Simple Yet Effective Habits For A Better, Happier Life

If you could make yourself happier, wouldn’t you? If you know the habits for happiness, would you consider doing them?

It’s natural to want to be happy, since ‘happiness’ is just your brain moderating the chemicals flowing around your body in a way that leaves you content and smiling. Who
wouldn’t want that?

Well, it’s not really about who wants it, but rather who’s prepared to make the effort to get into good habits which will allow them to be happier every day. Surprisingly, many of these habits don’t actually require that much work. It's putting them in place and sticking to them that can be difficult, particularly for those people who face serious life events or stressful situations have put them into a depressive state.

With that being said, here are some of the easiest habits for happiness you can use to turn your life around.

Go Outside

Spending a lot of time cooped up in a room, be it your bedroom or an office, can
be detrimental to your mental health.

Taking a brief walk outside and experiencing the fresh air and sounds of nature can do you a world of good when you’re feeling down. Constantly having that escape as an option every day when life just gets too much to deal with can create a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ feeling.

As you get used to such practice, your mind will recognize that going outside and spending time relaxing can help you become happier.

Gratitude

Sadness and depression can make people appear extremely selfish since they are
sometimes unable to see past their own minds to the world outside their heads. Taking some time every day to note down the things that you are thankful for — be it your parents, your God(s) or even the tree in your garden — on a notebook or your phone can remind you of all the reasons you already have to be happy. You can even do this exercise mentally.

Sleep

Most people know that going without sleep makes you cranky. Many people also know that it can even ruin your physical health to the point of death if you don’t sleep for too long.

However, did you also know that sleep is essential for concentration, patience, being calm and not getting too emotional over relatively small events?

Keeping a regular sleep schedule — alarms and apps can usually help with this — can improve your mood on a day-to-day basis. Sleeping well can keep you functioning properly and healthily. This is one good reason why this list of habits for happiness emphasizes its importance.

See Also: A Good Night’s Sleep: The Key to a Happy Life

Less TV

The notion that TV isn’t great for our physical health isn’t a new one: lounging
around in your pajamas watching reality TV shows is a big warning sign for health
problems such as obesity, especially when coupled with a low level of exercise and
high calorie intake.

However, did you realize that it can be terrible for your mental health as well?

Too much TV time promotes anxiety, since you may find yourself comparing the models and celebrities on TV with your own life and the people around you. It can lead you down a dangerous path of idolization and self-loathing.

Instead, make a habit out of switching off the TV and doing something else in the time that you would’ve been wasting on the sofa. Read a book or go for a walk. Dance to your favorite music or cook your favorite meal!

TV doesn’t have to dominate your life and it certainly doesn’t belong in a happiness-filled life — or at least not in excess.

Journals

Getting into the habit of writing down your inner thoughts and feelings every day can
be very de-stressing. It can help lift a lot of your problems off your shoulders.

Journals, whether they are physical books that you use pens and pencils on or apps on your smartphone or laptop, can be amazing not only as places to ‘vent’ but also as records for how far you have come.

Once, you might’ve been drowning in depressing thoughts, but your entries may have become more positive over time. Reading through this change can be a positive experience.

Emptying your thoughts into your daily journal can also make you feel happier. It can improve your life by sorting out your inner feelings, helping to make sense of the sometimes chaotic world inside your head.

See Also: Inspiring Journaling Prompts To Help Re-Shape Your Life