Happiness is something we desperately struggle for throughout our life without even realizing how close it is to us. If you want, you will see happiness everywhere around you: in the rays of morning sunlight, in the smiles of those you love, and in the pleasant atmosphere of your home. All people are individuals with their own points of view, life experiences, expectations, and passions.
Due to this, every person has a different perception of happiness. For some of us, a successful career is absolutely enough to be happy, while for others marriage and kids are the ultimate purposes in life. So, first of all, you should define what happiness means to you and only then search for it.
I’m a happy person since I can enjoy life blessings such as warm family relationships, the job that brings me pleasure, my friends, and my independence. But most of all I appreciate my family that is the basic element of my happiness and the biggest treasure in my life. I’m convinced that happiness is achievable for everyone. It’s not our destiny, it’s the way we live.
That’s why it’s important to learn and master certain rules and habits that will enhance your happiness. If you feel sad and dissatisfied with the quality of your life, try to practice the following strategies that will bring more joy and comfort into your life and make you happier.
1. Build strong relationships
Social relationships have a great impact on our happiness as only by keeping in touch with our family and friends we can get love, respect, support, and understanding that make us feel confident and happier. Relationships with those I love are the top priority to me. I know my family and friends will be always near me when I really need them and never let me down; only with these people, I can share my secrets, troubles, and achievements.
True friends are the greatest value of my life and in order to relish this value, I try to make friends among sincere people whose characteristics and principles resemble mine and suit me. However, any relationship requires time, effort, and constant nourishment. Thus, I do my best to nurture relationships with my loved ones.
No matter how busy I am, I always make time to communicate with my husband, go for a walk with my daughter and call my mother who lives so far from me. According to numerous scientific researches, healthy relationships are the key to happiness. Therefore, it is recommended to allocate time for your friends and family members, share your success with them, show your appreciation and support them.
2. Set your goals
Setting goals every day is one of the major rules you should follow to become more successful and improve your life. Psychologists say that people who set objectives for themselves are much happier than those who don’t. I’ve made it a habit of writing down all my plans and short-term goals on a daily basis.
As a result, I can easily fulfill my tasks and achieve the desired outcome. Plus, when I work towards my goal I feel more positive and energetic. The pursuit of goals will fill your life with passion, enthusiasm and make it more meaningful. Keep in mind that your goals should be specific, relevant, and achievable.
3. Stay positive and smile
Every day we have to deal with lots of negative things that can spoil our mood and make us unhappy. Though, it doesn’t mean we should give way to stress and wear gloomy faces. My life is full of stressful situations and sometimes it may be really hard to stay optimistic and smile, but still, I make efforts to weed out negative thoughts and see the bright side of the world around me.
The main rule that my life has taught me is to be able to control my mind whatever happens. There is always something positive in every bad situation, all you need is to change your attitude towards it. Without a doubt smiling makes people feel better and happier, so it might be helpful to put on a happy face even if you feel distressed.
Scientists claim that smiling and pretending we are happy can help us to add more joy and gratification to our life. This habit is extremely beneficial to me: every morning I look into the mirror and see my smiling face, I get inspiration to overcome all the barriers and reach my goals.
More: 10 Things to Remind Yourself of Every Morning to Have a Happier Day
4. Boost your independence
Independence is an indispensable part of our self-development, freedom, and happiness. Learning to be an independent person is crucial for me because it assists me to achieve success and happiness. We live our lives as individuals, but not as a team, so we should learn to cope with all the difficulties that appear on our way individually without anyone’s help.
Sometimes we are left face to face with our problems and there are no friends and family near us who can suggest their assistance. At such moments we must rely on ourselves only. I’m sure you won’t feel happy and satisfied if others always solve your problems. It would be wonderful if you could manage your life without somebody else’s interference.
There are plenty of rules that I practice daily to boost my independence: I make my own decisions, develop my self-confidence, keep to my own standards and try to be financially responsible. These things contribute greatly to my happiness.
5. Be kind and help others
Being kind to others is one of the most efficient ways to feel better about yourself. Every time I watch acts of kindness my mood is elevated and I become obsessed with the desire to perform good deeds. By doing something good for others I can experience new splashes of enthusiasm, joy, and happiness. When I offer my help to those who need it I forget my own problems, strengthen my social interaction and give people a reason to like me.
Researches claim that we should dedicate at least 2 hours a week to helping others in order to enrich our lives. You can find different ways to help people. For instance, it would be a splendid idea to buy a concert ticket for your best friend.
When you’ll see his/her pleasure from this present, your happiness will be endless. Spending money on your friends and family will fill you up with positive emotions. And what about dedicating our time to others? Volunteering is an excellent example of kindness and self-devotion that increases your life satisfaction, physical and mental health, self-esteem, and finally your happiness.
6. Express gratitude
You need to express your gratitude to remind yourself how lucky you are. Can you count at least 3 things you are grateful for? If you can, there is no doubt you are a happy person, even though you might not think so.
I’m always grateful for 3 things that are the most significant to me: my family, my friends, and my health. These are the only treasures in my life I can’t buy for the money. Moreover, I never forget to say “Thank you” when something good happens to me.
Unfortunately, very often we take lots of things for granted and begin to appreciate them only after we experience loss. Learn to be grateful, look at what you have and you’ll see being happy is so easy. Bear in mind that your sincere gratitude to those who care about you will push you on the way to happiness.
7. Be yourself
I think everybody will agree that our self-acceptance is an essential element of permanent happiness. We can be truly happy just when we become who we are and don’t have to play roles and wear masks to impress others.
Consequently, you should be aware of your uniqueness, love, and accept yourself as you are with all of your traits, behaviors, desires, and choices. There are no perfect people in this world and all people have flaws that make them special. As long as I’m honest with myself and focus on the good sides of my personality I’ll be able to live a happier life.
More: 8 Worst Habits of Unhappy People and How to Break Them
8. Exercise regularly
Scientific studies have shown that physical activity is incredibly useful to us since it assists the body to release endorphins which are known to make us feel relaxed and happier. Isn’t that a convincing reason for you to incorporate physical exercises into your daily routine? Their benefits are immense. My regular workouts help me to distract from my troubles, combat stress, boost my self-confidence and improve my mood.
Despite your busy schedule try to allocate about 30 minutes a day for exercise. To get enough exercise you can do a variety of activities like jogging in the park, playing with your kids or simply doing household chores. Don’t forget that constant movement will give you an abundance of positive emotions.
Being happy is much easier than you might think. Strong desire and persistence are the golden keys to your happiness. I take pains to develop these happiness rules and make them a part of my daily routine because they enable me to fight frustration, anxiety, sadness and save every minute of my life.
What do you do to become a happier person? Which of the listed rules are the most effective to you?
