HOW TO BE

HAPPY

RANIA

Perhaps above all, be as healthy as you can. Nothing is more valuable than your health and little is more likely to make you unhappy than ill-health.

Keep in close touch with relatives and a small circle of friends. You can't beat their love and support.

Conversely, if there is a person in your life who is a negative influence and who is dragging you down in some way, don't be afraid to get remove such a person from your life.

Smile a lot. Your smiling will make

others smile.

Laugh a lot.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honesty really is the best policy.

Be politely assertive. Say how you feel and explain what you want. Friends and colleagues can't be mind readers.

Give lots of compliments. You will make

others feel good about themselves

and find that this gives you pleasure too.

Give small gifts to your friends. To give is even more pleasurable than to receive.

For a special thrill, perform acts of kindness anonymously so that the person benefiting does not know that you're responsible.

Spend less than you

earn.

As Shakespeare put it in "Hamlet", "Neither a borrower nor a lender be". Don't borrow money unless you absolutely have to (for instance, to buy a house or car). Don't lend money - even to relatives - unless you genuinely don't mind if it's not repaid.

Surround yourself with

pleasant smells. Have

flowers, scented

candles in most rooms of the house and in your office.

Stay close to nature.

Have flowers

and plants in

your home and

office

Every so often, spend a little time observing the night sky.

As you contemplate the distances and time involved, it will put your life and your

concerns into more perspective.

Read a quality newspaper on a daily basis. Learning is fun and the easiest way to learn is to check out news and features each day so that, over time, your knowledge and interests grow and deepen.

Read regularly and widely. Good fiction will widen your vocabulary and put you in touch with your emotions, while a range of non-fiction will extend your knowledge and interests.

Treat yourself often to something 'cheap and cheerful' that you like - chocolates, flowers, a magazine, a cake, a CD. It costs little and you're worth it.

Stretch yourself physically. At the

minimum, regularly go for a brisk walk -

it will raise your spirits. If you can,

join a gym and take more vigorous

exercise - it will make you feel good and lengthen your life.

Stretch yourself mentally. Go on courses on different subjects - they don't have to be academic courses and they don't have to be long

Stretch yourself geographically. Go

to places you've never seen before. Even in your home town, try taking a

different route than usual and notice the different locations that you've never

seen before.

Do something you've never done before, like visiting a particular art gallery or museum or going to a ballet or opera. You'll probably surprise yourself at how much love it and you'll have found a new interest.

Do something creative. This might be writing stories or poems; it might be painting pictures or learning to play an instrument; it might be gardening or growing food.

If you can afford it, take

regular holidays in different

countries and savor

different cultures

Keep a diary. It will give structure to your life, an easy way to revisit good times, and a reminder that bad times don't last.

One way of dealing with a difficult problem is to imagine

how you will feel about that problem next week, next month, next year. Now try to bring those feelings into the present. It will give you a sense of perspective.

Problems rarely look so formidable in retrospect.

If you are uncomfortable or frightened about a situation, try to take yourself to a mental safe place which you have previously created in your mind and where you feel relaxed and comfortable. It might be an imaginary garden or beach or just an image of your study or bedroom.

You are someone very special - so you should

respect yourself. If you can't,

why should anyone else?

Make a will, detailing the arrangement for your funeral and the dispersion of your

assets. The only thing certain about your life is that it will end, so

have peace of mind that the circumstances that follow your death will

as far as possible be as you wish them to be.

BE HAPP

Y