Want to Be Happier? Discover over 250 Tips to Try Today

ADELAIDE, Australia - Aug. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- It’s so easy to be given advice from well-meaning people on what it takes to be happy. However many of these ideas are not easily implemented. What you want are useful strategies that you can actually apply to your life.

Make the Change: Over 250 Tips for Your Wellbeing and Happiness (MTC Books, 2014, 978-0-9807590-6-8, has been written by Julia Barnard to offer you practical strategies to give your life a positive boost. “I offer ideas to help you appreciate your life, achieve your goals, have fun, build better relationships, develop your optimism, relax and so much more.” Julia Barnard said. “There are opportunities for personal reflection and growth and you don’t even need to visit a counsellor’s office.”

Conveniently, each tip has an accompanying section for you to write your own notes in. This enables you to consider each tip and how it personally applies to you and reflect on your successes from implementing that tip. It is a valuable opportunity to learn about yourself as you embark on your happiness journey. The tips are influenced by the principles, ideas and research of positive psychology.

Julia Barnard is a qualified counsellor and author who has written hundreds of articles and a number of books on happiness. You can find her work at the wellbeing and happiness website http://makethechange.com.au. She discovered positive psychology in 2004 and has been using it both professionally and personally ever since.

This is a just a tiny snapshot of the tips you will find within the pages of Make the Change:

1. Make time for your friends.

This week, find the time to meet up with your friends. If you are unable to do this, at least give them a call or send them a letter, email or a card, so they know you are thinking of them. Friendships are important to our wellbeing and have been found to be influential in reducing stress.

2. Schedule a laughter weekend.

What are you doing next Sunday afternoon? How about gathering your favourite comedy DVDs, shutting the curtains, sinking into your sofa and enjoying a few hours of laughter? For greater benefits, gather a few friends to enjoy the time together. Remember, laughter is good for you, so this time is not frivolous. It's therapy.

3.  Try a new ingredient.

Varying what you eat not only keeps things interesting, it also helps you meet all your nutritional needs. When you next go shopping, keep an eye out for something you have never had before. If you're not sure how to cook it, search through your cookbooks or look on the web. Also, when in a restaurant, take the chance on eating something different. If you don't like it, you never have to eat it again.

4. Re-energise your routine.

To increase your zest for life, give your routine a makeover.  Think up ways you can inject more energy into your day.  When you would normally slump in your chair, sit upright. Be alert to your surroundings rather than switching off and going into zombie-mode. Sing while you cook, make up games on the bus, go for a walk at lunchtime. Anything to mix things up and boost those energy levels. Remember to exercise regularly, eat right and sleep well.

5. Get ahead.

Want to feel in control of your day? Want to boost your efficiency and feelings of confidence? This week, try to meet a deadline ahead of time. It does not have to be a deadline given to you by others — it can be a self-imposed deadline. Even if you only finish a day or even hours earlier than scheduled, you will feel you have accomplished something. If you manage it, give yourself a reward for your effort.

Make the Change is available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980759064.