How to be happy? It begins with cultivating simple joys and accepting the fact that happiness isn’t something that we must maintain all of the time. What makes people happy? Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that we often overlook.
You might be surprised by how making small changes in our daily habits can significantly affect our own happiness. Such small changes can start with our mental health and how much self-care we do! With those things in mind, let us introduce you to some easy ways through which you can create more happiness in your life.
The Importance of Looking After Your Mental Health
Many of us often make the mistake of only taking action when we begin feeling the symptoms or effects of an illness. This is especially true when it comes to our mental health. How many times have you pushed yourself too hard, only to end up burnt out? While we all have our personal struggles, we would be able to avoid its negative effects through proper mental hygiene.
What is Mental Hygiene?
This is the practice of being proactive about taking care of your mental health. It follows the concept of “prevention is better than cure” and encourages people to take the necessary steps early on, instead of after the fact. Happy people understand this concept well. They won’t hesitate on taking a day off to recharge. It could also mean getting counseling as opposed to denying that you’re experiencing issues.
The Dangers of Toxic Positivity
Have you heard of the term “toxic positivity”? If you haven’t, it refers to any excessive overgeneralization when it comes to staying optimistic across different situations. It’s someone telling you how to pretend to be happy and essentially invalidating your very human emotions.
While gratitude is great, we must never deny our feelings or mask it just to seem like we’re doing well. Like we’ve established earlier, balance is important if we want to learn how to be happy. As humans, we are flawed and prone to many cycles of emotions. We get angry, sad, jealous, and even greedy. Sometimes, life brings us down and no amount of happy thoughts can make us feel any differently.
All of that is completely okay! It doesn’t mean that you’re being ungrateful or selfish. Remember, it’s all part of an authentic human experience. Don’t think ill of yourself for having these negative feelings!
Signs of Toxic Positivity
- Dismissing your emotions.
- Experiencing guilt for feeling negativity.
- Invalidating or minimizing someone else’s experiences by pushing them to stay happy or always have happy thoughts.
- Telling someone that things “could be worse” instead of validating what they are going through.
- Shaming others for expressing their frustration and not staying positive.
- Someone teaching you how to pretend to be happy.
- Brushing off things that make you uncomfortable because “it is what it is.”
One of the most important things many of us have to learn is that our feelings and experiences are all valid. People who have gone through difficulties don’t just become happy instantly. In fact, suppressing these things can be bad for your health!
As Carl Jung once said, “I’d rather be whole than good.” To be happier, it is important to process your feelings before you can truly move past it. The more you keep distressing feelings hidden, the more tension you create in your body. This can manifest in the form of:
- Headaches
- Heart ailments
- Muscle pain
- Depression
- Anxiety
As part of practicing proper mental hygiene, avoiding toxic positivity is also a must. This is a happy science proven fact.
How to Be Happy – Mood Boosting Habits
The things we do daily can significantly affect the level of our happiness. How to be happy again? Create habits meant to cultivate and enhance it. Of course, it takes both time and work, but if there’s one thing to invest on, it’s this.
According to experts, it takes 66 days for a habit to really stick. You can make this happen by focusing on small everyday acts that take little to no effort to do. Books on how to be happy will also provide you with these examples:
Always Make Your Bed Upon Waking Up
This small act can help set the tone for your day. Instead of immediately reaching for your phone, leave the device on your night stand and proceed to tidying up! This is key if you want to learn how to live alone and be happy, too.
Exercise Regularly
How to be happy all the time? While not always possible, simple things such as exercise can help. If you have time during mornings, squeeze in a half-hour exercise or go for a run. You can also try stretching. These activities boost serotonin levels in our bodies, which also helps balance our moods! This is also key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Make Time For Breaks
It doesn’t matter if you’re working, studying, or doing stuff around the house. Pushing yourself for the sake of productivity can lead to heightened stress, which is bad for the body. If you feel yourself losing focus, pause for 10 to 15 minutes. This should be enough time to help you gather your thoughts and refocus on your tasks.
Pay Attention to the Process, Not the Results
How to be happy at work? Rushing towards the finish line will only exhaust you mentally and physically. By focusing on what you’re doing, you can keep yourself grounded in the present. This helps you avoid any distractions or worry caused by fixating on what might or might not happen.
Keep Your Caffeine Intake Within the Minimum
How to be happy always? You can start with eating healthy food. Yes, food can also affect our moods! Coffee actually increases stress levels and might make you more anxious than usual. If you really need to get your daily dose, keep it to a single cup.
How to Be Happy – The Benefits of Journaling
Writing down your thoughts is a great way to organize the clutter in your mind. Think of it as applying Marie Kondo and her decluttering techniques to your mind! It sounds difficult, but once you get into the habit, you’ll realize why so many happy people recommend journaling.
One of the most popular trends these days would be bullet journaling. There are many bullet journal ideas you can use, too. It can replace your:
- To-do list
- Daily, weekly, or monthly schedule
- Happiness or mood journal
- Dream journal
- Manifestation journal
Instead of overthinking because you think “I don’t know how to be happy,” try writing down those thoughts instead. In your journal, make it a habit to also write down a daily log of the following:
- Gratitude list. List down 10 things you’re grateful for throughout the day! You’ll be amazed at how much happier you’ll become after.
- Do you have “how to be happy quotes” or phrases that boost your motivation? Write them down.
- Money log. How much money do you need to be happy? Not much if you know exactly what your expenses are so you can avoid running out of budget.
In the beginning, you might find it hard to keep up with your journal. However, do your best to write in it daily. Eventually, it’ll become a habit and a part of your everyday routine.
How to be Happy – Why Self-Care Matters
What comes to mind when you think of self-care? For some, it’s the act of pampering oneself. For others, it could mean cutting connections and relationships that are no longer healthy for us. In some cases, it also takes on the form of the little hobbies we indulge in. A prime example of which is the cottagecore lifestyle. It teaches you how to live a simple life and be happy.
Self-care is important because we need to nurture a healthy relationship with ourselves. How to be single and happy? Focus on yourself. Isn’t it true that we often neglect our own needs because we prioritize other things? Making money, impressing others, and catering to our partner’s needs all the time are just a few of the instances where this happens. At the end of the day, you can feel drained by these things.
How Self-Care Helps
By practicing self-care, we are able to restore the connection between our mind and body. It can promote happiness, because in doing it, you learn to put yourself and your own needs first. The practice will teach you that it is not selfish to say “no” and how to create boundaries even within your closest relationships.
You’ll find more happiness when you’re able to do things for yourself, and not for others’ validation. Self-care will make you appreciate your own merits. To put it simply, self-care is self-love. What could bring you more happiness than that, right?
How to Be Happy – It’s Time to Be Your Own Best Friend!
How to be happy on your own? There’s a lot of things you can learn with just yourself for company. Some people are able to do it naturally, while there are those who struggle a bit. What you need to remember is that becoming more comfortable with being alone is quite a beautiful journey.
How to be happy by yourself? Here are some tips to help you make the most of it.
Step Back From Social Media
It’s safe to say that social media is not inherently problematic; the issue is in our relationship with it and how we use it. There’s no denying the ill effects it has had on people’s mental health and overall happiness. It can cause anxiety or depression, especially when you’re prone to comparing your life to what you see on these websites.
How to be happy and positive? Limit your social media use. Instead, focus on blooming without the need for an audience. What truly matters is how you feel about yourself and the life you’re living. Make changes as you see fit, but don’t try to conform to the “ideal” that social media is presenting you with.
Learn New Things
How to be happy without friends? While certain activities are more fun to do with friends, try learning new things on your own as well. Stepping out of the box on your own can really help boost both your self-esteem and happiness.
How to be happy alone? Pick up a new hobby or attend classes. It will be awkward at first, but you’ll also learn plenty about yourself in the process. Personal growth always comes with a degree of discomfort.
Find the Joy in Doing Nothing
Learn how to be happy with what you have. For many of us, being busy has become the new symbol of success. If you have a lot on your plate, then it must mean you’re doing well. However, this isn’t the case at all.
When was the last time you took time off and just did nothing? Don’t associate your happiness with the amount of work you accomplish. Just because you’re not busy, it doesn’t mean you’re missing out. Give your body and mind that break it deserves.
Learn how to be happy with yourself. Stay at home, lay in bed, and zone out. Let your mind wander or indulge a daydream. All of these things are necessary for a balanced lifestyle. So go on, hit that snooze button on the weekends, and stay in bed a bit more.
Finding Happiness at Work
How to be happy at work? We get it, there are many things to consider when it comes to happiness in the workplace. However, much like daily life, you can also cultivate certain habits that will help make your nine to five happier. Keep these tips in mind:
Declutter Your Workspace
It doesn’t have to be organized to a Marie Kondo level, but keep it clutter free. Did you know that your immediate environment is a reflection of your mindset? Keeping things tidy will not only make things easier for you to find, but it will also minimize distractions.
If you are able to, add personal touches to your workspace. A few positive affirmations here and there, a photo of your beloved pet, or colors that make you feel relaxed can really help.
Meditate Before Work
Even while seated in your cubicle or desk, there are certain meditation techniques you can practice. Aside from happy thoughts, give this exercise a try.
- Straighten your posture. Keep your feet flat against the ground.
- Next, close your eyes. Breathe in deeply and slowly breathe out.
- As you do this, pay attention to the way your chest rises and falls.
- Should there be any intrusive thoughts, acknowledge their presence but let them fade into the back of your mind.
- If there’s a mantra you like, repeat it in your head as you continue with breathing deeply.
- Relax your shoulders and release any tension in your arms, and hands.
- If you feel ready, close the session with a quiet clap.
For those who may not have the right environment for a quick meditation, try our next tip instead!
Use the Stairs Whenever Possible
It’s an established happy science fact that movement wakes up your brain and gets your blood pumping. These are two things that will help you focus better as you begin work. Instead of riding the elevator all the way up, why not get off two floors early and walk the rest of the way? Even this quick exercise can give you a happiness boost thanks to the serotonin.
Communicate as Needed
Not only will this help you voice out any struggles or frustrations you might have, but it’ll let others know what your specific needs might be. You’ll be much happier after expressing yourself.
Of course, this is a two-way road so do listen as much as you speak. When there’s understanding between everyone in the workplace, the environment becomes much easier to navigate. It can be very stressful if you feel like you’re walking on eggshells all the time!
How to Be Happy After a Breakup
The end of any relationship, whether it be romantic of platonic, can be very difficult for most people. You begin to question yourself and overthink what had happened. Feelings of resentment, disappointment, and sadness can really weigh you down.
It may seem impossible to find happiness during this period. How to be happy after a break up? Give these tips a try:
Allow Yourself to Grieve
You don’t have to learn how to pretend to be happy. Masking the pain can worsen it. Instead, allow yourself to process through everything. As they say, there are five stages to it and you simply have to go through each one. These are:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Let yourself feel and cry as much as you want to! You’re not being weak by doing so. It’s simply a very human thing to do.
Pour Love Unto Yourself
How to be happy in a relationship again? You must also practice self-love. This means making sure that you don’t fall into thinking that you weren’t enough and that’s why things ended. This also means forgiving yourself for any shortcomings and moving on from it.
It is important to avoid harboring feelings of guilt. Doing so can profoundly affect your confidence and may even influence future relationships. Lastly, you must also constantly remind yourself that you are already whole and that the loss of a partner did not change that at all.
Do Not Place a Deadline on Your Healing
Doing so can add unnecessary pressure to the process. You might find yourself feeling frustrated and stressed if you think you’re not making any progress.
How to be happy being a single woman? Heal at your own pace. You may not always see your progress, but each day you work towards loving yourself more is considered a win.
Healing is not linear. It is often messy, with lots of highs and lows. All of that is completely normal and what matters most is that you continue!
How to be Happy – Mindset Matters
Have you heard of the Law of Attraction and Manifestation? These suggest that you can manifest anything into your life as long as you focus your thoughts on it. Some use it for more wealth, but it can also be used to create more happiness.
Try these simple practices:
- You don’t need to be happy all the time, but it is important to learn how to filter your thoughts. If you’re experiencing negative patterns of thinking, mindfulness can help. It will teach you how to put a stop to it, by simply injecting a dose of perspective. Remember, things are often worse in your head than it is in actuality.
- Whenever you feel melancholy creeping in uninvited, visualizing your happy place helps. Picture yourself achieving and receiving all that you’ve been working towards. You can also imagine yourself doing the things you’ve been dreaming of. Never underestimate the power of your imagination when it comes to boosting your serotonin!
How to be alone and happy? Remember that you have control over your mind and you can decide what stays and what doesn’t.
In Closing:
Sometimes, finding happiness can make you feel as if you’re stuck in a tug of war with yourself. How to be happy being alone? Just let life flow and find the good, even in your highs and lows.
There’s no single guide out there that will teach you everything you need to know on how to be happy. Most of the time, you will find the answers yourself. Just do what makes you happy and we hope our tips would help you navigate your way there!
