Yesterday morning I woke up in a bad mood. I was just plain grumpy. I was complaining to my husband, nit picking at him and generally being very moany and negative. I had simply got out of bed on the wrong side. It was probably due to lack of sleep as my son is a terrible sleeper and he wakes me up several times each night. I was in the shower and I rated my happiness out of 10. ‘I am definitely a 3 today’, I said moodily. ‘A miserable, grumpy 3.’

Then I began to talk to myself. ‘Why exactly are you a 3?’ I said. I quickly realised that I actually had very few reasons to feel so down and had lots of things to feel positive about.

So I decided to change my number.

‘Today I will be a 7!’ I exclaimed with glee in the shower. My husband overheard me and shouted, ‘What?!’ I shouted back, ‘I’m going to make myself a 7 out of 10 for happiness today.’ I think he was relieved to hear it to be honest. Even though I said it with such enthusiasm, in the back of my mind, I was still a little sceptical. Did I really have that much power over my mood to just decide I was going to be happier that day? The result really surprised me! I actually was a 7 all day! Absolutely amazing!

What I am finding with Happynesshub is that I am so much more in control of my mood. Previously, if I had felt like a 3 in the morning I would have accepted my low mood, put my pjs back on, eaten ridiculous amounts of cheese on toast (my comfort food) and watched DVD box sets all day. Not surprisingly, this sort of behaviour had absolutely no impact on improving my mood at all and frankly just made me feel lazy, sluggish and even less motivated.

Just the simple act of making a conscious decision and choosing to be happier in the morning meant I didn’t actually have to do a massive amount to lift my mood. I think it’s just about being self aware, mindful and recognising that your level of happiness is mainly governed by your attitude rather than by external circumstances. The research behind the daily Happpynesshub hints really is fascinating stuff and it is definitely having a positive impact on my overall sense of wellbeing.

Throughout my Happynesshub journey so far I am definitely getting much quicker at cheering myself up and taking control of how I feel. I am learning a whole new set of skills and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

Tomorrow I might even go for an 8!