How to be happy in a recession

Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, exercise, and nutrition. Gretchen Rubin, creator of the Happiness Project blog and author of the forthcoming book by the same name, has studied ancient texts as well as recent research on her quest to become happier. The first step, she says, is to take care of your own body by getting enough sleep, exercise, and nutrition.

Become more charitable. “If you’re feeling impoverished … a way to counteract that feeling is to do something generous,” she says. It’s a way of convincing yourself that you have something to give, adds Rubin. Signing up to be an organ donor or giving blood are two easy (and free) options. People also feel happier amid an atmosphere of growth, says Rubin. If your salary is frozen, then learning Photoshop or building a garden can generate a feeling of personal growth.

Spend more time and money on enjoyable activities, from traveling to cooking to studying Mandarin, suggests M. P. Dunleavey, author of Money Can Buy Happiness. Research shows that people are at their most satisfied when they feel engaged and challenged. For Dunleavey, that meant buying ice skates recently.

Invest in relationships. Dunleavey also recommends investing in relationships, another positive influence on happiness levels. Buying a train ticket to visit a friend or putting $30 into a “romantic weekend away with hubby” fund can be valuable investments in your well-being, she says.

Focus on what you’re grateful for. Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California–Riverside and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, suggests cultivating a sense of appreciation through something like a gratitude journal, where you write down three to five things for which you are thankful. If you lost your job, think of other dreams that have come true, such as living in the city you want or marrying the right partner. “It’s not trivializing what’s happening but trying not to focus on it all the time,” says Lyubomirsky.

Live within your means. Removing the stress and anxiety that comes with an economic downturn results from living within or below your means.