A 21-day experiment in neuroscience & everyday life
10 minutes a day · 21 consecutive days · 5 simple practices
There's this guy, Shawn Achor. He used to be a Harvard researcher whose specialty was studying what makes people happy. During his research he found out what makes people happy — and how they could become happier.
He designed a series of exercises, the Happiness Challenge, that takes 10 minutes a day for 21 days. He claims that after 21 days your brain will be re-wired so that the happiness button is pressed.
That's the theory.
You have to do all five exercises every day for 21 consecutive days — that's how long it takes to create a new neural pathway. Miss a day? Just keep going until you've done it 21 times in a row.
If you find you're missing a lot of days, it's just your old self trying to maintain the status quo. Tell yourself it's less than 5 minutes a day — and that you're out to prove the experiment wrong.
Do all five, every day, for 21 consecutive days.
Pause to take note of three new things each day that you are grateful for. This will help your brain retrain its pattern of scanning the world — looking not just for the negative inputs, but for the positive ones.
It doesn't seem to matter how big or small what you are grateful for, but they need to be three new things every day. And you just can't think it — you have to write it down.
~ 2 minutesSimilar to the gratitude practice, but in this case, detail — in writing — one positive experience each day. This can be an elaboration of one of the three gratitudes, or something new entirely.
This will help you find meaning in the activities of the day, rather than just noticing the task itself. The idea is to help your brain relive that positive memory in lieu of the negative or embarrassing ones which tend to take up space in our heads.
~ 2 minutesThis teaches your brain that your behavior matters. The key is to do manageable amounts every day — one day could, and should, be a gentle stretching day. You don't want to burn yourself out.
You're teaching yourself discipline and proving to yourself that you can follow through on your promises. Aim for at least 15 minutes of fresh air and exercise every day — a lovely walk with some sunshine if possible.
If you already work out, you're all set.
~ 15 minutesTake just two minutes per day to simply breathe and focus on your breath going in and out. Doing so will train your mind to focus, reduce stress, and help you be more present in this moment.
In theory this will help you get over the cultural ADHD that exists all around us, and will allow your body and mind to focus on the task at hand.
~ 2 minutes(This is the one that will be the hardest for many of us.) The idea is that when you open your email, Twitter, or Facebook, you write one positive post or message that praises or thanks someone in your social network.
Every day, make some kind of intentional positive connection with another human being. Not online? Say something kind to the cashier, talk to the person in line, give a smile and a dollar to someone in need.
The point is to do or make some kind of good-hearted connection each day.
~ 2 minutes