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How to Be happy
Everyone wants to be happy, yet sometimes it seems very elusive. Sometimes learning how to be happy takes some time and effort. I myself had to train myself to overcome certain habits and beliefs that stopped me from experiencing happiness in life.
Sometimes our negative thoughts about ourselves and the world become so familiar to us it is hard to recognize them.
We chase goal after goal trying to make our external world more to our liking, and yet fail to obtain a feeling of satisfaction.
To be clear, I am all for chasing goals and seeking to upgrade your life, but in order to be happy, we have to do more than that.
Happiness is a state of mind and to be able to experience it we must be able to harness that state without being too dependent on the external world.
Here are 9 practical tools that I’ve used to experience more happiness in my own life, and I hope they can help you as well.
1) Exercise and Nutrition
There is a physiological component to happiness. If you are consuming mainly processed foods with a large amount of additives then it will bog the body down.
This can make it very hard to have that light feeling of happiness.
Having a body that is well rested and well taken care of makes it much easier to feel happy.
Drinking too much alcohol (or doing drugs) and being constantly hungover obviously makes it much more difficult to be happy.
Changing habits is not easy. I suggest adding healthier foods gradually into your diet without trying to change everything at once.
Start your day with a healthy smoothie with collagen and a green supplement to add more fruit and nutrients in your diet.
I personally add green vibrance to my diet everyday because it has a balance of vitamins and minerals, probiotics, and nutrients derived from natural sources.
If you are trying to be more happy in life eating well and exercising is a good place to start!
2) Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to others is one of the worse things you can do for your state of mind.
This is not an easy habit to break but even making a little bit of effort to stop comparing yourself to others can work wonders for your state of mind.
Acknowledge that everyone is different. We are all on different paths with a different sets of abilities and desires. Do your best to focus on your own unique qualities that no one else has.
3) Train Yourself to Look Forward and not Dwell too much on the Past
Having goals that you believe you can achieve is a good way to experience happiness in life.
Happy people rarely spend too much time examing and regretting the past. They spend more time looking forward to a future that is pleasing
Feeling regrets about the past will not allow you to have happiness.
Believing that your life is not as good as it once was will also diminish feelings of happiness.
No matter what happened in the past, we can only change our state of mind in the present moment.
I spent years learning to see the past and its turmoils as learning experiences rather than an excuse to never move forward. It takes a lot of effort at first, but it can be done.
I personally use this guided meditation by Joe Dispenza regularly to train my mind to focus on the future rather than the past.
4) Meditate/Quiet your Mind
I have found that when I’m dealing with really difficult emotions meditation is the only thing that helps elevate my mood.
While not always possible, even just attaining a few moments of a quiet mind can provide a little bit of relief.
Meditating regularly provides more clarity and more relaxation. I notice a huge difference in my state of mind throughout the day when I put a little time aside to quiet my mind.
5) Make time to do what you love
Ask yourself what you would do if money weren’t an issue, and make time to do it. Don’t just say you are going to make time, but write it down in a daily planner.
Even just an hour of doing what we like can improve our overall happiness and satisfaction in life.
6) Visualization
Create images in your mind of being happy and doing things you love. If you pay attention you’ll notice that every thought we have corresponds to an emotion and an image.
Ask yourself how you would feel if you were experiencing the positive images in your mind.
If we are not happy its because we harbor negative thoughts and images constantly in our minds.
“Creative Visualization,” by Shakti Gawain is a great way to start learning how to use the powerful tool of creative visulation.
Starting to harness the power of our imagination, if practiced regularly, can lead to more lasting feelings of happiness.
7) Be aware of what you are consuming
Are you watching happy or sad shows before bed? What kinds of information and articles are you reading?
Be Aware of your conversation. Are you having uplifting conversations with friends or indulging in complaining?
What we consume affects how we feel and beginning to notice them and to make a decision to consume more uplifting material will improve our feeling of happiness in life.
8) Try to Focus on things that are going right
It is very easy to focus on things that are going wrong, but whatever we focus on expands.
It is hard to feel happy while we are focusing constantly on problems and things that not working out in our lives.
Try to acknowledge your good qualities and things that are going right as well. Think about things that are going right in your life in a gratitude journal.
9) Acknowledge Negative Beliefs that block your Happiness
Ask yourself honestly how you feel about yourself and see what comes up. Write this down in a journal or notebook.
If there are a lot of negative thoughts then the first step is acknowledge them.
Challenge the negative beliefs by saying that just because you believe them doesn’t necessarily mean they’re true.
Obviously beliefs don’t always change overnight, but simply becoming aware of negative thoughts and making an attempt to change them can lead to more feelings of happiness.
I hope these were helpful tips, and good luck on your journey!
Need some Guidance in your journey….
I am a lifecoach specializing in happiness and life purpose.
Because I believe everyone’s needs and goals are different I offer as little or as many sessions as needed.
For a free 15 minute consultation email me at aglassofcheri@gmail.com
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