At some point in time we all wonder “Is this it?” Are we living to just study, work and pay bills and squeeze enough time for sleep and sometimes fun? The routine life, humdrum of daily schedules, is it making you feel sad and empty from the inside? If you are feeling unsatisfied and sad you need to learn ways to live a fuller and happier life.

Is this tough? Is it kind of impossible? The answer is no.

All it takes is practise and gist to keep on learning, being who you are and most important adapt to changes.

Live in the Moment:

Simply put, don’t think about yesterday, don’t worry about tomorrow, and just be present in your presence. You need to slow down, get to focus on what is happening around you. Just think how you will be happy if you are distracted or you are worried about something. You need to appreciate the beauty of the given moment; presence in the present because before you know it will be gone.

Be True to Yourself:

You need to figure it out yourself. Yes, I know who you are. What you want and what you dislike. You don’t need to follow trends blindly. Don’t do things that you are not interested in or you despise. If you are someone that you are not, trust me no amount of materialistic gains will ever give you happiness or fulfilling life. If you are living someone’s other life, you will drain away all your energy and joy. Be true to yourself and live up to your own expectations.

Follow your own dreams:

You need to have your own dreams that you need to follow. Go for it. If you don’t succeed, at the least you will not have any regrets about it. You won’t regret what could have happened. If you ignore your own dreams or let other people’s dreams, you are just letting life get by, then feeling empty and sad is natural. If you have a dream just go for it.

Work Hard:

Work hard to build something. Give your all. It is so satisfying to put in a hard day’s work because hard work really does pay off. Having a productive day will give you a good night’s sleep. It is better to be tired and sore than sad and empty.

Take Risks:

Hey if you really want to be happy then think out of the box. Go out of your comfort zone. Don’t be so safe. Playing safe isn’t that fulfilling. You would be in comfort but then self-actualization will never happen. You wouldn’t be more. Security is fine but when you strive to achieve more and realize more about yourself the happiness will come to you.

Compete with yourself only.

This is most important. You need not feel superior or inferior to any. You don’t need to prove anything to anybody except your own self. Competition is healthy but it shouldn’t drive you nuts and crazy that you lose yourself and happiness to it. Competing against other people, reading it carefully is very exhausting. And this will always leave you feeling unsatisfied. There will be people who are going to be better than you, who would be smarter or better looking, wealthier etc.

You need to value your own accomplishment instead of aiming to be the best in the world or better than someone else. Be a better version of yourself. Be your best and not the best. Celebrate your own accomplishment no matter even if it’s small, they are worth celebrating.

Make Time to reflect:

Everybody, mark this sentence please, have a point in their life when they feel restless, frustrated and unsatisfied in their life. And you are no different if you feel so. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling so. But then what can you do?

Reflect: Yes do reflect and take time out for yourself where you need to understand why you are feeling so. What is the root cause of such feelings? Take time to reflect upon the actions that you can take to change these feelings.

You take time to buy denim jeans- reflect on size or buy it readymade or customize it. You think about your past experience and then maybe you buy Custom Made Jeans. Similarly, reflect and then make decisions.

Challenge Yourself:

To put it in simple words people need new challenges to feel a continued sense of self-accomplishment. Go out and take on new projects, learn new skills, apply for promotion, or take on some new projects.

Be Grateful:

Yes, feel grateful for all the things you have. At times feeling grateful can be difficult but when you focus on the positive it will increase your happiness. It will make the process of sorting everything much easier.

Value Your loved ones:

The Family, friends and all your loved ones value them. Express your feelings and emotions to them. Don’t hold anything back. Spend time with the people you love and you will be so happy. A big hug and big smiles are key. So give a big hug to your sibling, parents, your BFF, or your partner to make them happy and you know what happiness will not leave your side.

Learn to laugh at yourself:

This is indeed the most difficult thing to do but then it will help a lot. Don’t take everything so seriously. Laugh at your own failures and mistakes. Be weird or goofy. Laughter is the best medicine.

Remember not everyone is fulfilled in every aspect of their life. Every person has different struggles.

Aiming for perfection everywhere will make you feel disappointed. If you keep on reflecting on areas you are unsatisfied you will miss out on the blessings and happiness that you do have.

Stop Escaping:

You need time to zone out by doing things like scrolling on the phone, or having too many drinks or watching TV. Be careful not to spend too much time escaping out of your life else too many days will slip away from you. Don’t miss out on living it.

Happiness is a choice and it requires effort. 

Author(s)

  • Michelle has a masters in human psychology and a diploma in biology. She is actively involved in writing about the health and lifestyle issues faced by people. She has been helping people in building a healthier lifestyle and has been working with non-profit organizations for almost a decade.