Secret Society of Happy People Has 31 Winter Happiness Boosters to Replace Holiday Blues
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- The Secret Society of Happy People has released 31 Winter Happiness Boosters to combat the holiday blues. "We often feel pressure to be happier during the holidays because of the expectations instilled in us through movies and commercials that depict the holiday season as full of cheer and merriment—so much so that people feel something is wrong with them if they are feeling a bit blue," says Pamela Gail Johnson, Founder of The Secret Society of Happy People.
Added to those expectations, many media reports falsely suggest that the suicide rate increases during December because of the pressures associated with the holidays. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls this a "long perpetuated myth" and cites a 2010 study by The Annenberg Public Policy Center that shows that suicide actually decreases during December.
"That's not to say that we don't often feel blue during the holidays, and there are many reasons why. In our latest blog post 'When Holiday Blues Take Away Holiday Jolly' we pointed to unrealistic expectations as the top reason people complain about holiday blues, but there are many possible reasons such as missing family members, stress from planning too many activities and guilt from not pleasing everyone. Perhaps the most physical one is that the cold weather and shorter days limit our time outside or in the sun; it can have a physical impact on our mental and physical health due to lower serotonin levels and low Vitamin D," says Johnson.
The free downloadable list of 31 Winter Happiness Boosters provides simple, fun activities that can boost the mood. "These happiness boosters are meant to provide a way to make the holidays less stressful by replacing obligations with spontaneous activities in order to spark joy. For example, Number 16 is 'Pull out the classic board games for an old fashioned game night'. That one has the ability to take the stress off of finding the perfect movie that everyone will like, and really getting everyone to interact with one another. But there are others that can be done alone and only take a few minutes such as 'take a hot bath' or ones that prove there's more happiness in giving than receiving," says Johnson.
"The takeaway is to take time to just stop and enjoy yourself if you feel like you are on autopilot. Being present is really the best gift you can give yourself, because it relieves the stress of planning and fitting in everything and lets you concentrate on simply enjoying the holidays," says Johnson.
About The Secret Society of Happy People:
Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Secret Society of Happy People in 1998 to encourage the expression of happiness and discourage parade-raining. The Society has thousands of members from more than 34 countries. Ms. Johnson is a public speaker for organizations and companies around the country who want to promote happiness among their members or employees. The Secret Society of Happy People offers free membership to anyone interested in learning how to improve their happiness quotient. The free membership includes a downloadable Happiness Word Poster, a monthly Happiness Happens newsletter and an optional Daily Happiness Inspiration email. The society also offers videos, books and daily inspirations to promote happiness.
Pamela Johnson, The Secret Society of Happy People, http://www.sohp.com, +1 469-358-3914, [email protected]
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