Six weeks before Christmas 2021, I bought a giant glitterball. Something compelled me to shell out a grand (yes, you read that right!) on a supersized ball of sparkle. Too heavy to hang, it disco-dazzled a corner of my sitting room for three years until I finally twigged.
The universe was sending me a message: Find. Some. Joy. (To ram it home, the woman who’d sold me the ball was named Joy.)
Life had been fifty shades of grim and I’d forgotten that happiness was all around, if I just took the trouble to look. So, as we welcome a new year, I asked 19 people what little things make them happy. Enjoy.
Spending time with my kids. If they need a lift somewhere, I’ll stop at a drive-thru and get them a hot chocolate. I’ll have a tea, and we’ll sit in the car and talk. That makes me really happy. It also makes me happy to do Wordle and Spelling Bee with them. I try to get some exercise in most days because it helps my mood and my overall sense of well-being and happiness. Minding my sister Rachel’s baby makes me happy. It all boils down to love and connection –being with people you love and who love you.
Laura Dowling exercising in her kitchen. Photograph: Moya Nolan
Spending time with my dog, especially outdoors; going on a walk on a sunny day in Carrigaline or Crosshaven and ending with some fish and chips from our favourite chipper. I also love dancing and singing to my favourite songs, there’s a certain joy that comes with doing that.
Monica Peres Oikeh
Apart from chocolate, family, my dog and friends, I get really excited about opening the box of a new pair of shoes!
Aoife Dunican, The Style Bob
The three blessings: breathing, cold, and meditation. I try to get up early in the morning, before the madness of the house kicks in, and I do about 10 or 20 minutes of breathwork. That sets me up for the day.I follow it with meditation which, for me, is like a wrestling match with the mind. But afterwards, I always feel so clear and focused. Then, during the day, you’ll find me in the cold, in the ice bath, in the sea, or maybe in a cold shower at the end of a hot one.
NÃall Ó Murchú on Portmarnock beach
Unplanned moments of happiness are my husband and kids howling with laughter at my appalling card-playing ability, or seeing my children and nieces and nephews together, absorbed in each other’s company. Some moments of happiness are more premeditated: book club and relishing thecompany of incredible women I’ve known for years; singing in a choir; a musical seisiún in the Long Valley, singing late into the night as the seasons change.
Paediatrician Dr Niamh Lynch
Movement has always been a source of happiness. It has to be exercise that you enjoy doing, and do without comparison and judgment. I love to box.
When you move the body, it activates incredible hope molecules. They are secreted by the muscles and make us feel more hopeful, more enthusiastic.
Oxytocin, a love hormone, is released when we hug somebody. My wife has enforced a rule that we hug regularly and every hug has to last longer than seven seconds. We can also increase oxytocin when we visualise someone we love, which I think is incredible.
I think most of our natural state of being is happy. When we’re stuck in worrying about the past, we’re stuck in the emotion of shame or guilt. If we’re worrying too much about the future, that’s fear and anxiety. Fear and love can’t coexist. So, sometimes, happiness is about letting go of the past. How do I stop worrying about the future, even for 60 seconds? How do I become present in this
Performance psychologist Gerry Hussey
I prime my brain every day to expect something good to happen. I say, ‘something great is going to happen today’. I’m not looking for someone to say, ‘here’s your Porsche’, I’m looking for it in the smallest of things. If my daughter gives me a kiss or someone says something nice about something I’ve done, I think ‘there is the gift of today’.
Our lives are an incredible miracle, and we can lose sight of that. If you’re always looking for something small, you have gratitude for every little thing that comes into your life. Then you’re moving towards being happy, I think.
Richard Hogan. Photograph: Moya Nolan
Sitting under a tree watching the leaves dappling in the breeze, swinging on a swing, or seeing the first bulbs come up in spring. It is about noticing those moments when they come, the time when everyone is laughing around the table in the kitchen, or the warm hug of my child before bed.
Each night at dinner, my family and I say the pit and the peak of our day, what was the worst part – to commiserate with each other – and the best part, so we can all share the joy.
Dr Philippa Kaye. Photograph: Liz Isles
 I adore coffee. I’ve spent years trying to drink it as quickly as possible. Now, I take that moment to enjoy it and take in a little solitude. It’s my time.
Dr. Sumi Dunne. Photograph: Naomi Gaffey.
The more I mature, the more I find happiness in the simple, everyday things. It’s a hug from my son or a roguish smile from my daughter, it’s the way my cat walks or the smell of the earth after rain, it’s a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate in a freshly made bed! It’s waking, knowing that I have the power to choose what kind of day I have, not that I can control it, but I can choose how to respond to it.
Happiness can be a choice and that can be hard to understand or to accept. It can be present even when there is loss or grief. Happiness is an inside job.
Hilary Rose in Realtaà na Gaeltachta
Going for a walk. These days, I don’t bring a listening device; I felt it took away my peace and quiet a bit. I can only control my own actions in this world, so I stay away from idiots as much as I can. But most of all, I hang out with the coolest guy in town, Ógie Ó Sé, my son.
RTE broadcaster Daithà Ó Sé.
A big part of happiness for us is not taking things too seriously. Steve and I do our best to be responsible while also keeping a youthful, playful curiosity about life. That means not getting too caught up in stress or perfectionism, allowing ourselves to laugh at our mistakes, and remembering that fun doesn’t have to be reserved for weekends or special occasions.
Dave Flynn of The Happy PearÂ
Usually, people come to see me because they’re not happy. Being a psychotherapist is such satisfactory work; people start off in one place and they end up in another place where they find contentment.
Investing in my relationship with myself is super important, especially because I am polyamorous. I have lots of people in my life, so it’s really important that I make time for investing in all the relationships I have in my life. No one is taken for granted.
Nourishing people brings me great joy. This might mean leaving freshly baked sourdough on the doorstep of a harried neighbour, dropping flapjacks into the school staffroom, or baking granola for a friend who feels poorly. In our strangely manic, time-starved era, cooking feels like a radical act of kindness and compassion.
More than ever, I feel we need to look out for members of our community who may need an extra hand or hug. So when I want to spread happiness, or if I need to quickly reach a happy space, I cook. A tray of almond butter brownies will fuel batteries as well as dimples! Not to mention a side of serotonin, as the giver.
As a nutritionist, the kitchen is my happy place. I love experimenting with new ingredients, testing recipes, and finding ways to make healthy eating simple and enjoyable. Cooking is more than just work for me, it’s a creative outlet and a way to bring people together around good food.
Living by the sea makes me very happy. There’s nothing better than getting up before the world wakes up and walking the coast, taking in the fresh air. It’s a moment of calm before the day begins.
Fitness is also a big part of my life. It keeps me grounded, clears my mind, and gives me the energy to take on whatever the day throws at me.
Botox makes us happy, because a) it makes you look good and b) it disrupts the neuropathways in your brain because you’re not able to frown as much, so it actually makes you happier [scientifically known as facial feedback theory].
We’re sisters building a health and wellness empire that aims to empower people. [With] our events, we hope to help people who are struggling with anything from fertility, veins or weight loss to osteoporosis, cardiovascular health, mental health and so much more. We’ve built up a panel of amazing experts across all sorts of medical fields to help point people in the right direction, so they can find educated answers and can help themselves. That’s what makes us happy. That, and a bottle of wine.
Liz and Nikki Dwyer
There are a couple of small things that I try and do each week, that really bring joy to my life. My daily dog walk, either on my own while listening to a podcast, or walking with my husband or a girlfriend, is definitely the best part of my day. Walking in nature, chatting/laughing and catching up with the latest news sets me up for the rest of the day.
Also, I recently reached out to my local cycle club to see if there were any beginner bike rides I could join. As a child, I loved cycling, but I’ve avoided it as an adult, as it can be precarious out there on the roads. Well, I cannot tell you how much pleasure it has given me. I feel like a little kid again, zooming down hills with the wind blowing in my face. I feel truly alive, happy and childlike again, it’s the best feeling in the world!
Katie Taylor, founder of The Latte Lounge
I find happiness in social connection, meeting people I love for tea and chats, or hanging out with my niece and nephews. We giggle at silly stuff, which is lovely.
I find happiness in going for a walk, in a boxing or PT session; exercising is when I can give back to myself and top up those endorphins.
Cooking makes me so happy. When I go into the kitchen, whether I’m creating a new recipe or making dinner for loved ones, I go into a kind of a flow state and I adore it.
What else makes me happy? Coming off my phone, which is probably a bit ironic for an influencer, but I find not being connected means I’m more connected with myself.
Trisha Lewis Photograph: Louis Tang
I’ve learned that happiness is such a misunderstood word, so often caught up with material success, achieving a goal or simply winning (whatever that happens to mean). In other words, a destination.
While achievement and accomplishment can be wonderful, sustainable happiness is found in the everyday journey of life itself.
For me, happiness is in the little things. Listening to birdsong in my garden, a warm sunny day. It is also the strong sense of purpose and fulfilment from helping others.
We make a living with what we get and make a life with what we give to others. Underpinning all of this for me is a strong sense of gratitude for my life and everything that I have been given. Being able to say ‘I am grateful’ and to mean it through your everyday actions is, for me, perhaps the best happiness booster of all.
Dr Mark Rowe at Mount Congreve Gardens in his native Waterford