Happiness is not a volatile feeling. It is much more than the joy that one can feel, for example, when buying a new pair of shoes or winning a raffle. Happiness depends on a whole other factor: on you.
Life circumstances, such as workplace, salary, and religion, contribute only 10% to our happiness. The next 50% of our happiness depends on our genes. But, the remaining 40% are influenced by our daily thoughts and actions, over which we have influence. This means you can learn to be happy.
Who wouldn’t want to feel happier and more relaxed? Unfortunately, people are often dragged down with stress, anxiety, and overthinking. Is this your case? Let’s see what you can do about it.
1. Put your well-being before your professional life as often as possible
Of course, there are exceptions (when your responsibilities require you to take a few minutes out of your sleep time to answer an important email, for example) and that’s okay, as long as you make the distinction between work and the person you are. Don’t reduce yourself to what you do for a living and what you earn.
2. Focus on the present, forgive yourself for your past, and avoid future worries.
The only thing that belongs to us is the present. The past is immovable, and the only way to make it “correct” is through the changes we put in place every moment of our lives to end up generating a different and better future.
Focus on the present and begin to fully enjoy every moment of your life. Many times regrets about the past or concerns for the future, steal a present. If you look at it in the right way, every moment of our life is a new opportunity to start over and create in the process an exciting adventure full of special moments –which in most cases depend on the attitude towards life.
3. Have 3 positive experiences for every negative experience
This is one of the best habits that we should adopt and practice without fail. As the subtitle says, it’s just about having three positive experiences for every negative experience. It’s that simple.
The goal is to cleanse the mind and soul of what remains after experiencing something bad. A negative experience generates an echo. It can undermine our mood for a whole day, or even longer. By compensating for it with three positive experiences, the residue of what was bad is dispersed.
4. Start Each Day With a Positive Expectation
Our expectations are important in determining our emotional states. Some hope that everything will go wrong, and usually, they end up seeing such thoughts turn into a self-fulfilling “prophecy”.
Decide to start each day hoping and trusting that everything will turn out well. Tell yourself: “Today I have the feeling and the confidence that everything is going to be fine”… With this attitude, you maximize the possibilities of attracting into your life the situations, contacts, relationships, etc… that can help you. Positive expectation is an extremely powerful element in creating positive forward momentum in your life.
5. Find happiness in everyday simplicity
Prove to yourself that in the end, you need little to experience incredible things. No need to spend a fortune on ingredients to prepare a good meal. In fact, you don’t need anything more than what you already have to start living the life you dream of. Why? Because it is rooted in you, and you just have to activate it by changing your vision of things.
6. Find an activity that allows you to meditate
If the lotus position isn’t your cup of tea, find something else. You need to be able to feel in tune with yourself, and the present moment. Take a car ride, windows down and favorite music, dance in your room every day, or start painting –whichever works for you.
7. Take a Walk in Nature
Whether it’s to clear your head or to stretch your legs, there’s nothing like a good walk in a nearby park or forest. Whether alone or accompanied, it’s the perfect time to cut yourself off from noise and traffic, breathe in the slightly cooler air, and admire the pretty colours of mother nature.
8. Surround Yourself with Inspiration
You can find inspiration in people, in places, or just in your daily life. Whether it’s a beautiful piece of art, your best friend, or a beautiful landscape, be sure to immerse yourself in the things that inspire you. Being inspired will make you happy, that’s for sure.
9. Be Honest
There is nothing more rewarding than others trusting you and your honesty. Being authentic is, without a doubt, the one thing the happiest people often do. Even if the feedback is not immediate, being honest makes you happy because it avoids a lot of problems and unnecessary conflicts.
10. Take time to slow down
When you are constantly running after your activities and your schedule, you are often disconnected from what you are doing. You are always thinking about the next task, about what you will do… in 30 minutes, in an hour. Slow down and capture the present moment.
Be aware of what you are doing when you are doing it. Return to the Here and Now. Stop thinking about the future to focus all your attention on the present moment. This practice makes it possible to rejoice in simple happiness.
11. Do nothing for a while
Each day is full of activities – work, commuting, meeting with friends, watching TV…People are trying to fill every minute of their time with some action. But where is the time just for yourself?
Reserve at least fifteen minutes a day for doing nothing (literally – not even watching videos or listening to music). This time will help you to relax, calm down your emotions and be alone with your thoughts.
