It's our natural tendency to live life in a "time famine," always going from one thing to the next with no real moments of pause. As Agapi Stassinopoulos put it in a recent HuffPost blog, our actual task list isn't the problem, it's our glorification of it. "It's not that we are not busy and we don't have a lot to do, but it's as if our whole selves -- body, mind and spirit -- are being wrapped up in our daily to-do list and we utterly lose perspective of the whole picture," she wrote. Taking some time to relax can offer numerous health and happiness benefits -- so it's time to stop excusing ourselves from a little downtime。

我们总是自然而然地把生活过得过于紧凑，不停歇地从一件事转移到另一件。正如阿加皮·斯塔西诺普洛斯在近期的赫芬顿邮报博客中说的，我们的时间任务计划并没有问题，问题出在我们对于安排的修善。“并不是说我们不忙也不必要做很多事，但似乎我们整个身心——身体、思想、精神——都扑在我们每天计划要做的事情里，完全丧失了对事物的感知，”她如此写道。腾出一些时间去放松可以给我们带来很多健康愉悦的好处——因此是时候不再为自己的空闲找借口了。

If we're always plugged into our jobs, sooner or later burnout will catch up to us. Making some time for a vacation -- whether it's a week or a weekend -- not only has the potential to increase your happiness levels, but can provide the perfect opportunity to recharge. Ditch your phones, ditch your emails and just be. You'll be much more productive when you come back。

如果我们总是埋头于工作，迟早我们会被击垮。安排一些时间出来度个假——无论是一周还是一个周末——不仅仅会增加你内心的愉悦感，也是激活你身心的绝佳机会。不去理会你的手机你的邮件，就这样好好的给自己一个休息。当你回到工作时你会事半功倍。

That's not to say we should all be spending outside of our means, but when anopportunity of a lifetime comes into play -- why not grab it? Studies have shown that we are happier when we put our finances toward experiences not things. That weekly Chipotle habit or monthly sundress splurge may seem harmless at first, but wouldn't you rather indulge in one trip or concert of a lifetime instead?

那并不意味着我们应该把自己的钱都花出去，但如果生活中出现了一个娱乐消遣的机会——为什么不抓住它？研究表明经历支出比实物支出更让我们感到快乐。每周吃一次墨西哥风味快速便餐或者每月挥霍一件太阳裙一开始完全没有危害，但与其如此，你难道更不愿意去享受一次旅行或听一场演唱会吗？

How many times have we postponed our dreams? We become so bogged down by our to-do lists that we forget about our bucket lists -- and before we know it, a large chunk of time has passed. Studies have shown that having specific goals and going for them can boost our happiness. So whether it's that trip to Spain or just the aim to make someone smile, don't put it off until later. Besides, procrastination isn't really good for you, anyway。

有多少次我们搁置了自己的梦想？我们越来越受困于我们“不得不做”的人生清单，而忘记了自己的目标人生清单——在我们意识到的时候，大把时间已经过去了。研究发现拥有明确的目标并追求它们可以增加我们内心的快乐。所以不管是一次去西班牙的旅行还是一个只是为了让别人微笑的意图，别把它们搁置得太久。不管如何，拖延症会给你带来很多麻烦。

Trying new experiences can be scary -- but they also can be incredibly liberating. As author Jan Cloninger pointed out in a 2013 HuffPost blog, one of the most common reasons people don't meditate is because they say they don't know how and simply give up. "Mindfulness is something that is developed," she wrote. "Like anything else we try to master, it takes time and practice." The longevity of the phrase "practice makes perfect" isn't coincidental -- it exists because it's true. And once you try something (like meditating)， you'll better yourself and better your capacity to feel joy。

尝试新鲜事物也许让人害怕——但它们给人带来异常的释放感。正如作家Jan Cloninger 2013年在赫芬顿邮报的博客中指出，大多数人不去冥想的其中一个原因是他们不知道该怎么办，于是就轻易地放弃了。她说，“冥想是循序渐进的，就像我们想要掌握的其他技能一样，它也需要时间和多次练习。”“熟能生巧”是有道理的，一旦你开始尝试某件事(例如冥想)，你会提高自己，提高自己感知快乐的能力。