Why a happiness jar is the wellbeing trend we all need to try in 2020

Happiness is often a hard-won thing, and we search for it in the moment, looking for bursts of joy anywhere from work to the gym, with friends and family.

There are plenty of ways to try and find more happiness, from finding your zen in a yoga class to tuning into an uplifting podcast.

But what if you could look back and see how happy you were – and be more grateful because of it? That’s the idea behind one woman’s mission to remind herself of happy times, with a ‘happiness jar’.

The brainchild of Stacey Fell, the happiness jar is a simple jar (she uses a Kilner jar), which she fills with different moments of happiness as they happen through the year. Then, at the start of the new year, Stacey, who is from the UK but lives in Dubai, opens the jar and goes through her happiness notes, reminded of different times she was happy, from the huge to the tiny.

Sharing her happiness jar on Instagram, the self-confessed gym lover who has also battled cancer, wrote ‘So what is the Happiness Jar? A jar I fill with scraps of paper throughout the year with ANYTHING that made me happy in that moment, big or small-it could be a compliment, an amazing meal, an achievement, a beautiful sunset, a time you laughed so much you thought you might pee yourself, a holiday, something that happened to a friend that was amazing, literally ANYTHING-it’s YOUR happiness.’

Then, on New Year’s Day, she tips it open and goes through all the moments of happy she’s gathered.

Her followers loved the idea, and commented in their droves.

One gushed, 'This is just the best idea.'

While another added, 'Loved doing ours!! Thank yooooou'

A third continued, 'I've started mine too! There is always something to be grateful for!'

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So now is the ideal time to start your happiness jar – what’s stopping you?!

If you want, you can find an old jam jar to start you off, or invest in a cute storage jar from somewhere like Ikea – currently on trend thanks to Instagram stories from ‘cleanfluencer’ Mrs Hinch and her pal, Loose Women’s Stacey Solomon. Check out their Instagram stories for storage jar hunting!

And, if you’re not so keen on a jar, why not put that old biscuit tin or Christmas chocolate tin to good use and turn that into a happiness tin?

The main thing is you start writing down those happy memories – ready for January 1, 2021.