Happy first International Day of Happiness!

How will you celebrate today, the first International Day of Happiness?

It was last July that the United Nations first declared this day of happiness after “Recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world.” And while I’m still mulling over my options to honour the day, around the world there are a number of global happiness events taking place including:

• The London-based group Action for Happiness is encouraging people to ACT, namely A(ffirm) the pledge of happiness, C(heer) happy heroes and T(ake) part in the day.
• For fans of cuddling-induced happiness, Washington, D.C. will host a free hugs flash mob.
• In London, the group Wake Up London plans to spread happiness by sharing positive messages in public. Meanwhile London will also host a series of laughter yoga sessions.
• Portugal is kicking off its “31 days to Happiness” challenge today.
• In Los Angeles, Peru, Madrid and the U.K., the 2011 documentary film Happy is being screened.

Fortunately for the more introverted types, you don’t need to go shouting your joy from a rooftop today because it truly doesn’t take a lot to celebrate happiness. We’ve touched on a number of ways to increase your happiness here on the blog -- from taking a moment to be grateful for something in your life to volunteering to simply helping someone you spot in need. Or maybe performing a random act of kindness today is the way to go — from holding open a door for a mom with a stroller to the now-ubiquitous buying coffee for the person behind you at Tim Horton’s (can you think of any more Canadian way to celebrate happiness?). Either way, today is really just about the push to create a more positive, joyful world.

Want to know what’s going on today or share what you’re doing for happiness? Hop on Twitter and check out the #happyday hashtag to see what’s going on around the world. (And don’t forget to share it with us @chatelainemag or me @AstridVanDenB!)