WHAT IS A HAPPINESS BASELINE?
I didn't realize that we all have different happiness baselines. A happiness baseline is the level of happiness or wellbeing that we return to despite the ups and downs of life. Apparently it's influenced by our genetics, our circumstances, and making intentional choices about how we see our world.
Regardless of the starting point we're each at, we can gradually lift our happiness baseline which makes us more positive and more resilient in how we approach life day to day. Recently I came across a really interesting two minute video on how to lift that baseline with 5 simple words....
WHAT CAN WE DO TO LIFT OUR HAPPINESS BASELINE?
Hannah Fry is a British Professor of Mathematics who has also dealt with her own cancer journey. She has an interest in studying how mathematics applies to human behaviour and interpersonal relationships, one of the areas she has spoken on is human happiness and how to improve our happiness baseline.
She shares it in this two minute TikTok video: 5 Words That Can Improve Your Happiness and says that one short sentence said (and believed) every day will make a difference for every person who uses it. Those five words are: "these are the good days".
THESE ARE THE GOOD DAYS
What Hannah is asking us to do is to become more mindfully grateful, to notice the small glimmers of joy, the ordinary happy moments each day contains, the people and things that we take for granted. She suggests we take the time to appreciate and focus on being happy right in this moment - rather than waiting for something big or special to trigger that happy feeling.
When I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year it had the added benefit of redirecting my attention to those small joys and I'm consciously scanning for them throughout the day. Even choosing three to focus on for my end of month "3 Delights" post makes me appreciate how simple and happy my life is.
LIVING MY BEST LIFE EVERY DAY
A few years ago I wrote a post called "I'm Living My Best Life Every Day" and it was a great way to remind myself that the new normal I'd been thrust into when I had to leave my job, was actually a really good life if I adjusted my worldview and started appreciating all the good in my world - looking at what I'd gained, rather than being upset or worried about what I'd lost.
Re-framing our outlook can make a huge difference to how we see our life. Nobody has a perfectly happy life, nobody gets sunshine and roses every day, but we all have small, quiet moments of joy if we intentionally look for them. By choosing to say that today, right now, is a good day - that we're living in the good days - we direct our thoughts towards those small joys, gratitude settles in gently, and contentment becomes our normal mindset.
HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THESE WORDS DAILY?
To figure out how to consciously direct my thoughts towards these words, I did what every Millennial does these days and asked ChatGPT how to incorporate a daily reminder of the fact that we are indeed living in our "good days" and this is the advice it gave (and I thought it was pretty spot on.....)
A “Good Days” Practice
A simple daily ritual inspired by Hannah Fry’s idea that noticing the good lifts our happiness baseline.
1. Morning Anchor
While you’re brushing your teeth, making tea, or heading out the door, pause and say quietly:
“These are the good days.”
Let it be a reminder that today is part of the life you’ll look back on.
2. Midday Pause
At some point, notice one small thing that feels okay or quietly good — warmth, laughter, relief, rhythm. Acknowledge it with:
“These are the good days.”
No need to force joy — just recognize a moment of ease or meaning.
3. Evening Reflection
Before bed, recall three small moments from the day that made you feel content, grateful, or connected. Then close with:
“I’ll remember that these were the good days.”
This trains your mind to notice what’s steady and good — even on imperfect days.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I think the idea that we can improve our happiness baseline by noticing what we already have, rather than chasing after what isn't here yet, makes a lot of sense. Are you finding that there's moments of joy each day that you can bring to mind as you live out "these are the good days"?
RELATED POSTS
BEFORE YOU GO:
If you'd like to know when I write a new post, please click HERE for email updates.
If you'd like to comment but not here on the blog, feel free to email me at
leanne.crestingthehill@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you.
And please share this post by clicking on a share button before you go.
The whole idea of a baseline of happiness is a real thing. Some people are naturally happier more of the time than others - even when it doesn't appear as though they have any more reason to be happy.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - I can see the difference even between Ross and myself - he is much more even keeled then me and he doesn't experience the happiness waves like I do - it's a really interesting process figuring out how he sees the world :)
DeleteHi Leanne - Thank you for letting me know about 'baseline happiness'. Interesting concept. Small steps like these go a long way. What I have started doing now is to keep noting down small small things that I have done / accomplished / fulfilled every day. And, when I look back at the end of the day, I am happy that I have actually done quite a lot.
ReplyDeleteHi Pradeep - that's a great way to track how retirement's going now that you don't have work commitments to track your time with. I like that by noting small joys and achievements, you naturally get a positive lift from looking back at them at the end of the day.
DeleteI tend to be at the negative end of the mood/whatever spectrum and find anything like positive affirmations really "unbelievable".... I also know that I do far too much black and white thinking..
ReplyDeleteThat does not preclude me from learning more and taking on advice if I think it might help me. I am working with a therapist at the moment (she is yet another WA citizen!) and she is using some words for me to take on board relating to my behavioural standards! These are 'good enough' ...just those words. I do like what you've shared. I am not doing so well today as I make more strides back into life..but I know I have good people like you cheering me on. Thanks Leanne!
Hi Denyse - it's hard when life swings us up and down - and even harder when your natural bent is towards seeing the negatives. I've never been an advocate of affirmations etc, but Ross tells me that there is a strong scientific basis for them being useful in redirecting our thought processes. I'm not about to look at myself in the mirror and telling myself "I'm a Princess", but I do like the idea of reminding myself regularly how good this stage of life is, and how much I have to be grateful for.
DeleteI hope you're back on the upswing again soon - and yes, "good enough" is definitely good enough. x :)
Hi Leanne, I’ve not heard of this saying but I do like the idea. I’ve heard of daily affirmations but I’ve not tried them myself. I am, fortunately, an optimist although my life has ups and downs like everyone else. I’m not sure what makes us either an optimist or a pessimist. I do try to always have something good to look forward to, so maybe that’s what keeps me happy. I think I’m going to try the ‘good day’ mantra which reminds me of daily gratitude. Retirement has definitely helped me to be less stressed about others as I spend my time and energy mostly where I want to. Have a ‘good day’! Chrissie x
ReplyDeleteHi Chrissie - as I said to Denyse above, I'm not a fan of all the mantra hype, but I do see a benefit in recognizing our blessings and turning our attention towards all the good things in our life. Retirement has been such a gift, one I never expected - and one that keeps on giving. I'm beyond grateful that every single day is a good day in its own way - even the less-than-great days still have a lot of good moments within them.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this, Leanne. I always suspected we each have a happiness baseline. (I think the same is true of weight, but that’s just my own personal theory, nothing scientific!). I love the words ‘these are the good days’, so simple and clear. And what a great idea to use chat gpt to come up with a simple practice for this. I really like what it’s come up with, again I like the simplicity of the practice. (I wouldn’t have thought of using chat GPT, but like seeing different ways to use it). As always, thanks for sharing. Sue xx
ReplyDeleteHi Sue - I liked the simplicity of the words too, and that the author came at it from a very logical viewpoint that appealed to me. I'm not one for airy fairy stuff, so a mathematician advocating for it definitely caught my attention. Like you said in your post today, what we focus on becomes what we see (and believe) and I can definitely get behind every day being a good day. I'm also becoming more of a fan of ChatGPT (in small doses) it really does pull ideas together succinctly. :)
DeleteI love this and will try it as I go about my day. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure April - I liked that it was simple and felt authentic because we really are living a very good life. :)
DeleteA quote by a. k. chalmers comes to mind: The grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love & something to look forward to. I'm currently participating in a series entitled Finding Your Joy sponsored by the Seniors' Center Without Walls. It focuses on stress reduction, character strengths, positive self talk, personal values, circles of control, mindfulness, gratitude, self care. Nature or nurture? Like you responded to Sue, what we focus on becomes what we see & believe. And it's difficult to maintain emotional highs & lows; we come back to center.
ReplyDeleteHi Mona - that series sounds really good. I think as we get older, we need to turn our thoughts away from things we have no control over (world issues, aging issues, all the little niggles that come our way) and start consciously choosing to have a positive mindset - all those different focuses sound like a great way to do that. I'm also coming back to mindfulness a lot lately and feel that might be something I want to direct my attention to more in the year ahead.
DeleteLeanne, thank you for your lovely post. It has been very difficult for me to see the positive. I am exhausted after more than a month doing Fall deep house cleaning which was necessary before putting the heat on. I will spare you all the details. It was so cold in the house and I had to work endless hours as the temperature was plummeting and I didn't want the pipes to freeze. Welcome to Canada! I should be very grateful that I have heat now, and that the house is clean even though there 's more cleaning left to do but I am so exhausted that I have lost all sense of appreciation which is contrary to the person I am . I have always been appreciative of any small blessing coming my way but right now I am empty. I decided to say NO to Christmas this year. It will be difficult to do so as I would spend weeks decorating and getting ready for it every year. Apologies for mistakes as English is not my first language.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne - an empty emotional tank is so disheartening isn't it? It will slowly re-fill, but in the meantime you just need to give yourself some space and rest. Try to sit back and high five yourself for all that you've accomplished (I can't even imagine Canadian winters - all that cold and snow is completely foreign to me - but it looks pretty from afar!)
DeleteAs for Christmas, I've lowered my expectations in that regard many years ago. I've realized that small and simple is the best for me. Maybe you could pare yours all the way back and just do something small and pretty inside that makes your heart happy when you look at it? Christmas is about joy to the world - not the huge shiny, commercial spectacle it's become. Go small, but go with joy too. xx (And your English is amazingly good, I'd never have thought it was your second language).
Hi Leanne, I agree with Jo’s comment. Same with Sue’s comment and the baseline re weight. I like how you succinctly describe happiness and a variety of influences … especially making intentional choices. I enjoyed your post on ‘Glimmers’ and some of the similar threads woven throughout this story. Your ‘good days’ points are a wonderful way to put into practice and increase our happiness baseline.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I am always a work in progress and experience all of the ups and downs like everyone else. A few daily practices: on my morning meditative walks - I focus on specific grateful moments from yesterday - in the present moments, my 5 senses - in the evening my husband and I how ‘today is a good day.’ Of course, being upright and together is one of the main highlights.😀 Another great post, Leanne! xx Erica
Hi Erica - it really does come down to what we choose to focus on. The world isn't going to get any happier, but we can choose where we give our attention and point it towards what we have some control over. I still feel gratitude every day for how much better this stage of life is than what I expected - I have a lovely home, a lovely husband, settled and secure kids, financial security, and (despite the ups and downs) a very simple and pleasant life. Every day really is a good day for me because I keep my expectations in line and I too focus on gratitude for all that I have these days.
DeleteThanks for stopping by - I always love "hearing your voice" in your comments. xx
Re: your above comment, Leanne - "expectations" gave me goosebumps - I have not (consciously) thought about this concept for awhile - yes, I believe my expectations for the things and people I cannot change has evolved into 'acceptance.' Much less stressful. 'Simple and pleasant life' is tops for me, too. xx Erica
DeleteHi Leanne, While I struggle with saying the words, "these are the good days" at this moment in my life, I can definitely see moments from every day that made me feel content, grateful, or connected. As someone pointed out to me just yesterday, I'm still living my trauma. I know the future will be better - it's more than hope, it's a strong belief. So while every day right now does have some goodness in it, these are not really my good days.
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - you're definitely going through a really extreme tough time right now, but you also have the capacity to pull it together and (eventually) end up with something beautiful at the end of it all. Testing times are very wearing on our souls, but they do bring a sense of achievement at the end - and finding small moments of goodness and joy in the midst of it all helps you weather the storm until you reach that end point and a lovely new home. I think we have to go through stuff regardless, and choosing our attitude helps even just a little bit in getting through it without our heads exploding. x
Delete