Do you remember that invigorating but somewhat nerve wracking “first day of school” feeling that comes at the beginning of each academic year? Even if you finished your formal education years ago, the end of summer remains a great time to contemplate the new beginnings that lie ahead. And since August is also Happiness Happens Month, it’s also an opportunity to evaluate whether your current course is helping you find fulfillment.  Starting a new project or setting a new goal might be the fresh start that you need to feel invigorated, productive, and happy. Here are a few ideas that might increase your happiness during this back to school season:

Help Someone Else

Generosity can be a rich source of satisfaction. A white paper by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkley stated, “Giving social support—time, effort, or goods—is associated with better overall health in older adults, and volunteering is associated with delayed mortality.” The paper even noted that being generous can play a role in preventing workplace burnout.  Your efforts to be generous don’t have to be elaborate or consume a lot of time. Setting a goal to do something small for someone else every day or every week is a good way to get into a giving mindset.

Learn Something New

Learning new things can stimulate your brain, give you a sense of accomplishment, and spark ideas for how you would like to move forward in your life or career. Your learning project could be something as simple as picking up a nonfiction book or something as ambitious as signing up for classes at a local college. If you want to explore learning and growing opportunities on a personal level, connecting with a certified coach is an excellent place to start.

Get Social

Remember when you were a kid and you always looked forward to seeing your friends at school after summer vacation? As important as friendships are for children, they’re also vital for happiness during adulthood. True friends have the potential to help you increase your happiness, boost feelings of self-worth, cope with difficulties, and conquer bad habits. It’s easy to fall out of touch with old friends, but giving them a call or arranging to spend time together can do wonders for health and happiness.

Are you ready to go back to school — either literally or metaphorically? Starting something new could increase your happiness.