A GLIMPSE of blue sky and sunshine can lift our spirits but many of us find that complete happiness is far harder to achieve. Author Lois Blyth tells Gabrielle Fagan her easy-tofollow plan to swap worry and anxiety for joy and contentment There is, of course, no single path to happiness because everyone views the world slightly differently, and each person’s road to contentment is unique. But the happiness habit is an easy one to acquire, Blyth believes. Here are her easy steps to get the happiness habit.

SENSING HAPPINESS

A beautiful sunset glimpsed on the way home from work, a song which recalls a memory of an enjoyable social event or the perfume of a flower which transports us back in time to a holiday can make us feel happy – even for just a second.

THINK LIKE A LOTTERY WINNER

If you ever have dreams of winning the lottery, you imagine all sorts of things you might get because you would have no financial constraints.

But, Blyth points out, material possessions are passive and cannot love us, talk to us or make us laugh, and have the potential to leave us comparing what we have with others, which can feed dissatisfaction, and encourage us to feel nothing will ever be enough.

FACE THE FEAR

The pathways to happiness appear in many guises, and not all of them are immediately recognisable as ways you would want to venture down, she says.

She advises analysing whether it is a fear of something real or imaginary that is holding you back from taking a new opportunity or path.

HEALING HUG Getting physical with someone else can reduce stress levels, reduce cortisol levels and increase the production of oxytocin, a ‘happy’ hormone, in the body, says Blyth.

RESET GRUMBLE REFLEX

Try to always say something positive first, before negativity kicks in. Laugh at things which annoy you and try to see possibility instead of the problem. Happiness embraces opportunity and praises achievement.

Also, when you hear yourself thinking or saying passive words such as “I wish”, “should”, “might” and “can’t”, swap them for more active words such as “I can”, “I will” and “I am”.