10 Tips to Live a Happier Life Everyday
Did you know that 20th March is recognised by the UN as International Day of Happiness!
I wonder why!
Whilst we cannot feel the happiness all the time and its absolutely unrealistic and false to expect this all the time, many of us do have a tendency to create a lot of unnecessary unhappiness!
Sometimes, even living a fast paced life (I guess most of us do). This, in turn can become stressful and overwhelming, which can effect our happiness. So, simply finding ways in our hectic schedule to slow down, do a simple activity we enjoy can boost our happiness. I would go a step further, take some time to slow down and reflect on the simple question ‘What makes me happy, really happy?’
And then, how much of these ‘happy’ activities do you practice in your day, your week, your life in general?
I do tend to believe that happiness is one of our ultimate goals. We all want to be happy and healthy. Happiness is rather simple but we complicate it. So, I am sharing some simple tips / ideas that can support us all to boost our wellbeing and happiness.
But before, I do, I have another question for you that you can reflect upon 🙂
- How are you creating unnecessary unhappiness in your life?
Tips / Ideas to boost your wellbeing and happiness:
1. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is not really about happiness but one of its benefits is that we do become happier. So many reasons for this even from a scientific perspective. Mindfulness is about paying attention to what the present moment brings, it is about awareness of the present moment within us and those around us with patience and compassion. We do this mainly in 2 ways through our breath; and also through the 5 senses. Connecting to our 5 senses brings a lot of present moment joy as it disconnects us from our thinking brain to being in our body.
By practising mindfulness we re-wire our brain, we shift our perspectives. We shift our unhelpful automatic thoughts into more helpful conscious thoughts to support us. Practising mindfulness does not take hours of your day. There are so many different ways in which you can incorporate it so easily in your life.
2. Find joy in the chores or boring tasks!
For example, make washing the dishes fun. Notice the scent of the dishwashing liquid, the warmth / coolness of the water, the sounds of the water, observe the plate becoming cleaner and shinier. As you can see this is also about using your senses in the activity of dishwashing. You can practically use the 5 senses in most of your activities.
3. Do something crazy (without hurting yourself or someone else of course 🙂 )
When is the last time that you have let your hair down? Do it now.
4. Follow your joy
Don’t wait to have fun. Don’t wait to be joyful when you achieve your goals, when you reach a target. Have fun in the process. Make the process fun. Life is about the journey not the destination.
5. Stop Chasing Happiness
This is in connection with above. There is happiness in every moment, if we stop and allow ourselves to experience it. Many people think (and this is an automatic programme) “I will be happy when I make the million’, “I will be happy when I buy the fast car”, “I will be happy when I pass my exams”. Happiness in the future is causing you more distress in the now. Chasing happiness, is also a ‘scarcity mindset’ So, focus on what is my happiness right now? Learn to appreciate what you have right now, which takes me to:
6. Gratitude
We can say that ‘gratitude’ is the known secret to happiness. It really brings our focus to what we actually have right now and appreciate it and feel blessed with it. So make sure to make gratitude a routine. Until it becomes your new automatic state of being, your new habit, allocate time to find the things you are thankful for. For example, make it as part of your morning routine as soon as you wake up, or evening routine before you sleep. Say, thank you for 5 things that you have right now. We take so much of what we have for granted, but if we stop and see the blessing in everything around us, life takes a whole different perspective.
7. Surround yourself with positive people.
Surround yourself with those who support you, understand you, feel you and uplift you.
We are human beings who thrive on social connections. We thrive when we have positive relationships (romantic, colleagues, friendships, etc;). If the people around us are supportive in some way or another, especially by being there emotionally for us, show us compassion when we are having low periods. that will help us to feel much better!
8. Notice the beauty around you and create an environment that enhances beauty
This connects with ‘gratitude’ but I take it a bit further. Imagine going on a walk in nature. During the walk, all you see is beauty. For example, you see flowers, plants, birds or some animals, you smell the scent of the pines / flowers. Instantly you are feeling good. But if you walk through nature and you see a dumpsite with nasty smells coming from it, instantly you will feel not so good about it. Some people, especially if sensitive, are going to feel it much more. I am one who gets really effected by this.
So, reflect on the spaces around you particularly home or your work environment. In your eyes, are you surrounded by beauty or ugliness? How is it helping you? We do not need to spend money to create beauty. Even by just clearing clutter or cleaning up we can make a space for more beauty. And it is a possibility to be more creative, which is also a happiness booster 🙂
9. Practice Acts of Kindness
Remember even a smile can make a difference in someone else’s life. Personally I believe, that one of the most powerful acts of kindness is to listen without judgement. Kindness brings happiness. And please do not forget to be kind to yourself.
10. And lastly give yourself a hug, smile to yourself and do something nice for yourself ….
In my perspective these are simple tips and ideas that can boost our happiness levels. There is much more. And, of course, sometimes we need to look at our inner world; the thoughts, the beliefs, the programmes that are effecting the way we feel about ourselves. By actually practising the above, we can start also slowly to shift our inner perspectives. You can also reach out for support. You can reach out to me by contacting me I invite you to contact me for a FREE 30 minute call here.
And to conclude,
A little affirmation you can use any time:
Close your eyes, put your hands on your heart centre and say:
“MAY I BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY
MAY HUMANITY BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY”