How To Be Happier: 14 Ways To Be Happy Now

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If you're asking yourself 'How can I be happier?' these are things you can do right now to have a happier mindset. Whether you want to be happier in life, in general, at work or happier with your family, there are things you should be doing everyday in your life that will add to your happiness.

We often find ourselves in states of unhappiness when we've been worrying about something, gotten into a bad routine, we've made bad choices or we're stressed out about life. There are little changes you can make to be happier everyday and have a lot more joy in your life.

Sometimes we wish we could wake up everyday and be happy, but that doesn't always happen. That doesn't mean to say you can't drastically turn your life around so you fill everyday with things that make you happy.

It might seem like there's some huge secret on how to become happy, but the secret to being happy lies with you and the decisions you make.

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If you're feeling down, these are 14 things you can do right now to be happier:

1. Focus On You

We spend so much time trying to make other people happy and please others through our work, friends and family and we often forget to focus on ourselves. Take some time to put yourself first and do some things that actually make you happy and take a break from the pressure of pleasing others and having to be the best at everything. You won't please everyone in life so don't stress about trying to be perfect. Focus on yourself and pursue your goals and dreams.

2. Reevaluate Your Life

Are you unhappy with your job? Does your current living situation make you unhappy? Is your relationship or friends bringing your down? Take a good look at everything in your life and imagine what you would change if you could. Then do it. Don't settle for anything that makes you unhappy, even if it means distancing yourself from people or places.

3. Travel

I'm sure you've heard of people who go travelling to find themselves and discover their real purpose in life. This concept actually works and travelling has huge benefits for your health and happiness. There's a whole world out there so if you're feeling stuck and unhappy in life, you should go and discover it.

4. Let Go Of What's Bringing You Down

If a situation is out of your control, there's no point in stressing out about it, just let it go. Stop focusing on the negatives in your life and start thinking about everything that makes you happy and what you're thankful for. If someone has got something against you, don't let them get to you. If a situation is persistently affecting your happiness, let it go and get out of that situation as soon as possible. Let go of the negativity and start letting in the positive vibes.

5. Plan Your Future

If you feel stuck in a certain situation right now, remember that it won't last forever. Whatever you're going through will pass and in a matter of months or years, your life will be completely different and you'll probably make a lot of new friends and have new people come into your life. Think of your ideal life and start planning it. Make little goals to get closer to the life where you wake up every day and feel happy. Anytime you feel like your unhappiness will never go away, remember that this too shall pass.

6. Clear Your Thoughts

We tend to focus on things that are worrying us more than anything, and by doing so we make ourselves extremely unhappy. We get stressed about even the smallest things and can't stop thinking about anything that goes bad or anything wrong that's happened. Take some time to clear your head and listen to some calming music or a relaxation app that can help you focus on positive thoughts and letting go of the negatives.

7. Don't Look At Social Media

We're all guilty of it. We scroll aimlessly through Instagram, check Facebook and Twitter and like pictures of lifestyles that we don't have and follow people who we think have much better lives than us. This has a hugely negative effect on your mental health because it makes you think that so many other people have amazing lives and you don't, which is completely false. People who post about their lives on social media often do so through a filter and make a showreel of their best moments. In reality, they have very normal lives and deal with all the same problems we do. So delete all the apps that you don't need and limit your time on social media to one or two days per week.

8. Make Better Choices

If you feel an emptiness inside and you try to fill it with bad choices such as junk food, alcohol, spending money etc. you should take time to reflect on how these things actually make you feel and if they're really making a positive impact on your life. Try to fill the void with activities or things that will benefit your health, such as, walking, dancing, exercising, going for lunch with a friend or taking up a new hobby.

9. Distance Yourself From People Who Make You Unhappy

We've all had a friend in our lives who we don't really class as a friend because they always cancel plans, are unreliable and only contact you when they need something. Yet we put up with these people even though the only way they impact your life is by making you unhappy. Part of making the decision to be happy is choosing who you surround yourself with in life. If you have people in your life who aren't genuinely there for you and make you unhappy, do not feel guilty about ending that friendship or relationship and distancing yourself from them. It will better your life in the long run.

10. Have A Routine

It might seem difficult to get into a routine if you often stay up late watching TV on your laptop, or you keep working late into the early hours of the morning. However, a steady routine will greatly benefit your happiness and make you more motivated and energetic in your day to day activities. If you let yourself drift from one day to the next, not knowing exactly what you're doing each day, you're not going to have a happy and positive mindset.

11. Have A Clear Out

A great way to clear your mind is to clear your surroundings.  If you have a lot of things lying around your house, adding to mess and untidiness, this can impact your mind and happiness by making you feel unorganised. Go through your wardrobes and drawers and get rid of anything you don't really need. Organising your space will help to organise your life.

12. Exercise 

I know you don't want to hear it, but exercise has a huge benefit for your mental health and happiness. Even if you can't remember the last time you properly exercised, plan to get out of the house this week and go for a light jog and a walk. You'll look and feel better and the more enjoyable the exercise is, the more likely you are to stick at it. Find a type of exercise that is fun for you, it doesn't have to be the gym. You could try pilates, hot yoga, rebounding, boxing, swimming, dancing and so much more. Have a fun exercise routine and you'll feel happier instantly.

13. Talk About Your Feelings

A lot of people tend to keep their feelings bottled up and keep everything to themselves in an attempt to be strong. This is doing the opposite effect of making you happy and keeping everything to yourself is one of the worst things you can do. Talking about how you're feeling can make you feel a million times better and getting everything off your chest will help to make you feel happy instantly. You can talk to a friend, a family member, a co-worker, a counsellor, a therapist or even an online therapist on a site like BetterHelp, which you can do from the comfort of your own home.

14. Focus On A Project

Instead of letting your mind wander to unhappy thoughts and getting stressed out about life, channel your energy into a project that will better your life and make you happy. You could start working on a business idea, start a blog, journal, scrapbook or anything that will fill your time and keep you busy with something that is fun to work on.

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5 comments

  1. I think taking time to re-evaluate is really important, not just in what you're doing as well. I think it's important to evaluate what you're doing in your life like habits etc that may not be serving you anymore.

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like how you presented this post as 14 ideas towards becoming happier. You pointed out some great points about tuning into your own needs: focusing on yourself and getting off of social media for a bit are so important to me. It truly is hard to always know what your body needs, but understanding those needs will then help with mental needs.

    I am so extremely excited about stumbling across your blog, The Thought Journal. I cannot wait to read more of your posts! The ones I've gotten to have been so inspiring! I am a new blogger, recently launched my blog, Lo at Large, a week ago. I have a few posts about mental illness stigmas and ways to cope with mental illness. I would greatly appreciate it if you would support me in this process and give me any advice you could!

    Thanks a million! Much love,

    Lo
    loatlarge.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome post! I love every point that you made! It's really important to understand yourself and to evaluate not only your surroundings but also what your doing to affect your own happiness. It's not always something external.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These tips are awesome! I've travelled before with my family but I can't wait till I get out there on my own! I'm terrified but that's where more growth comes from.

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