How to Fake It ’til You Make It: Discovering Happiness

Let’s face it, sometimes faking it is the best thing to do. What we need to do. And the more we do it, the better we get at it. We can fake it multiple times a day if we need to. I mean, hopefully, every once in a while, it’s genuine.  But maybe not as often as we would like. What are we talking about? Being positive and energetic, of course.

Why Faking Happiness Is a Good Thing

It’s hard to be positive when our energy stores are depleted.

In fact, being positive takes lots of energy.

And it’s hard to be positive when we don’t take care of ourselves.

And it’s hard to take care of ourselves, as well as take care of others, when we don’t have the energy.

It’s a tough cycle to break.

Here’s what usually happens for most of us.

We take care of others first: the kids, our co-workers, spouses, parents, etc.  As our energy stores deplete, we look longingly at the sofa, or pack it in and head to bed.  Maybe we have a sweet or salty snack before we do. It’s a desperate attempt to rejuvenate ourselves or fill the empty place where we think our energy stores reside.

As we do, our brains know it would be better for us to go for a walk, get a manicure, see a friend, play a game, or indulge a hobby.

But most of us don’t or can’t dig deep enough to find that “second wind” – the one to meet our own needs.

If someone else were depending on us, we probably would.  But they aren’t, so we don’t.

Are we feeling pretty sad now?

Are you thinking, yikes, where is she going with this?

How To Fake It

Let’s fix that! Because there’s great news and a pretty fool-proof solution to this particular energy crisis.

It’s kind of simple.

Scientists have figured out that faking it can get us most of the way there.

That’s right – faking it.  Isn’t that awesome?

All we have to do is PRETEND we’re energetic.

Walk with a spring in our step and smile broadly.  Within a few minutes, we may just fool ourselves into believing we are on a roll.

If these initial ideas don’t work, try laughing out loud (we should all have a store of happy memories that will prompt us to giggle until we cry, on command!).

Or we can pull the ole “Grey’s Anatomy” classic and “Dance It Out”.

(I believe it’s physically impossible to be sad when we are dancing).

And to really improve our odds of success – let’s take care of ourselves FIRST in the morning – because, let’s be honest, our days do tend to wind down to a pretty exhausting close.

Make A Commitment to Fake It

So yes, beginning right now, let’s plan to do something we would love to do for ourselves.

And when we awake tomorrow and think we don’t have the energy, or that we should really do something for someone else instead, or just get to the office – there’s so much work to do! – here’s what we need to do:  laugh out loud, walk energetically, smile broadly, bust a move, and if we want to pull out all the stops, get out in the sunlight.

We can all do these things – with children, with a job, in the midst of difficult relationships, with competing priorities and a long list of demands.

We just have to decide we are worthy. And that taking care of ourselves is not optional.

Fake It and Give Yourself a Double Dose of Happiness

These suggestions will both reduce stress and increase energy levels. So, it’s a double dose of awesome. And there are many more like this; we just have to make up our minds to do them.

So, let’s stop reading, typing, texting or tweeting.

Start faking it and get up and get going.

Our day will be completely changed for the better.

When we put ourselves first, everyone around us will be better for it and we will find more love in our hearts to share.

This advice is intended for time when we feel “meh” and need a quick fix to get us in a more pleasing state of mind.

Other times, we may need to do more than fake it. We may need to sit with and process negative emotions – covering those up won’t work and isn’t good for us.

So don’t despair if you’re not feeling up to “faking it”.

If this is how you’re feeling, you may find this post useful: Toxic Positivity.

Also – check out more ways to naturally turn your mood around in this post:

How to Elevate Your Mood Naturally

Thank you as always for reading.

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KindCompassCoach

Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a private sector corporate executive and 15 years as a consultant. The common thread through her professional life has been a commitment to compassionate coaching and leadership, including mentoring early and mid-career professionals as well as current and future executives and leaders. KindCompassCoach articles are backed by research and include facts and advice from relevant experts. Joan is a member of the International Organization of Life Coaches, serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.