Seven Habits for a Happier Life: EQ, PERMA and Daily Practices

This article discusses emotional intelligence (EQ), different ideas about happiness and seven practices arranged across the week. The practices are presented as suggestions for reflection and everyday routines, not as a clinical treatment or a promise that a person will feel happy every day.

Emotional intelligence and recognizing feelings

Understanding your own emotions is presented as a starting point for developing EQ. Emotions can feel pleasant or uncomfortable; noticing and accepting them can help people understand what they are experiencing. The article describes emotions as signals and emotional skills as involving awareness, understanding and management.

Happiness as a skill

The source frames happiness as something people may practice, much like a skill, rather than only a matter of luck. It distinguishes short-lived pleasure from a more enduring sense of fulfillment and notes that worry, anger and sadness are also part of life.

Three forms of happiness

• Hedonic happiness: pleasure or comfort, such as enjoying food.
• Eudaimonic happiness: living with purpose and meaning, including doing something helpful to others.
• Konic happiness: spiritual happiness associated in the source with connection to abstract beliefs or faith. The term is retained as written in the source.

The PERMA framework

The source introduces PERMA as a framework for thinking about well-being:

• Positive Emotion: feelings such as happiness, love and appreciation.
• Engagement: involvement in activities that interest and challenge you.
• Relationships: positive connections with other people.
• Meaning: having purpose and meaning in life.
• Accomplishment: making progress toward things you set out to do.

What may shape happiness?

The article names genetics, circumstances and behavior as factors that may be involved. It also discusses the possibility of changing thought and behavior through practice, paying attention to helpful experiences and taking three steps: awareness, practice and action.

Seven habits to try through the week

• Monday — Mindfulness: pause to notice thoughts and emotions in the present.
• Tuesday — Appreciation: practice gratitude and notice good things around you.
• Wednesday — Well-being: care for physical and mental health.
• Thursday — Care: pay attention to other people and nurture relationships.
• Friday — Freedom: relax, reward yourself and make room for an activity you enjoy.
• Saturday — Social connection: spend time with friends or family and share experiences.
• Sunday — Spiritual reflection: try an activity such as meditation or time in nature.

The week-by-week structure is one way to organize the ideas from the discussion. Adapt these practices to your own circumstances; persistent or severe emotional distress may require support from a qualified professional.