Wikipedia...An older woman can be seen in the background, obviously puzzled by the sight of a young woman tossing her hat in the air. This unwitting "extra" was Hazel Frederick, a lifelong Minnesota resident who happened to be out shopping the day the sequence was shot. Mrs. Frederick finally met Mary in 1994 when she was on a book tour of her autobiography, introducing her as "my co-star".

[Baba Yaga]

Make bread. Is that quick? Well, the kneading and baking (and scoffing) are.

Throwing a small child in the air and watching the delight is pretty reliable, 'though, of course, one has to have a small child available, and they do tend to grow bigger.

Planting something does pretty well, too.

[Baba Yaga]

I forgot one - watch ducks.

[J. Chandler]

Mary Tyler Moore on DVD, makes me happy. Listening to Elton John's Philadelphia Freedom is happiness and a power boost. Remembering many silly/heart filled times with my dog.
Also, an unflattering but hilarious photo of my Mum and I at her home in Palm Springs. While toasting with wine out on her deck the wind happened to catch her hair from behind flowing it up like a toupee. Her eyes were half closed and she had a half smile too. The combination looked like she was a messy drunk, she wasn't. We will never catch a sight of her like that again, but when we bring it out the laughter starts and the eyes are watering. :)

[Bill Rockenbeck]

I always look for opportunities to help someone out in traffic--making extra space for them to change lanes, or stopping in slow traffic to let someone make a left turn. This always improves my mood.

[C Stringham]

It probably sounds a bit weird, but I can release endorphins on demand (or, at least, I assume that they are endorphins). Pretty effective as a quick fix..!