When you struggle to find your smile, Ryan Gosling is Kenough

If your World Happiness Day was more foul mood than merry milestone, there are ways to lift your spirits. Start by making that Gratitude Journal into a paper hat, says Kerry Parnell.

In case you missed it, it was World Happiness Day on Wednesday.

I hope your day was full of joy, because I forgot about the merry milestone and have been in a foul mood instead.

My week began badly, when the world’s conspiracy-theorists descended on me, after I

suggested everyone calm down over the #WhereIsKate mania, in last week’s column, in this

newspaper. They should have listened.

I’d like to think they feel contrite, now, following the announcement from the Princess of

Wales on Friday that she is undergoing chemotherapy, but I’m not going anywhere near X,

to be on the safe side.

I have been feeling seriously anxious about what is happening to humankind’s mental faculties and need to give myself a strategic digital detox.

Ryan Gosling steals the show at the Oscars. Picture: AFP

After a week of juggling work with assorted kids’ needs — you know, driving to Woop Woop

for a football match, knocking up a papier-mache balloon, breaking up 22 fights whilst

dressing a child as a Viking — I started to wonder where my marbles have gone, too.

So, excuse me if I wasn’t whooping with glee on Wednesday, or cheering the fact Australia

made the 2024 World Happiness Report’s Top 10 Happiest Countries list.

It squeaked in at number 10, two places ahead of the chuckling Costa-Ricans, but two spots behind laugh-a-minute Luxembourg.

Luckily, Thursday was National French Bread Day and I discovered baguettes make both the

perfect crunchy lunch and weapon, so things began to look up.

And in other good news, it’s still National Bed Month until Easter, which will also bring with

it a delivery of chocolate the size of me (i.e. not unsubstantial).

I know this, because I’ve already bought it.

Meanwhile, if we all work really hard to cheer up, we might be able to make Australia climb

the rankings for next year and — who knows — even overtake the smug Swedes, who are

always to be found perched near the top of the World’s Happiest Countries league table.

They came fourth, with Nordic nations taking out all of the top spots — Finland first, followed

by Denmark and Iceland. Must be all those herrings and hygge.

How can we achieve such happiness heights? With these fail-safe mood-lifting methods:

1) Stream Ryan Gosling, performing I’m Just Ken at the Oscars. It’s more than

Kenough to lift your mood.

2) Go for a walk, with no phone and no music. Listen to the birds tweeting/crazies

screeching, depending whether you are city or country. No matter which, real life

is way more interesting than reel life.

3) Perform Hugh Grant’s Oompa Loompa dance from Wonka. If you have small kids,

embarrass yourself and dance with them; if you have teenagers, embarrass

them. Both options are a Doompety-Do.

4) Watch Bluey. Any episode will do, apart from Sleepytime, or when you get to

Chilli’s “Remember I’ll always be here for you, even if you can’t see me,” line

you’ll suffer a major setback.

5) Finally, get yourself a Gratitude Journal and make it into a paper hat. You can

thank me later.

twitter.com/kerryparnell