How to Be Happier
Many of us struggle with finding happiness, staying happy, and maintaining a stable mentality that allows us to consistently feel good and motivated. During difficult times especially, it’s often easy to lose sight of one’s goals and dreams, and to fall down into a negative spiral.
Although achieving happiness isn’t easy, there are many activities and habits that can help increase happiness and emotional resilience over time, leading to an overall happier wellbeing.
1. Gratitude
When I was going through a period of depression in my life, I decided to start a gratitude log, where I wrote down three positive things that happened each day. Though it can be hard to come up with that many, it doesn’t have to be anything big or out of the ordinary. Many of the things I decided to write about were as simple as good weather, or eating something that I really liked.
Over time, I noticed my negative thoughts shifting to more positive ones, and I began to perceive the world and everyone in it in a better light. This daily exercise really changed my perspective and made me a lot happier and less judgmental about my circumstances.
Gratitude is powerful is because it rewires the subconscious part of the brain responsible for your emotions and mindset. Many studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed.
Related post: The Life-Changing Power of Gratitude
2. Exercise
Exercise is a quick way to improve happiness, releasing endorphins that make you feel good. Even 15 minutes of exercise can reduce stress and improve mood. Consistency provides better results long-term.
Harvard research showed that walking or running for 15 minutes daily reduces depression by 26%. Regular exercise helps maintain good mental health, preventing relapses.
3. Eating the Right Foods
Having adequate nutrients and avoiding deficiencies is vital for good mental health and true happiness. It’s the most critical factor, as gut microbiome issues can persist if not addressed.
The gut produces 90% of serotonin receptors, which regulate mood and mental health. Food significantly influences the gut microbiome, but stress or meditation also have an impact.
Thus, paying attention to what you eat and the nutrients or additives in your daily diet is crucial. It can significantly affect your overall wellness and mental health.
Best Dietary Practices
Eat unprocessed whole foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Avoid processed and packaged foods
Avoid additives like artificial flavors, dyes, or preservatives
Avoid sugar and white flour
If consuming meat, choose lean meats like chicken or fish over red meat
Eat foods containing probiotics such as plain unsweetened kefir or sauerkraut
4. Getting Enough Sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep undeniably affects one’s wellness and overall health. Thus, it is a critical aspect to consider when assessing mood and mental wellbeing. Lack of sleep leads to trouble concentrating, lethargy, drowsiness, brain fog. It can also contribute to poor physical health, mood swings, irritability, and less positive emotions overall.
To combat this, get a total of 7-9 hours of sleep a night, at least 80% of the time. An occasional sleepless night won’t make a huge difference in your overall wellbeing, however. Thus, there’s no need to get too worried about getting sleep. Overthinking may only worsen the issue.
5. More Time with Others
Humans are social creatures. We are wired to form connections with others, and the need for social interaction is an essential part of our wellbeing. Research has shown that social connections can have a powerful impact on our emotional state, and that having strong relationships with others can lead to greater feelings of happiness.
One of the key ways that spending time with others contributes to happiness is through emotional support. When we have people in our lives who we can share our thoughts and feelings with, we feel more understood and validated. Having people who care about us provides a sense of comfort and security. This can help us cope with life’s challenges and make us feel less alone.
In addition to emotional support, social connections also play a role in our mental health. People who have a strong support system are less likely to experience depression and anxiety. They are also likely to have a greater sense of self-worth. Having others we can rely on helps us feel more positive and confident.
6. More Time in Nature
Spending time in nature can have a profound impact on our happiness and wellbeing. Being immersed in the natural world can provide a sense of calm and tranquility. Additionally, it has been shown to have a number of positive effects on our mental and physical health.
More time in nature can provide immediate benefits such as bring a sense of peace and relaxation. Being surrounded by trees, plants, and wildlife can help to distract us from our daily worries and stressors, and allow us to let go of our constant mental chatter. The natural environment can help to quiet the mind. Providing a sense of stillness, it can be a powerful antidote to the fast-paced, busy lives many of us lead.
Nature also has been shown to have a positive effect on our mental health. Studies have found that spending time in nature can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing. Being in nature allows us to shift our focus away from ourselves and our problems, which can help to provide a sense of perspective and reduce negative rumination.
There are also endless physical health benefits to be found with more time in nature. The exposure to fresh air and natural light can improve sleep, boost the immune system and improve cardiovascular health. Many people find that activities such as hiking, swimming, or biking in nature can be invigorating and energizing, helping with reducing fatigue, stress, and anxiety.
It’s important to note that the benefits of spending time in nature can be gained regardless of the duration of the visit, as even just a few minutes of exposure to nature can have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
7. Meditation
Meditation is a practice that has been used for thousands of years to promote mental and physical health. It involves sitting in a quiet place and focusing your attention on a specific object, such as your breath, a mantra, or a visualization.
There are many different types of meditation, but one of the most popular is mindfulness meditation. This type involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgment. It can help you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, and can improve your ability to focus and concentrate.
Research has shown that regular meditation can have a number of benefits for both your physical and mental health. It can lower blood pressure, improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and even boost your immune system.
Personally, I’ve seen a lot of success with meditation and it has been one of the reasons I’ve been able to overcome depression as well as anxiety, and become much happier and freer in my life. It’s a practice I would highly recommend to just about anyone struggling with depression or anxiety.
8. Consuming the Right Content
Consuming the right digital content such as YouTube videos that you watch, articles that you read, and posts you view online, can all make a huge difference in the way you think and feel. According to various studies, those who pay more attention to the news, particularly negative news, tend to feel less happy overall compared to those who consume different types of content.
I find that making it a priority to ensure that 80% of the content that I watch, listen to, and read are all helpful, educational, and bring me closer to reaching a goal has really changed my life in a huge way. It has not only helped maximize my efficiency and productivity, but also my happiness overall.
I’ve noticed that when I stay in bed most of the day, watching random videos that don’t add any value to my life, I tend to start feeling depressed and like I’ve wasted my day away. While it’s important to allow yourself to unwind at the end of the day, it’s critical to find ways to do so that aren’t detrimental to your mental health or pull you into a rut.
For this reason, I think it’s so important to pay attention to the content we consume and how it affects us in our day to day lives.
9. Doing the Things You Love
In my experience, I find that whenever I’m spending time doing the things I know I enjoy doing, such as engaging in hobbies like drawing, writing, creating a new craft that I can put to use in some way, cooking, or even something as simple as folding laundry or doing the dishes, I often feel much happier than when I’m spending time on mindless activities that suck up my energy and attention.
Continuing off the last point, I believe it’s critical to avoid getting sucked into addictive behaviors like mindless scrolling online or actions that prevent feeling boredom. It’s when we feel boredom that we often begin to ask ourselves important questions such as the things we want in life, and really begin to wonder who we are and start to discover ourselves. Great ideas and bouts of inspiration often first require a healthy amount of boredom to spark.
Related post: 5 Ways to Discover Your Passion in Life
10. Working on Goals
When you have a specific destination in mind of where you want to go, as well as a plan to get there, it becomes infinitely easier to sit down and get started, especially when you see the whole roadmap in front of you. Having all the steps laid out, being able to see how exactly you will accomplish the dream you have in mind, makes the entire process much easier and much more exciting.
When I sit down to work on my goals and am productive with my time, I always find that I’m much happier and end up feeling much better at the end of the day than when I don’t use my time effectively. It’s not always easy to devote yourself to your goals, especially when there’s other things you’d rather be doing, but the sacrifice is well worth it.
11. Finding a Purpose
When it comes to living a fulfilling life, having a sense of purpose is crucial. A purpose can be defined as a set of values or goals that provide direction and meaning to one’s life. Research indicates that having a purpose can lead to greater levels of happiness and wellbeing.
Having a purpose can also lead to increased motivation and engagement in life. When we have a clear understanding of what we want to achieve and why, we are more likely to put in the effort to make it happen. This sense of motivation can allow for greater productivity, achievement, and satisfaction in our lives.
In addition to these benefits, having a purpose can also lead to greater social connection and engagement. With a sense of purpose, we are more likely to find and connect with others who share our values and goals. This can thus lead to a greater sense of community and belonging, which is an important contributor to happiness overall.
Also, having a purpose can be a source of resilience and mental strength. In difficult times, having a sense of purpose can give us the strength and determination to keep going, and can also help us to find meaning in the daily struggles and challenges we face.
Finding happiness in life isn’t always easy, and it often takes a lot of hard work and consistent effort in order to achieve, but with the right habits and strategies, you can make it very possible and live an enjoyable, fulfilling, and satisfying life too.
Related post: 6 Tips to Find the Right Path in Life
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