HOW TO GET HAPPY

Can you control your own happiness? In my opinion, you can but it takes a mental readjustment and the willingness to want to make any necessary changes in your personal life and life style. How to do this is a matter of choice. Feeling like life’s got you instead of you having a life?  You can decide to be happy by utilizing several simple strategies.

"Happiness is not ready made, it comes from your own actions." - Dalai Lama

Some suggestions to get happy include the following measures:

1.    Act happy, even if you aren’t (yet). It will cheer you and everyone around you. For example, make an effort to smile at someone today. It’s no cost to you and may elicit a smile in return by making someone’s day brighter.

 

2.    Look and seek out positive distractions. Think about what gives you pleasure and do it, if feasible. Don’t wait for the activity – take the imitative and call a friend, go for a bike ride, see a play, or visit a museum of interest. The point here is to fully engage and “plug” into life around you.

 

3.    Do one thing at a time at least an hour or two a day. Multi tasking can create added tension and lead to a feeling of being spread too thin to be effective which results in mental fatigue. Focusing on one activity has a calming effect to ease anxiety and allows you to enjoy the experience. Try and get into a Zen zone of just being in the moment and being present to enjoy what unfolds.

 

4.    Connect with others – spend quality time with friends and loved ones as much as possible. Enjoying close relationships is the number one predicator of happiness. Many studies have proven this theory to be true. Being social and building relationships is the best soul medicine you can gift to yourself. Share your love and concern with the significant others in your life.

 

5.    Take action – being passive tends to make you feel worse and isolated. Set realistic goals, make a mental list of the many ways you can affect change for yourself. Doing nothing to move forward results in nothing accomplished.

 

6.    Adopt an attitude of gratitude. Practice being more conscious and appreciative of what you already have going for you – your health, your family, your loved ones, your job, your home, your pets, etc. In our busy lives we often neglect to say “Thank you”  to others for what they say or do for us. Become gracious, count up your blessings as they are usually more than we often acknowledge.

7.    Stop and have some fun. Be playful and spirited. For example, turn on some uplifting music and it will change your mood. Get up and move around – take a walk to help clear negative emotions. Discover what makes you feel alive and do it. Ask yourself, how much fun am I to be with?

Happiness is created by you, for you. By practicing being content each day, it will change your mood, disposition and future outlook. Happiness is a choice – make it yours.

"There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the
light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it."
-- Edith Wharton

I invite your comments.