Do you feel like life gets you down more often than not? Do you dread waking up the next day?
Life doesn’t have to be that way. Just by implementing good habits and routines in your everyday life, you can feel happy and content.
Follow the 7 simple habits this article discusses, and eliminate the question of how to be happy from your mind for good.
What Is Happiness?
Happiness is defined as the state of joy.
But what does that exactly mean for you?
Well, it depends. Happiness means different things to different people. For some, it is the peace and quiet; for others is the laughter of their kids.
You can say that you are happy when you feel satisfied and positive about the events in your life and the direction your life is heading towards.
Although the feeling of happiness is, to an extent, impacted by the outside forces you cannot influence, there are many ways you can change your outlook on life and feel more optimistic.
How to Be Happy?
Look deep down into your soul and discover things that make you truly happy. Once you know what brings you joy, start incorporating it into your everyday life.
Do what makes you feel good, and you will feel true happiness.
This, of course, sounds really simple and easy, but who says it has to be something complicated?
Most of the things that make people feel joy are small and simple, and that’s the real beauty of it.
“It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.” – George Elliot.
7 Simple Habits to Improve Your Day
To help you along your happiness journey, we bring you a list of 7 simple habits that will improve your daily life and make you more content.
These habits have been proven to help you balance out your stress levels, make you more relaxed and healthy, thus making you much happier every day.
Just make sure you don’t give up too quickly. Keep in mind that it takes anywhere between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit, so give yourself enough time to truly test these habits.
Read through them and work to implement some of them into your daily routines. Routines make you stick to your goals and free up your mind for other, more important things that have a bigger impact on your life overall.
1. Wake Up Early
Try to wake at least half an hour before you need to in the morning. This will give you enough time to slowly get ready for a new day.
Mornings are perfect for enjoying quiet time by yourself. Use this extra time to do things that will calm you and prepare you for a successful day at work.
Whether it be reading for a bit, journaling, or exercising, make sure you use your time to do something good for yourself.
2. Enjoy Your Breakfast
Since you woke up earlier, you don’t really have any excuses to skip breakfast.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason. A healthy and balanced meal in the morning starts your metabolism and keeps your energy levels in check.
A good example of a healthy breakfast is oatmeal. Oats are a very good source of fiber, especially beta-glucan, and are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They go well with a number of other ingredients, such as fruit, seeds, or yogurt, so you can make them to your own liking.
Enjoy your healthy breakfast and take time to properly chew it and taste it.
3. Start a Gratitude Journal
Gratitude practice is something that will help you be more optimistic and thankful for all the things you have in your life.
It has been proven that gratitude increases long-term happiness, improves sleep and physical health, and strengthens your relationships.
Start your day by writing 5 things you are grateful for in your gratitude journal. They don’t have to be big things; they can be something as simple as good weather.
Some days it can be hard to think of anything. On those days, you might want to take a look at this list of things to be grateful for to find inspiration.
4. Take a Lunch Break
Never skip lunch break at work; it’s there for a reason.
Take this time midday to relax your eyes from the computer and take a short walk to stretch your body. Eat a nice, healthy meal to fuel your brain, and hang out with your co-workers.
Don’t worry, work will wait for you, and you will perform much better if you give yourself a chance to relax for a bit.
5. Introduce Movement
Humans are not made to sit all day. Introduce movement into your everyday life.
It can be something as simple as walking to work, taking the stairs, or stretching in the morning. Or, if you feel up to it, it can be a challenging workout like lifting weights, running, or CrossFit.
Find what you like and stick to it.
Exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. You will feel much better after a workout, both physically and mentally.
In addition to that, after a hard exercise, your body will get tired, and you will sleep much better.
6. Spend Time with Your Loved Ones
Turn off your phone and give your undivided attention to your loved ones. Spend some quality time with your housemates each day.
Do the things you love to do together, play board games, talk about your day, or simply watch a TV show together.
Spending time with the people you truly love will always make you feel much better, and remember that they are the ones who deserve your time.
7. No Phone One Hour before Bed
Good sleep is something that a lot of people struggle with but influences our mood a lot. Sleep deprivation causes you to be more anxious and stressed and have less concentration at work.
Your phone can be a reason for your bad sleep. When you check your phone, it keeps your brain awake and postpones sleep.
Also, the blue light from the phone screen suppresses melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle.
That’s why it’s important to start a habit of not using your phone an hour before bed.
Going to bed should be a peaceful and happy experience. If you make it that way, you will be much rested in the morning, and therefore happier.
Final Thoughts
Here are just some of the ideas on how to be happy in your daily life.
Simple living enables you to turn to everyday tasks and find joy in small things.
By implementing any of these habits into your daily routine, you will not only feel happy but also at peace and accomplished.
