“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Dumbledore. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of forgetting to be happy. Yes, there are times when “happy” is the last thing we want to feel. But most of the time it’s important for our sanity to feel happy.
There are plenty purveyors of doom, gloom and fear out there. Making people feel miserable and hard done by 24/7, for weeks, sometimes years.
For a few poor folk, miserable is their default setting. They’ll do whatever they can, to make sure everyone around them knows it.
Positive psychology experts say we should surround ourselves with happy, fun people. It’s true. The emotional group dynamic rubs off on us.
Good, bad or indifferent.
As Dumbledore (Hogwarts Headmaster) says we must remember to turn on the lights to find happiness. Even in the darkest of times.
How do we do that? It’s easy but we seem to forget or avoid doing what we know works.
Get out and walk. Even a daily walk of 15 minutes will help brighten spirits.
Eat healthily. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” is true. Crappy food might make you feel happy for a while but sooner than you think, the blues return along with feelings of guilt, shame, disappointment and fear.
Cut down on the booze. True, alcohol and other drugs can give us a massive temporary boost. But we’ve all suffered the morning after the night before 
The danger is we can become so addicted that life ceases to exist without a bottle or syringe in hand.
Read inspiring books and watch comedy. Check out Norman Cousins on how laughter can prevent and cure illness.
There are dozens of other ways to “turn on the light.”
Choose one, give yourself the chance to feel happier. People will thank you for it.