You can't put a price on waking up on a Monday morning and feeling good about going to work. For most people, work is part of daily life so being miserable between 9:00 and 5:00 every weekday is the last thing you want.
Luckily, in 2015, two women started Happy Office, a company that helps employers increase happiness in the workplace to benefit their employees and from that excellent idea came International Week of Happiness at Work - a week-long event designed to spread happiness among employees all over the world.
Taking place from September 20th-26th, your employer (or company) can sign up to take part here. Popular events include putting on happiness breakfasts at the start of the work day or arranging runs/walks to boost positivity.
Another stalwart of the working day is coffee, which famously gives drinkers an energy boost and makes them more alert. But can it also make you feel happier?
Coffee improves your mood
Yep, it's true - coffee has been scientifically proven to increase wellbeing and brighten your mood.
When you drink coffee, caffeine blocks the receptors in your body that cause tiredness, forcing it to release chemicals which improve your mood and make you feel happier.
By stimulating the central nervous system, coffee can also act as an antidepressant. In a 2011 Havard study, people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day had a whopping 20% lower risk of suffering depression. Incredibly, two cups of coffee a day has also been shown to reduce the risk of suicide by 50%.
Coffee helps build work relationships
Everybody needs friends and, given the amount of time you spend with them, work friends are especially important.
Regular coffee breaks are the perfect opportunity to interact with your colleagues and form better relationships with them, which in turn helps create a happier work environment. Including newer members of staff in coffee break chats is a great way to help them settle in and feel more comfortable in their new role too.
Coffee is good for your body
Having a healthy, happy body is as important as having a positive mindset and coffee is among the best things you can ingest.
Because coffee is high in antioxidants (substances that protect your cells), regularly drinking it can help reduce the risk of:
cancers
suffering a stroke
Parkinson's disease
Type II diabetes
Alzheimer's disease
dementia
Coffee has even been shown to reduce the risk of premature death by 25% compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Furthermore, it is a popular performance enhancer among athletes because of its ability to help them exercise for longer by improving endurance and increasing muscular strength. It can also help you lose weight by boosting your metabolism and increasing fat burning, while some studies also suggest caffeine could reduce your appetite and help you eat less. And if you're happy in yourself, you'll be happier at work.
Why not have great coffee delivered to your work?
Whatever you do this International Week of Happiness at Work, ensuring there is plenty of coffee to go around your employees and colleagues is an excellent way to kick things off. At Cafe2U, our mobile cafes are available to bring our top quality coffees to offices all over the UK and you can find your nearest one here.