The Happiness Upgrade: A podcast presented by Gabrielle Lichterman
Gabrielle Lichterman is an award-winning health journalist, author of the self-help book The Happiness Upgrade: One Small Step Up to a Happier Life and host of The Happiness Upgrade Podcast.
In this episode, join Gabrielle as she introduces you to her weekly podcast series that shares simple acts of self-care that are study-proven to boost your mood right now…even when life isn’t going your way.
Check out the book that inspired this podcast, THE HAPPINESS UPGRADE: ONE SMALL STEP UP TO A HAPPIER LIFE (available at Amazon) at HappinessUpgradePress.com.
Learn more about the Happiness Upgrade Podcast at HappinessUpgradePress.com.
Follow @HappinessUpgrade on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Happiness Upgrade Podcast: Episode 0
It’s probably no surprise that happiness feels good. When you’re happy, you feel lighter. Your day seems easier. People even seem friendlier. And it’s certainly great for your health.
Problem is how can you feel happy if you’re stuck in an unhappy situation that you can’t change…at least right away? For example, maybe you’ve got a job you don’t like that stresses you out. Or you’re stuck in a strained marriage. Or you’re pushed to the limit while taking care of children or an elderly adult with dementia. Or you’re challenged with depression, anxiety or another mental health issue that impacts your mood.
Many times, it could take days, weeks, months or even years for circumstances to change for you to feel happier.
Or maybe there are days when you are happy, or at least just humming along, but then something unexpected happens that ruins your mood, for example, you got trapped in bumper to bumper traffic making you late to an important appointment or a shopper in the supermarket accidentally ran over your foot with their cart. Maybe you’re someone whose anger or frustration isn’t easy to shake, so the unhappy mood stays with you for an hour or several hours or even the whole day.
If only you didn’t have to wait for circumstances to change to feel happier. If only you didn’t have to wait for a negative mood to eventually fade away on its own. If only there were a way to feel just a little happier on command.
Now there is.
I’m Gabrielle Lichterman, an award-winning health journalist and author of the self-help book The Happiness Upgrade: One Small Step Up to a Happier Life.
And I’m going to show you how a single small act of self-care can boost your mood right now. This very minute.
I’ve been reporting on happiness research for more than two decades for health and lifestyle magazines. And the science is clear: Researchers have shown again and again that small acts of self-care have a positive effect on your mood as you do them. Plus, they can spur an upward spiral of positive emotions, helping to increase good feelings as well as boost life satisfaction, well-being and resilience.
This means that even if you’re in a difficult situation (such as being stuck in a stressful job or caring for of an ailing loved one), one small act of self-care can still add a tiny glimmer of positivity to your day and nudge your emotions in an upward direction.
Even better, there are lots of studies that show which types of self-care have the biggest joy-revving effects.
Every Monday in The Happiness Upgrade Podcast, I share one of these mood-boosting methods with you. I’ll explain the science behind how it works and offer suggestions for ways to incorporate it into your life so you can try it at home, at work, at school or on the go.
Now, to be clear, this podcast is not about fostering “toxic positivity” where you pretend you’re not sad or angry or upset or you try to gloss over problems in your life.
This podcast is about helping you lessen “toxic negativity”, meaning that it helps you pause unwanted or damaging negative emotions. These are the kind that can send your mood spiraling down, which can make you more frustrated or depressed or anxious or burned out.
By trying these small, study-backed acts of self-care, you lessen stress, ease the blues and cope better with life’s many challenges at the moment you need them. As a result, you get a little emotional breathing room while turning your mood around.
That’s what The Happiness Upgrade Podcast is all about: arming you with simple acts of self-care that have been shown to give you an emotional lift immediately, helping to spur an upward spiral in mood so you feel even better.
Please join me every Monday for quick, bite-sized episodes that explore small acts of self-care that have the power to give you a joy-boosting Happiness Upgrade.
To learn more visit, HappinessUpgrade.com.