Catching Happiness in the Small Stuff

I was stopped on a walk recently and asked a question. “When was the last time you were happy?”

The answer came easily. Right now. The sun was shining, the sea was glimmering, and I was on my way to meet some of my favourite people.

If you had asked me the same thing a few weeks earlier, I am not sure I would have answered so fast. I have not felt entirely like myself lately. A bit meh. But I answered without a second thought. A good sign.

Turns out it was for a project.

They had interviewed other people too. Same lovely setting, same lovely day. Not everyone answered as quickly as I did.

It made me curious. So I decided to run my own little experiment.

I asked friends and family a simple question. What makes you happy?

The answer came up again and again. Time with people they love. Not achievements. Not things. Just people.

I loved hearing that.

We so often pin happiness on the  big stuff. A new job. A new house. A holiday. And in doing that, it is easy to miss the smaller, everyday things that are happening around us the whole time. Including time with people. 

So I set myself a little study.

Inspired by the book Tiny Experiments, I gave myself 48 hours. Just noticing what made me happy.

The list kept growing. Beyond people. 

Knitting, because it makes me feel properly calm. Running by the sea, then diving in for a swim if it is warm enough: that contrast of effort and then floating is bliss. Helping someone in a small way. The enjoyment and challenge of learning something new.

All small things.

Small moments are available every day, if we notice them.

In midlife, life can feel full on. Work gets stressful. The juggle of families is stressful. Worry creeps in. Anxiety, if I am honest, takes over more than I would personally like like.

The small good stuff is still there. It just you might need to work harder at noticing it.

Here is what actually helps.

A quick gratitude list. Most days I jot down five things I am grateful for, big or tiny, and reflect on what went well. Two minutes, and it changes what I notice for the rest of the day.

Getting my dose of people. A proper catch up with family or friends.  It lifts my mood every single time.

Moving my body. Walking, running, swimming, dancing, even a stretch in the kitchen. It does not need to be a full workout. Five minutes is plenty.

Having something that feels like purpose. Mine comes through my work with Menopause and Cancer, but it can be anything that makes you feel useful, from a job to looking after someone you love.

All wonderfully simple. All easy to do.

You do not need to wait for the next big thing.

Happiness does not need you to be relentlessly upbeat either.

Most of it is just noticing what is already good.

So here is the question I will leave you with. What is one small thing you could do today that would make you happy?

You might just find it is already there, waiting to be noticed.