13 Surprising Ways to
Make Happiness a Habit
You know how some people seem to be happy no matter what
happens to them? They always have a positive outlook on life. They seem to
enjoy things more than you and me, and their relationships with people thrive
in a way that we only imagine. You’ve probably wondered what it is about them
that makes happiness so easy for them. Well it turns out there is no special
trick to happiness. Just like anything else, it’s just something that we have
to learn to make a habit. Incorporate the following 14 behaviors into your
daily life and you’ll find that happiness habits surround you.
1. Change
Your Perspective
There are
plenty of reasons to not be happy. Someone cut you off on the way to
work. You got a ticket. You made a bad grade or got a less than
stellar performance review, etc. The interesting thing about not feeling
happy when these things happen is that you aren’t in control. You have
chosen to let external forces dictate how you feel about life. When you
learn that you have control over these things, simply by changing your
perspective, the whole world changes. For example, take the “someone cut
you off on the way to work” scenario. By making an excuse for that
person, such as that they are rushing to get their pregnant wife to the
hospital (or some other emergency), you excuse their wrongdoing and are not
negatively affected by it. Hopefully they make it to the hospital in time
and bring a beautiful child into the world. It turns out Your Perception IS Your Reality.
2. Get
Some Sunlight
Sunlight makes
us happy. UV rays hit the skin and the body begins to produce vitamin D (
vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression, among other things).
When the sunlight hits your eyes it signals to your brain to slow down
secretion of melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep), and increases
secretion of serotonin (a hormone associated with happiness and wakefulness).
What does all of this mean? Getting more sun will make you happier.
If you aren’t getting at least 15 minutes of sun exposure on your skin
per day, it’s a good idea to try and get out more. Take a walk during
lunch, sit outside for a few minutes instead of watching TV. Make time
for it.
3. Make a
Life List
Life lists are
awesome. They are the theme park of life planning. Think about the
things you want to experience and accomplish before you die. While it may
sound like a morbid pursuit, it’s actually pretty life changing and
inspirational. Especially when you make plans to start checking things
off your life list.
4. Learn a New
Hobby
Hobbies are fun
ways to experience happiness. Whether you love to cook, play games,
paint, or anything else, the joy of learning a new hobby is one of the most
enjoyable endeavors you can embark upon. When starting a new hobby, focus
on the joy of just experiencing something new. There is something magical about
being a “newbie,” because with every experience there is something to be
gained.
5. Focus on
Appreciation and Gratefulness
Learning to
show appreciation and to be grateful for what you have is, in itself, a reward.
People who express appreciation and take time be grateful are happier and
have more positive outlooks on life. Start with a simple experiment. Every
night before you go to bed, write down something that happened throughout the
day that you are grateful for. It wont take long before that habit
changes your entire perspective.
6. Meditate
Regularly
While
meditation often gets the reputation of being spiritual and strange to those
who don’t partake, it has benefits for practically everyone who gives it a real
chance. I don’t see meditation as spiritual. I see it as therapeutic.
I sit quietly for 5-10 minutes per day (I don’t time it‒I just do it), and
focus on me. Sometimes I close my eyes; sometimes I don’t. But I
focus on my breathing, I take stock on how I feel (physically and mentally),
and I visualize what my day is going to look like. It’s almost like a
pre-game ritual. Try it. You wont be disappointed.
7. Embrace
Your Fears
Fear is one of
the big zappers of happiness. Fear leads us to worry, causing stress and
a focus on negativity. One way to stop fear is to begin welcoming it into
your life. Obviously you don’t want to jump into the deep end on this
one, but start small and start tackling your fears. You’ll find yourself
stronger, more confident, and happier with every fear tackled.
8. Smile More
Where I live,
it’s a common occurrence to exchange smiles with anyone you come into contact
with. I’ve traveled enough to know this isn’t a common practice everywhere, but
I think it should be. Smiling is easy to do, feels good, tells your brain
you’re happy, and can be the one happy thing the receiver of your smile sees
that day. You can brighten up the lives of people around you with just a
flash of your pearly whites. With that kind of power comes great
responsibility. Use it, and use it often!
9. Exercise
Regularly
There are
numerous benefits to exercise. I’m sure I don’t have to convince you of
that. Stress relief, health benefits, etc. But my personal favorite
benefit is the release of endorphins. They are natural pain and stress
relievers, and they make you feel great. I didn’t believe in the
endorphin rush, or Runner’s High, as it’s commonly referred, until I started
running. Now I can’t get enough.
10. Embrace
Your Negativity
Some people
swallow and repress the negative thoughts and feelings they have, thinking this
will somehow make them happier. Unfortunately, it always seems to come
back, manifesting in stress, physical pain, or otherwise. The truth about
the negativity is that it’s necessary to understand and accept that sometimes
bad things happen. Sometimes you will be stressed. Sometimes things
will happen that you have no control over. Understanding and accepting
this will reduce the stress you feel from repression, allowing you to get back
to the things that make you happy.
11. Challenge
Yourself
One of the
greatest things you can do in life is to set the bar high and then achieve.
By challenging yourself in ways that are achievable, but require work,
you continue to work hard and improve yourself, often times leading to the
outcome of being satisfied not with the accomplishment, but with the progress
that you’ve made simply by having the goal. Set challenging goals, and
then create realistic plans to achieve them. Every achievement becomes
another step on the staircase towards your greatest, happiest self.
12. Volunteer
Your Time
There is no
quicker way to feel happy than to help someone else, especially someone in need
of help. Volunteering your time is addicting, not just because you’re
helping people in need, but because you feel good doing it. It’s a
humbling way to honor humanity and be grateful for the blessings that you’ve
received. There’s tons of reasons for the good feelings associated with
volunteering, but suffice it to say it’s a no-brainer for both quick and
long-term happiness.
13. Posture and
Breathing
Sit up
straight, pull your shoulders back, and take a deep breath. Do it a few
more times. Feel that? Posture and breathing have a profound affect on
your outlook on life. In just a few moments, hunching and taking weak,
shallow breaths can sap the life right out of you. Focus on sitting up with
your shoulder back and taking deep breaths as often as possible, and you’ll be
happier throughout the day.
Ibrahim Husain
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/13-surprising-ways-make-happiness-habit.html?ck_subscriber_id=168781672
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