Happiness is an emotion. It is a feeling. It is not something materialistic which a person can obtain for money or for the exchange of goods, it is a commodity that can only be possessed by the exchange of hearts and propagation of healthy and lively feelings.

No one knew that there would come a time where people would be locked in their homes voluntarily, all because of the tyranny of disease wreaking havoc all over the world. In such times, it is very difficult to keep yourself together, death and devastation plague everyone’s heart and in such a scenario, happiness is the most difficult thing to foster in one’s heart.

Yet, it is important to remain happy and calm in our life to avoid negativity and depression and also to evade stress at this point in time. One’s actions and virtues give one happiness. Such actions are quite easy to perform even in these difficult times and it is these actions that will help one remain happy and calm. These are as follows-

• Sidetrack yourself: It is not often preferred to run from your problems, but during unprecedented times it is good to avoid depressing news, videos, social media posts etc.
This can definitely reduce your stress level as it is best to stay away from such negative emotions. If we are in the vicinity of such emotions, it will become increasingly difficult to remain calm and happy.
By sidetracking yourself, you rejuvenate both your mind and body and can focus more on your studies and your work and have some family time to remain happy.

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• Self-care: Someone has rightly said that Health is Wealth. Truly, we all can agree that our health is our first and utmost priority and we certainly cannot be happy if our health is in jeopardy. The prime and first step to boost our happiness is to take care of our health.
We must visualize our body as a temple.  A temple must be kept clean and tidy and beautiful. Similarly, we must keep ourselves clean and give attention to our hygiene and must respond to our body’s needs. Exercise regularly, remain hydrated and it is preferred to keep ourselves busy at work or in conversations with friends or family.

• Meditate: It is scientifically proven that meditating can increase feel good/happy chemicals in our brain. Chemicals like dopamine and serotonin induce happiness and good feelings in oneself.
Meditating highly increases the concentration of such chemicals in our brain temporarily which gives us a happy feeling. Meditation can act as a stress reliever and a mind mediator (anything which stimulates the brain) and also a medium of physical fitness.

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• Reduce anxiety: There are many ways to do so, one of which is to engage yourself in some activities. We, at JBM smart Start, one of the best schools in Greater Noida have engaged our SMARTIES into various co-curricular activities and sports to promote learning along with happiness. Be empathetic and compassionate towards the people around you.
Cherish this time by being grateful for all that you have, your own house which provides you with a place to live in. Food and water and stable life which is not the luxury of each and every person in these times. All these thoughts will provide comfort to your heart and will trigger happiness automatically.
All of us are aware that the pandemic is airborne and can catch people via small droplets spread in the air.  In such times, children aren’t able to play with their friends and are not able to attend school offline and as a result, they are glued to the screen all the time and are not subject to any fruitful conversation or interaction with their friends which is negatively impacting their psyche.
Lack of physical activity and being grounded in their home turf has made life stressful and mundane for them. A big role here is played by the parents and the teachers at their school.
We, at JBM Smart Start, one of the schools in Greater Noida West have addressed this need by organizing aerobics, yoga, meditation and physical education/ engagement program under which various classes were held for this purpose and were quite fruitful to the students and it was a way to keep our SMARTIES active during unprecedented times.

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• A sound sleep: For mental and physical wellness it is imperative that we get a sound sleep to keep ourselves energized for the next day. These days many students are disturbing their sleep cycle as they have nothing to do except playing online games and waste a lot of time at night for this purpose, which should have been utilized for sleeping.

• Parent involvement: Parents must get involved by comforting their children and counselling them when they need a helping hand. Showing interest as a parent can lead your children to happiness in these times. Parents need to make their children follow a daily regime that would keep them meticulous and active.

• Connecting with people: Meet up via digital video conferencing and connect with siblings/relatives whom you have lost touch with because of the pandemic. In simple terms, you should propagate happiness, share your best experiences with your siblings twice/thrice a week.
It is a good way to remain happy and connected with those in your family and get to know them further. These times require unity of people. If we are alone then we fall, if we are united then we stand and face the challenges ahead.

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Some other points we should follow to be happy during these times are:

• Focus on the positives: Be grateful to god and nature for all the blessings that they have showered upon you. Think positive. Negativity is all in the mind, if we are prudent all will be well. Focus on the small things, appreciate each and every moment with your loved ones and you will never feel alone or depressed.

• Shun video games/entertainment material which can add to your screen time and choose a better alternative: read books, it is much better for your eyes and by all means a much better source of entertainment

• Start a new hobby such as cooking, art, music etc for passing time and you can later hone your skills to become much better at the hobby you choose.

• Designate some time as family time and play indoor games like carrom, ludo, snakes and ladders etc. and feel each moment with your family. Disregard negativity and such sources. Do all this and you are bound to find happiness in these difficult times.