ACHIEVING HAPPINESS IN FIVE EASY STEPS.

• Position: Attitude improving - Brief Article

If you don't have time to consult a psychiatrist each week, don't fret. You can achieve happiness without one, maintain Michael Mercer and Maryann Troiani, psychologists with the Mercer Group, Inc., Barrington, Ill., and authors of Spontaneous Optimism: Proven Strategies for Health, Prosperity & Happiness. To do so, they suggest the following:

Take big steps. "A super-fast way to boost your mood is simply to take big steps, walk faster, and stand tall," Troiani says. "In contrast, unhappy people shuffle their feet, take tiny steps, walk slowly, and slouch."

Detox your mind. "You can only keep one thought in your mind at a time," Mercer argues. "Happy, optimistic people obsess on cheerful thoughts of what they want, their aspirations, and indulge in dwelling on their successes. But unhappy, pessimistic people obsess on gloomy thoughts of how they could fall down and not get up."

Avoid emotional vampires. "Pessimistic and depressed people allow emotional vampires to suck their positive feelings right out of...