How can I be happier? This is a question I get asked all the time. We all want to be happy – however, happiness is not something that just happens automatically. But we all have the capacity to make small changes in our behaviour, our surroundings and our relationships that can help set us on the path for a happier life.
Here are 8 ways you can make that happen:
Practice positive self-talk
In order to create happiness and a sense of fulfillment in life we need to light the torch on the way we think. The power of our minds is astonishing – we create our reality depending on how we think. We can create a happy life simply by choosing joyful and positive thoughts. Or we can create the opposite by choosing negative and sad thoughts.
If you are a person who tends to focus on the negatives, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be stuck with an unhappy life forever. It is entirely up to you to shift from a negative mindset to a positive one. Become aware of your thoughts. If you feel bad, it’s because you’ve just chosen a negative thought. Write down all the negative thoughts you tell yourself and then change them into true, positive statements which you need to read to yourself every day. The more positive information you feed your brain, the better you will feel.
Focus on the good things in your life
Your mind always goes into the direction of your most dominant thoughts. If you focus on positive things, you will attract more of those into your life. If you focus on doom and gloom, you will attract more of that into your life.
Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude is focusing on what you have instead of what you don’t have. Write down everything that you have to be grateful for every day and reflect on it. Experience the joy and positive feelings that flow from it.
Surround yourself with positive people
Hang out with people who lift you up and who make you feel good. Don’t surround yourself with bitter, sad or negative people – this will bring you down.
Smile
Sometimes it can be as simple as putting a smile onto your face. Just try it out – smile and you will instantly notice that your mood is lifting.
Meditate
Meditation can be a simple way to improve your mood. You don’t even have to go to meditation classes – there are lots of easy ways to get started. You can just sit still and observe nature; you can concentrate on your breathing; you can quietly observe your thoughts; you can listen to guided meditation online …
Look after your body
Eating well and exercising regularly is fundamental to your wellbeing. It controls your weight, improves stamina, helps prevent disease, strengthens and tones your body and sharpens the mind. Create some healthy habits by finding exercises and healthy food you enjoy and make them as convenient and accessible as possible.
Make other people happy
Making someone else happy goes a long way to feeling good about yourself. There are so many things you can do – volunteer for a worthy cause, offer help to someone in need, leave a nice note for someone, spend quality time with someone, listen, compliment someone, just be there ….