We’re baaaaaackkkkk!
February IS the happiest month of the year! Happiness Habits 613, a grassroots local wellness group, is back for another 29 days of free community experiences in February to dig deeper into cultivating happiness for the entire city. The nine pillars of happiness are showcased to everyone and anyone through free indoor and outdoor community events.
Why 29 days? It takes at least 21 days for the brain to embrace and lock in a healthy habit. Why February? It’s generally the most challenging month for people to get through with a smile on their faces and a glow in their hearts. What is a “healthy” habit? Feeling gratitude, creating meaningful experiences, connecting with nature, and being part of a community are examples that contribute to our happiness quotient.
Since 2015, Happiness Habits 613 has fostered community happiness through intentional, everyday actions. Happiness research tells us that 40 percent of our happiness stems from internal activities we can fully control, 10 percent is due to external factors, and 50 percent is from our genes. What we think, say, and do impacts our well-being.
Tamara Robinson and I are back for 2024 to provide the fun, connections and recipe for long-term happiness.
Tamara Robinson and Stephen Bierbrier. Photo: Happiness Habits 613.
Lots of new stuff this year, including collaborations with the Heart Institute Foundation, Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa Public Library, Hollyer House, Fjällräven, and The Second Place. We’re also hoping for the return of a fresh interactive Happiness art installation at Urban Art Collective (1088 Somerset St. W. in Hintonburg).
Here are our top picks for the 2024 events we are most looking forward to:
Tamara’s Top Picks
- Making & Serving a Community Meal at Hollyer House (3865 Old Richmond Rd, Bells Corners)
- Mindfulness Hike at Fletcher Wildlife Garden
- Happiness Book Club at Ottawa Public Library (Sunnyside branch)
- Happiness Habits 613 goes to Capital Sessions at the National Arts Centre
- Sunset Snowshoe at Gatineau Park
Stephen’s Top Picks
- Community Winter Pentathlon at Lansdowne Park (the kickoff event!)
- Happiness Hike with Megan
- Sunrise Snowshoe at Gatineau Park
- Happiness Yoga powered by Decathlon Ottawa
- Wrap Up Social at Mill Street Brew Pub
Happiness Habits is also thrilled to promote ongoing free (or close to free) community fitness and wellness events in February, including Creative Mornings, Ottawa Public Library movie nights, Ottawa Art Gallery art events, November Project, Ottawa City Run Club, Capital Sessions, Ottawa Bike Social, Simply Meditation, the National Arts Centre, Women of Colour Remake Wellness, The Lotus Movement, Black Ottawa Connect, Assembly of Seven Generations, Arboretum Hill Club, Mill Street Milers, Sunrise Trails… and on and on and on.
Tamara Robinson celebrates winter. Photo: Happiness Habits 613.
Happiness Habits loves how many events are linked to February, including Winterlude, Black History Month, the BougeBouge indoor 5K, the Gatineau Loppet, Somersault’s Embrace The Winter and Family Day.
Let’s celebrate it all… TOGETHER!
2024’s Happiness Habits launch event, the Community Winter Pentathlon, takes place Saturday, February 3, starting at 11am at Lansdowne Park. Tickets on Eventbrite are free, but there are only 100, and they are going fast.
Happiness Habits 613 is a grassroots volunteer-led initiative aiming to increase happiness and build community in the Ottawa and Gatineau areas. Info and events can be found on Facebook, Instagram, X and Eventbrite. Stephen Bierbrier is a community fitness advocate, runner, hiker, yogi, and cyclist. Tamara Robinson is a trail runner, registered holistic nutritionist, and fitness fashion influencer.
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