How Science Can Help You Be Happier During the Pandemic

by Paul Meen Park

Originally published on LinkedIn.

“So, how are you doing?”

In normal times, that’s a perfectly normal question, which usually transitions into small talk and comments about how you’re busy with this and that and the other thing.

However, in this time of the coronavirus pandemic, that simple question can trigger feelings of anxiety, stress, and thoughts like, “I really really REALLY want this thing to end!” And while it’s perfectly understandable to feel this way in the face of such an enormous crisis, it sure isn’t fun or good for our health.

Most of us are sheltering in place and staying home in order to protect our physical health and that of those around us. But it’s also crucial that we take the time to safeguard our mental health as well.

Thankfully, science has shown us there are ways we can give ourselves the boost in well-being we so sorely need right now. As I outlined in a previous article about the science of happiness, our overall, long-term happiness is not actually tied up in external things like buying a new phone or circumstances like a bump in salary. Instead, it’s been proven that we can significantly and permanently increase our sense of well-being through some simple activities.

And has there ever been a better time to focus on increasing our happiness?

Tips on Being Happier

The following tips have been proven by numerous studies and plenty of research to help relieve stress and improve well-being. Choose one that appeals to you and try to make it a habit. (If you need help forming new habits, check out this great article by my colleague Erin O’Byrne.)

Get the Sleep You Need

Numerous studies have shown that getting enough sleep is one of the single most effective ways to increase your overall sense of well-being. Whether you need more than eight hours or feel fine with seven, do your best to prioritize your slumber so you get the amount of sleep your body requires.

If you’re having trouble getting enough sleep, try things like establishing a regular “get ready for sleep” routine. This could include putting your screens away at least an hour or more before you hit the sack, taking a shower or bath, doing some meditation, or other things that tell your body it’s time to sleep.

Exercise Your Right to, Well, Exercise

Unless you’ve managed to avoid the thousands of articles online about the benefits of exercise, you probably know that improving your physical fitness can help you feel better overall. If exercise isn’t already part of your regular routine, why not think of the lockdown as an opportunity to adopt some new fitness habits?

There are plenty of ways to exercise in your own home, even if you don’t have any fitness equipment. And you don’t have to do it alone – try exercising with a friend through video chat. You’ll get two mood-boosting benefits in one: exercise and social connection.

Think of What You’re Grateful For

Practicing gratitude is an extremely powerful way to shift your mindset and increase your positivity, as proven by many studies (here’s one good example). One of the easiest ways to strengthen your “gratitude muscle” is to write a gratitude journal: list 3-5 things you’re grateful for, every day for two weeks. You can be grateful for big things (e.g. your family), little things (e.g. a funny joke someone sent to you), or anything in between.

Doing a gratitude journal has been particularly effective for me. A few years ago I was going through a very rough time, and I couldn’t find a way to pull myself out of it until I stumbled upon gratitude journaling. Now I’m doing much better, and I make a point of writing down three things I’m grateful for every single night so I can maintain a more positive perspective on life.

You can also try writing thank you letters (or emails) to important people in your life. Whether you send them or not, just the act of reflecting on why you’re grateful to these people can have a benefit on your mood and mindset.

Breathe Your Way to More Happiness with Meditation

We all feel the threat of the pandemic, and that anxiety triggers our sympathetic nervous system (which is tied to the “fight or flight” response). This can be harmful because we’re feeling constantly under threat for a long period of time, and that negatively impacts multiple systems throughout the body.

No one wants to feel stressed all the time so it’s far better to switch to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with being in a relaxed and comfortable state. The good news is we can move our body into a state of relaxation through the simple mechanism of deep, calm breathing.

Mindfulness meditation takes this to another level. Lots and lots of studies have proven that meditation can help us regulate emotion, increase focus, reduce addictive behaviours, and much more.

Getting into meditation is easy. You can start with just one minute of deep breathing, and then move onto longer sessions when you’re ready. Guided meditations are available everywhere--I particularly like Insight Timer, which has tons of free guided meditations and is available on multiple platforms.

Stay Together, Even While We’re Apart

One of the most challenging aspects of the pandemic is physical distancing, which is forcing us to stay apart in a time when we most need to come together and support each other. Science has proven that having strong social connections is an extremely powerful way to improve your overall happiness, but how can you do this when you’re not supposed to leave your house?

Thankfully, we’re a pretty smart species and we’ve figured out tools and techniques to stay in touch with others. We can get creative with video chat tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and others to approximate face-to-face interactions. Try having virtual meals with loved ones or coffee breaks with colleagues, or doing virtual playdates so kids in different homes can work on art projects and show each other their creations. Be intentional about finding ways to connect and you should find your happiness level increasing.

Be Kind

Have you ever heard of “the helper’s high”? It refers to that rush of happiness you feel when you perform an act of kindness towards someone else. Doing something nice for others, like buying groceries for those in need or putting money into a parking meter for a stranger, can release joy-inducing hormones like oxytocin and dopamine.

Sometimes called “the love hormone,” oxytocin is connected to creating social bonds and is produced by mothers when they breastfeed babies. Dopamine is a feel-good chemical (which is responsible for the “helper’s high” I mentioned earlier) that’s released when we act kindly towards others.

Whether you’re standing on your porch or balcony at 7pm as you bang pots and cheer on our frontline workers, contributing to your favourite charity, or baking cookies for a neighbour, acts of kindness can help both you and the recipient feel happier.

Increasing Happiness is Part of the Job

As a member of the Talent Development Coach team at Best Buy Canada headquarters, I often talk with clients about ways to improve overall well-being. This is important enough in normal times, but now that our lives have been flipped upside-down by the coronavirus pandemic, learning about how to be happier is more crucial than ever.

What are you doing to keep your spirits up in these tumultuous times?