In order to be healthy, both mentally and physically, it is vital that we are happy in ourselves. However, being happy has other benefits too, including helping those around us to feel better. Take being a parent, for example; if we are happy then our children will be happy too. If we are happy at work, we will be more productive and have more chance of promotion, and our co-workers will want to be around us, making the entire team happier. If we are in a relationship, then both people can help to keep the other more positive and happy, feeding off one another to make it easier, and that means that we can have a better, healthier relationship with ourselves at the same time. How, then, can we help ourselves be happier since it is clearly so important?

More Exercise

Doing exercise is important for our health, keeping our weight regulated and ensuring that our organs are fit and healthy too. Exercise does more than keep our physical bodies healthy though; it also keeps our minds healthy too and reduces stress, thereby making us happier. It does this by ensuring that we are focusing on what we are doing rather than worrying about anything else that is happening in our lives. Even the smallest amount of exercise such as a brisk walk can increase our serotonin levels and reduce the cortisol (otherwise known as the stress hormone) levels in our body. Serotonin makes us feel happy, so the more of it we have the better when we want to feel good.

Exercise needs to be incorporated into your daily routine as much as possible. If you think you don’t have time to do it, try setting your alarm a little earlier and giving yourself enough time to go for a brisk walk, or skip some TV watching and exercise instead. It will make all the difference to your health and happiness.

Give Yourself Some Me Time

Me time is absolutely essential if you want to be as happy as you possibly can be in life. We all have certain responsibilities, and we all feel under pressure at times, and this can make us feel stressed and miserable. In order to re-set our minds and reduce those stress levels (and therefore feel happier again), it could be that taking some time to be alone doing something that we enjoy is the best option. It could be an entire weekend away fishing or at a spa hotel, or it could be as simple as a 10-minute break to meditate, read a book, do some coloring, or vape, about which you can get more info here.

If you can step away from the chaos and busyness of life for just a moment and do something for yourself, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant that might be, you are giving yourself a chance to feel better, reminding yourself to be happy and positive.

Meditation

As mentioned above, part of your ‘me time’ could be to enjoy some meditation. Meditation doesn’t need to take long (although if you can dedicate more time to it then all the better) and sometimes just 10 minutes is all you need to get yourself back on track, feeling calmer, more peaceful, and – importantly – happy. The first step in meditation is to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Next comes the part that requires plenty of practice and can take some time to learn how to do properly; you need to make your mind go blank. Be as relaxed as possible and focus on your breathing so that all the other thoughts in your mind go away. At first, this may not be possible, but the more you try meditation, the more you can achieve that ‘blank mind’ quickly and, eventually, even effortlessly.

If you try to start each day with a little meditation, then you can ensure that you are in a positive frame of mind right from the start. You’ll be amazed at how much of a difference that can make in your life, enabling you to face challenges and problems much more easily, and it will certainly help to make and keep you happy.

Try Journaling

Journaling is the process of writing your thoughts and feelings down. You don’t even have to write; you could draw doodles, stick in images from magazines, or anything else that feels appropriate. The important thing is that by letting your feelings out onto the page in whatever form that takes, you are allowing your mind to be freer. Write about what you are grateful for in life, and you will feel happier. Write about your plans for the future, and you will feel excited. Write down what is worrying you, and you will be able to more easily work out a solution, or you will realize that the problem isn’t as big as you first thought. However you use your journal, it can definitely help to bring more happiness into your life in many different ways.

Speak To Your Friends

Even though we might all be more easily connected through social media, that doesn’t mean we really have a connection. It is easy to lose touch with friends and think that we still know all about them because we are able to like their posts on Facebook but it’s not the same as having a real friendship. If you want to be happier, it is important to reconnect with friends whom you haven’t seen for a while and to keep up with those who you do see regularly. Arrange to meet them for a coffee or a meal, or have them over to your home. Chat on the phone if it is easier. The important thing is to make a real human connection because it is here that true happiness really lies.

Unplug

Technology can be wonderful, but it can also cause a great deal of unhappiness. Firstly, this is because it can be so very addictive; if the first thing you do when you wake up is check your smartphone for emails, texts, or social media posts, then you might have this kind of addiction. Secondly, social media can make you feel bad because you will see people posting about all the great things they are doing. If you compare your life to theirs, it can seem dull and boring, and you might become miserable and unsatisfied. The important thing to remember is that most people will only ever post positive things because they want others to think their lives are perfect – they will have just as many problems as you do, though.

Unplugging from technology every now and then can really make us very happy, even if we might at first be worried about missing out.