The joy diet: recipe for a happier life - News

You probably already have an eating and exercise routine. So why not a happiness plan? In The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life (Crown, 2003), Martha Beck, Ph.D., author of the best-selling Finding Your Own North Star (Three Rivers Press, 2002), puts you on a course to greater contentment that takes only a few moments each day. Here are the first five steps:

1. Do nothing. For 15 minutes each day, find some alone time, then quiet your body and mind. "Just be still, or engage in any activity that doesn't require thought," Beck says. Gaze at a sunset. Stare at the ocean.

2. Deal with emotional pain. "We hide from scary things and go into denial," Beck says. "But when you still your mind, you can't run from them." Whenever you face a painful moment, ask yourself, "What does this mean, and how do I feel about it?"

3. Identify your true wishes. Articulate and explore at least one of your heart's desires, such as finding a better job or searching for a new love.

4. Employ creativity. Now use your imagination to help you reach your goal or solve a problem. "You have to venture outside the familiar; if you knew how to get what you want, you'd already have it," Beck says. Meet new people, go to new places. Opening up your world will lead you in a new direction.

5. Take appropriate risks. "Once you identify how you want your life to change, you'll invariably run into things that scare you," Beck says. "But if taking the leap will fulfill your goal, you must do it."--A.W.S.