August is ‘Happiness Happens Month’!

Festival Survival Health Kit

Happiness Happens Month is celebrated annually in August. It is dedicated to celebrating things that make you happy. It’s a known fact that happiness is contagious and sharing your happiness can bring a smile to someone’s face. The month reminds us that happiness can be found in even little things that we might not notice and that spreading the same joy amongst others can help make the world a better place.

Happiness is a subjective and complex emotion and is often described as a ‘state of wellbeing, contentment, or joy’. It’s a positive emotional experience that can vary from person to person and can be influenced by various factors such as fulfilling relationships, a sense of purpose, good health, personal achievements, and overall life satisfaction. Happiness can also arise from simple pleasures, gratitude, and positive mindset. Ultimately, happiness is a deeply personal and unique experience that can be found in different aspects of life.

Linda looking happy


My happiness comes from a combination of being with my family, playing with my grand-daughter, watching her grow and develop, as well as having a sense of purpose, which is what I get from running Just For Tummies. 

Happiness is the feeling that washes over you when you experience positive emotions, interactions, or events. The brain responds to positive stimuli by releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, sometimes known as ‘happy hormones’.

Activities that trigger your brain to release happy hormones include:

  • Exercise
  • Dancing
  • Meditation
  • Being outdoors
  • Laughing
  • Eating your favourite foods
  • Listening to music
  • Spending time with animals

That boost of feel-good chemicals is situational, and it might go away when you stop that activity or leave a situation that makes you happy. For example, runners typically experience a ‘high’ after an intense run, resulting in a euphoric sensation that can last a few minutes to several hours. Life satisfaction is about more than exercise and singing and dancing to your favourite song. It’s about bettering yourself long-term, finding and enjoying things that you are good at and bring you joy, and protecting your energy.

To improve your overall subjective wellbeing, try to nurture healthy daily habits that include:

  • Eating a balanced diet
  • Keeping a consistent sleep schedule
  • Choosing your tribe – surround yourself with like-minded people, who raise you up
  • Decluttering your physical surroundings and your mind
  • Achieving a good work-life balance
  • Managing stress levels

At the end of the day, happiness goes beyond material goods. In fact, small day-to-day experiences and gestures are most likely to make you happy. I am a firm believer that happiness comes from helping others and knowing that you’ve made a positive difference to their lives.  This is something that I experience in my role running Just For Tummies, helping people achieve better digestive health and ultimately overall health. The many positive reviews and testimonials from customers who feel so much better never fail to bring me a great sense of happiness.

Many people associate happiness with achievements: switching careers, meeting a life partner, or making a big purchase. And it’s true that setting goals, working hard to make them happen, and successfully achieving them can contribute positively to your well-being. But happiness should be a side effect, not a goal. 

One reason why it’s so hard to be happy is that happiness is a mindset, and it takes work to find it. You might be looking for a one-size-fits-all answer, but living a happy life is more complex than that. Working to find the things that bring you joy – and incorporating them into your life – is the first step.

World Cancer Day


Try to check off as many of (ideally all) the 4 Ps of happiness each day:

  1. Purpose – Purpose doesn’t have to be accomplished in big things. Its significance comes in the work you do for your family, your friends, your team or your community—no matter what that work is. Purpose focuses you, grounds you, connects you, and brings greater overall satisfaction in life.
  2. Perspective – If you breathe and focus well, you have the ability to throw away unhappy thoughts and learn to see the brighter side of things.
  3. People – Do you have a group of people you feel very close to? If so, you’re four times as likely to be happy. Try to accept social invitations whenever possible, or initiate social gatherings with family and friends. Face-to-face meetings make us happier than online networking, because hugging and other forms of physical touch release endorphins. So use technology to set up meetings, but get out there and hobnob your way to happiness the old-fashioned way. Or just hug a loved one!
  4. Play – It’s not all serious, deep stuff. You need to have plain old fun to really have a happy life – the ability to laugh, whether at life itself or at a good joke, is a source of life satisfaction.

If you have any questions about digestive and gut health, or would like to know more about our range of supplements, please get in touch.