I strongly believe that happiness is a choice. Despite of life’s challenges, we all have the ability to create real and lasting happiness for ourselves.
There isn’t one right way to be happy nor there is a specific formula that everyone must follow to find true happiness, but there are a number of things that we can do to bring more happiness to our lives.
If you’re ready to make the smart choice of choosing happiness, here are 6 simple and helpful ways that you should start doing.
1. Get yourself at least 7-8 hours of solid zzz’s.
An adequate night’s sleep is a must to keep the blues away. We all know that poor sleep affects our mood by causing lethargy, frustration and stress but studies show that lack of sleep can also increase your risk of developing anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. So make sure you get yourself at least 7-8 hours of good quality sleep to maintain good spirits and feeling of happiness.
2. Avoid refined sugar and white flour as much as you can.
Sure, a bar of chocolate can give you a sugar rush but after 20 minutes, it will cause your blood glucose to suddenly drop. This crash-and-burn feeling will then disrupt your mood and deplete your energy.
Also, studies have seen a link between sugar and depression. So if you want to maintain a happy mood and decrease your risk of mood disorders such as depression, make sure to start cutting back on sugar.
3. Get off the internet and put down your gadgets at least three hours a day.
Seems like technology has turned us, humans into zombies, so please, give yourself a break at least three hours a day. Use this time to discover life in real time and you’ll surely have your much-needed boost happiness.
Also, as much as you want to get on social media to be entertained, it has also been proven to make one lonely and depressed. Let’s admit it, sometimes when we see people’s posts about their almost perfect lives, we can’t help but compare ourselves and feel sad and jealous. Just go easy on social media and disconnect from all things digital a few hours everyday, especially an hour before bedtime.
4. Make plans.
Sometimes, life can get pretty sad and boring when all you have to look forward to is your same old routine. Make an effort to plan something special a few weeks or a few months out. This way, you’ll have something to look forward to and get excited about.
5. Spend more time with yourself.
Speaking of plans, you have to make sure that you make time for yourself to do things you like and are passionate about, just by yourself and nobody else. Each of us need our own “me-time” to keep us always in a happy and positive disposition.
6. Make other people happy.
Trust me, you will find happiness from doing nice things for people and making them happy.
7. Be grateful.
Consistently practicing gratitude trains the brain to choose positive thoughts and as a result, uplifts our mood and keeps us happy.
I suggest you get yourself a gratitude journal and start listing down at least three things you are grateful for everyday.
These are just few of the myriad of ways to add happiness in our lives. Just always remember that we are responsible for how happy we are and no one else gets to call the chance.
So if happiness is a choice, why are you still not choosing it?
