Mental health is a rising issue in today’s world and as awareness continues to increase, we are constantly finding ourselves asking the age-old question of what it means to be happy.
We have heard it all before, and all the motivational & inspirational quotes that gives us that temporary satisfactory feeling. Problem is, it is only temporary.
At the core of happiness is the core of content you have with yourself.
10 realizations to start the road to happiness today that no one tells you about:
- Immediately Realize You Have No More “F***S” To Give To The World
- Why? You do not need to prove anything to anyone—only yourself.
- Just Do You
- Are you a homebody? Great. No one is judging and no one cares either way. Its you —embrace it.
- Like reading? Do that. Do not apologize for it.
- Like going out? Do that. Do not apologize for it.
- Like to party? Have fun. Do not apologize for it.
- Want to go out more, but find it hard? Take a bet on yourself, find 1 event in a week to attend. Attend it alone.
- You will be surprised at how you handle yourself when you have no one to lean on (if you are shy).
- Want to lose weight? Do it. Eat better and work out.
- Happy with being overweight? Fine.
- Point is: If you are content with something about yourself—great! Own it. If you are not happy with something about yourself—do something about it. Do not just sit there! Work at it.
- Find Your Peace
- What puts you at peace? Writing? Reading? Painting? Cooking? Sports?
- Whatever it is—make time for it. Stick to it. Do it—every single day.
- Energy
- Happier being around people? Be around people. Attend meetups near you. Find a day (I like Wednesdays) during mid-week to do so to change it up a bit.
- Happier in solitude? Make time for yourself.
- Do Not Be A Toxic Being
- Do not gossip about people. Who cares what she is wearing—no one has time for that crap.
- Help another person.
- Volunteer. Donate. Give back.
- Do not hold grudges. No time.
- Someone offends you? Betrays you? Drop them. Life is too short to be focused on stupidity.
- Always Press On (This should be your mantra)
- Life is also too short to be spending time focusing on the rear-view mirror. Make it your mission to march forward no matter how painful the event was. Understand what happened. Analyze it. Accept it, learn and move on!
- It is the only direction life moves → Forward!
- Work on yourself. Always learn something new every day. When you realize you are just a student of life—it humbles you.
- Exercise—3x a week
- Now this may contradict the one above about the weight thing, but the science defines this #7.
- It kills stress, reduces cortisol and releases endorphins=happiness.
- Your body will thank you.
- Mindfulness
- What is this? It is the art of focusing on the present. Hard to do, easy to say—but if you practice on today, you will be able to prepare for a better tomorrow.
- When you are able to find yourself preparing for a better tomorrow—you are winning the game of life.
- How? The hope for a better tomorrow is always a reason to move on day to day. When you work on it, you will not only feel…but be, empowered.
- Blue Mind
- Ever wonder why the world loves taking their vacations in places near water, or having their special photo moments taken near bodies of water? Science.
- Your brain responds positively and meditates when concentrated on it.
- Your mind near water goes into a “low-power mode”, meditative state.
- Find your water. Go to a beach, find a lake or see a river.
- Take a bath/regular shower if you can. Trust me, your body will be transported to a happier place. Only now you will realize it.
- Do physical exercise near a large body of water (ocean, lake, river)
- Dr. William J. Nichols, put the science together—its mind-blowing.
- Love
- At the end of it, having love and finding love in many arenas is the key to happiness.
- It has been looked at time and time again. It prevents hurt, pain, depression, sickness, suicide, etc. We are human and no matter how introverted, or how shy we are—we all crave companionship.
- It is our social nature.
- Find love for your hobbies. Find that appreciation.
- Find love in your friends and family.
- Find love in what you do every single day and ideally in your career.
- Find love in a romantic sense and hold on to it.
NOTE: You cannot find love in your life (ie. romantically, career-wise, friends-wise, family-wise, money-wise, etc.) if you do not love/appreciate yourself first. It may sound cliche, but think about it—who/what else wants to be with, or around a person who is just not a happy person?! No one.
No one wants to be with a sad person—it brings you down. People are attracted to other happy, fulfilled, content people. It is a general feeling and never a constant state of being. Do not assume you could be happy 24/7—not realistic. Your human. You will have some down days, but better make sure they are not consistent or you will be limiting yourself.
Being proud about who you are as a person—is vital. Others can decide for themselves to join you.
It all starts with you. Take action to make changes in your life. It is possible. It starts with small steps and it is all in your mind—its the greatest tool or the greatest weapon.
Which one it is? You decide.
Originally published at www.quora.com