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20 Easy Ways to Be Happier

1) Make Your Bed Every Morning
I’ve heard this one before, and not just from my mother.  For most people, outer order leads to inner calm. And making your bed is one quick, easy way to get some semblance of a tidy room (even when your closet is anything but).

2) Shorten Your Commute
Okay, this one may not be a cinch. But if there’s any way you can shorten your commute, it’s certainly worth the effort. Spending two hours a day in gridlock traffic is enough to drive even the most Zen commuter up the wall. Not only is the drive itself infuriating, a long commute eats up time that could be spent on proven happiness boosters, like sleeping or interacting with other people.

3) Find a Rocking Chair
You know it works for babies. Now it seems that rockers bring similar comfort to elderly sufferers of dementia. Researchers at the University of Rochester encouraged 25 residents to rock as much as they like and they became less upset and anxious and required less pain medication.  So who’s to say it couldn’t work for you?

4) Make Lists
Writing it down (whatever “it” may be) is a successful tool for managing stress.  Just make sure your list doesn’t get out of control.  After all, your list is supposed to help with your stress, not add to it.  Remember that you can always adjust your priorities.