12 (well, 14) Steps to Happiness Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky recently authored an excellent self-help book (The How of Happiness) that summarizes 12 research-supported steps to being happier, although we have presented them in 14 steps. We have reviewed these strategies below (as well as providing our own thoughts about each strategy); please see her book for further detail. Choosing one or two of these strategies will tend to have a relatively quick (e.g., within two to three months) impact on your mood--you do not have to perform each (in fact, doing them all at once would be very overwhelming), and they certainly do not have to be performed in any particular order. Of course, if you are experiencing significant depression, anxiety, or another mental health concern, we strongly recommend you seek the advice of a medical/mental health professional.

Step 1. Express Gratitiude - Think about things you are grateful for, and then either write them down or tell the person you are grateful to. Practicing this on a daily basis, for just a few minutes a day, may make you significantly happier. Dr. Lyubomirsky recommends writing down 3 to 5 things for which you are currently thankful, once a week.
Step 2. Cultivate Optimism - Optimists are very misunderstood--they do not just see the good in everything. Instead, they are skilled at thinking accurately about situations (seeing the good as well as the bad). The good news is that, with practice, this is a skill anyone can learn. The key, however, is writing down your thoughts and the good and bad that you can see in a situation.
Step 3. Avoid Overthinking - Ask yourself: Will this matter to you a year from now? If not, try to distract yourself when thoughts arise. If it will matter a year from now, sit down with some paper and try to solve the problem that is facing you (this may require professional help, as many people do not find "stopping overthinking" to be very easy to do on their own). Our newsletter (at the top of this page) has additional suggestions.
Step 4. Practice Acts of Kindness - Do good things for others. Or for yourself! These acts of kindness can be planned or spontaneous, for people you know and/or for strangers. Altruistic behavior (doing something nice without expecting anything in return) has a positive impact on mood. And similar to the "act like a happy person" suggestion below, forcing yourself to do something nice, even if you don't feel like it, has a surprisingly positive impact on mood.
Step 5. Nurture Social Relationships - Social support is important for many reasons--for the emotional needs it meets, for the tangible needs it meets, and for many other reasons. Lack of social support is a primary factor that impacts depression. There are various causes of low social support (social anxiety disorder, lack of opportunity, et cetera) and, as a result, various solutions. Our newsletter (at the top of this page) reviews these and provides some suggestions for increasing social support.
Step 6. Develop Helpful Coping Strategies - When people struggle in life, they may develop coping strategies that are less than helpful. Ever heard the serenity prayer? Accept what you cannot change, and change what you can. We often have difficulty being productive problem-solvers in stressful times. Successful problem-solving makes people happier. In addition, making internal attributions for success and external attributions for failures leads people to have higher self-esteem and be happier. What does that mean exactly? Basically, taking credit for your successes and recognizing that your failures might be due to external causes. For example, if you fail an exam, an internal attribution would be to tell yourself it proves you are stupid (your intelligence, a quality of you, is lacking); an external attribution would be that your life was very busy and you needed more time to study.
Step 7. Learn to Forgive - Try writing a letter to the person who has wronged you. This is a common assignment in therapy--but like we would do in therapy, don't send the letter. And keep in mind that forgiveness does not mean that you are okay with the other person's behavior. Forgiveness can be difficult to manage on your own--a few sessions with a mental health professional may be beneficial. Our newsletter (at the top of this page) has additional suggestions.
Step 8. Increase Flow - Spend some time each day being fully involved in a personally rewarding activity that is a good match for your abilities.
Step 9. Savor Life´s Joys - Think about happy life events (however small) for eight minutes every day.
Step 10. Commit to your goals - Determine 1 to 3 personally or prfoessionally meaningful, specific, achievable goals and then actively work towards them. Remember to break your goal into small steps: You will be far more likely to succeed.
Step 11. Practice spirituality - People who regularly engage in religious practice, or follow some type of spiritual path, tend to be happier than those who do not, all other things being equal. If you are a religious and/or spiritual person, consider whether this area of your life could be built upon in a positive way.
Step 12. Meditation - People who regularly meditate tend to exhibit improvements in their mental and physical health. Meditation does not have to be a religious or spiritual experience (although it can be if you want it to be). Our newsletter (at the top of this page) has an article on mindfulness meditation; our clinic also offers mindfulness meditation courses. We will also be adding a mindfulness meditation page to our website very soon.
Step 13. Physical Activity - Regular aerobic exercise is approaching gold standard status as a treatment for depression. The standard recommendation is 30 minutes of activity, three to five times a week. But research also suggests even 10 to 15 minutes of activity helps improve mood--so try these to start with, especially if you do not currently exercise and find it hard to get motivated to exercise. Of course, remember to check with your physician before beginning an exercise program. Our newsletter (at the top of the page) has additional exercise suggestions.
Step 14. Act like a Happy Person - As silly as it may sound, forcing yourself to smile 5 times a day can make you feel happier. We often assume that our behavior must follow our feelings, and that acting in a way opposite to how we feel is being untrue to ourselves and to others. I would encourage you to reconsider this, if it rings true to you. A classic example is procrastination--many people believe that motivation to do something must come before actually doing it. But the opposite is just as true--forcing yourself to do somehting you don't want to do, can make you feel like doing it. The same is true with emotions. Try an experiment--sit and frown for 5 minutes, and then sit and force a smile for 5 minutes. Most people who perform this exercise notice corresponding changes in their mood.

Visit Dr. Lyubomirsky's blog to learn additional specific strategies to increase your happiness level.