“Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes”. Charles Dickens In times like today, happiness feels like a privilege. In times like today, people fear happiness as they believe happiness comes with repercussions, that if they are going through a happy phase in their lives
life is going to kick them in the teeth soon.
To be happy, we need to understand what happiness is and where it comes from. Sonja Lyubomirsky, the author of the book ‘The How of Happiness’ explained the concept of happiness as, “The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”
Now the real question arises ‘how can one live a good and meaningful life’. Without further ado, lets
discuss ways to lead a life in which your happiness comes before anything
How to live happily
YES! It’s possible! However it’s important to note that happiness requires some changes in habits.
Genuine and consistent efforts are needed to change your habits. So, you’re going to have to make
some efforts to make positive habits a part of your routine.
Exercise
Exercise isn’t limited to your physical well-being but it also has a huge positive effect on emotional well-
being. You don’t have to exercise for hours, even a bit goes a long way. Exercise increases hormones
which make us feel happy and joyous. These hormones are dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid.
These hormones also reduce anxiety and stress.
A study at The University of Vermont showed that 20 minutes of exercise is enough to make you feel
happy for 12 hours!
We’ve heard it all too many times that having a proper sleeping schedule is good for our health. Its
considered ‘cool’ amongst teenagers to sleep late at night. However the positive effects of sleeping
early should not be ignored
College of Pennsylvania scientists found that subjects who were restricted to just 4.5 long periods of
rest a night for multi week revealed feeling more focused, furious, miserable, and intellectually
depleted. At the point when the subjects continued ordinary rest, they revealed a sensational
improvement in mood.
What goes in your body determines your mental health. You have to make better food choices in order
to gain a better state of mind
For example
Carbohydrates: They release a ‘feel-good’ hormone called serotonin. It is important to note that simple
carbs — foods high in sugar and starch, if taken in excess, can cause a great rise in energy and you may
crash. Complex carbs, for example, vegetables, beans, and entire grains, are better.
Protein: Lean meat, poultry, vegetables, and dairy are high in protein. These foods discharge dopamine
and norepinephrine, which support energy and focus.
Fried Items: Profoundly handled or pan fried foods will in general leave you feeling down. So will
skipping dinners. So if you’re someone who is stressed, you may want to slow down on fast food or
other fried items
Start a diary in which you list everything that makes you happy and grateful every night and you’ll by
your day counting everything that makes you feel grateful. When this becomes a habit, you’ll be
counting everything that’s good in your life instead of everything that’s wrong. A simple act such as
being grateful can lift your mood even in the darkest of times. A 2 part study recently showed that being
grateful increases hope and happiness
I can’t stress enough on how much the world needs kindness. If you find something attractive about
another person’s appearance or personality, don’t hesitate to tell them! Not only will it make them feel
good about themselves but it will make you feel content with yourself for being the person who brings
happiness to others!
If you encounter an unpleasant moment and you feel like you’re going to lose it, take a big deep breath. With every exhale, let out those negative thoughts.
- Think of something that makes you happy (it could be as small as your favorite snack)
- Inhale slowly and hold it in for 5 seconds
- Exhale slowly and hold for 5 seconds
- Repeat till you feel calmer
You can also try counting backwards from 10-1, this is a really common exercise for reducing anxiety
Bottom Line
Everyone in this world is striving for a happy life. Happiness can simply come from adopting positive habits in our daily lives. A lot of people are lazy and don’t try to make efforts to be happy, they end up spending their lives in misery. These habits include making better food choices, exercising for some time every day, getting plenty of sleep. I hope this article motivated you enough to start living a better and happy life starting from today!
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