There’s no doubt we feel better when we are happier. We smile more, we’re healthier, we live longer, we have a lower risk of anxiety or depression and the world seems a less frightening place.

But happiness on its own isn’t the whole story of what creates a good life. There are so many other emotions available to us that add richness to our experiences because they are all a valuable source of data, helping us to make better sense of what’s happening.

Does nurturing happiness matter?

Yes, but as Sydney J Harris said, “happiness is a direction, not a place.”
Which is why chasing happiness is an illusion. It’s the positive actions we take, big and small that create greater happiness in our life.

And it’s the anticipation of a special event that makes us especially happy.

The level of burnout and mental mood disorders at work has been rising rapidly, exacerbated by Covid. But the underlying problem was present long before we experienced the global pandemic.

A culture of expectation has evolved, where to be seen as committed, hard-working, a high achiever, high performer and successful you would always go the extra distance, working harder and for longer than everyone else. This is no place for slackers or going home on time.

If you’re climbing the corporate ladder, it’s expected you won’t complain about being asked to come in early, stay late, or take home the additional work to finish during the evening or weekend. Especially if you’re the boss leading by example.

It’s expected that you’ll have to make sacrifices. You won’t be able to attend your children’s concert, drama production, sport’s day, speech day or graduation ceremony. You will have to pull out (again) from that long arranged social event, long weekend away with your partner, family holiday or anniversary dinner. Even if you can go, you’ll still have your work mobile phone and laptop in case you need to be contacted, or an urgent meeting requiring your presence is needed.

The worst thing about work addiction is that it is socially sanctioned.

Happiness matters because feeling happy is linked to a greater sense of wellbeing, achievement and fulfillment.

But if you’ve been chasing happiness, you can stop wasting your time, because all the happiness you will ever need is available to you right now. You just have to create it.

Better still the ways to create more happiness in your life are simple and easy to implement. Here are seven to get you started.

Overwork doesn’t work. Studies have shown how working beyond 55 hours a week adds little if anything to productivity. It seems that 40 hours is the optimal amount. Not only that, overwork can lead to significant poorer mental and physical health. John Pencavel from Stanford has found that overwork provides insufficient time for individuals to restore and recover meaning subsequent work performance suffers.

It’s Valentine’s Day this week and love is in the air. It’s time to reconnect with those we love in life and work. “Jenny, did you just say at work?” I sure did and for the following reason. We love our partner, our kids, the dog and our family (most of the...