Over the past year, I have delved into my quest for happiness by reading, learning, thinking, and testing out all things happiness. There is still much to learn, but certain themes keep coming up again and again. While I don’t believe that the quick fix/instant gratification route is necessarily the one to lasting happiness, this cheat sheet will get us well on our way.
1. Be nice!
Don’t be a jerk, and don’t let your children be jerks. That statement right there sums up a lot of the ones below, but let’s be a little more specific.
2. Do something for someone else.
Small scale, big scale. Doesn’t matter. Acts of kindness make you feel good mentally and physically. Believe it or not, altruism can even lower your blood pressure! You’re also making someone else’s day, and there may be ripple effects.
3. Move!
Seriously, you have to move your body. Our lifestyles are so sedentary these days, yet our bodies weren’t designed that way. You can’t expect your brain, (a very important) part of your body, to work optimally if you’re not maintaining the system.
4. Similarly, eat real food.
Real foods (with ingredients you can pronounce and without added sugar) will nourish you and keep you full longer. Hanger is a real thing; you’re not happy, and neither is anyone around you. Moreover, see above for the whole brain/system running optimally argument.
5. Stop complaining.
Complaining brings you down and trains your brain to notice all the negative things. Besides, complaining doesn’t usually change or fix anything, does it?
6. Instead, be grateful.
Gratitude is more about choice and mindset than external circumstances (e.g., physical possessions). You can be a billionaire yet unhappy if you’re not grateful, or you can be a prisoner with nothing and yet be happy. Look around. There are so many things to be grateful for! Try focusing on all the things you appreciate, that went well, and that made you happy instead of all the reasons why today sucked, or try this simple exercise.
7. Connect with people.
Reach out to loved ones. Talk with strangers. Don’t worry about feeling weird or being judged or stepping out of your comfort zone (which is actually really good for you, by the way). And, if you are worried, DO IT ANYWAYS! We’re all navigating this thing called life and probably have more in common than we realize. Taking a minute (or more) to connect with another human being helps us feel less lonely and gives a mood boost.
Basic manners, people. Make eye contact. Smile. Hold the door for someone. Say “please.” Say “thank you.” Like you mean it. It feels good.
Give someone a compliment. It takes 2 seconds, and I guarantee it will boost your happiness and theirs. By the way, say “thank you” if someone gives you a compliment. Thank you is the appropriate response. Do not let your brain dismiss it with some self-deprecating “Oh, I’m not really XYZ” comment.
8. Practice mindfulness.
It’s been around forever, for good reason, and neuroscience and all sorts of other research are now confirming what yogis have known for millennia: mindfulness practice is good for you. (Please know that I say this as a former skeptic. It took compelling data and arguments for me to really embrace this practice. Now I think it is one of the most critical practices for success and well-being).
9. Get off social media or, better yet, screens in general.
Maybe not all together, but definitely set some limits. You’ll have more time for other things that are more meaningful or more likely to boost your happiness, and you won’t be getting all the input that increases the icky “not good enough” feelings and concern for the state of the world.
Comparison is thief of joy.—Theodore Roosevelt
10. Sleep.
It’s hard to be happy when you’re tired. It’s hard to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and anger when you’re tired, and inadequate sleep can compromise our health. Get some Zzzzzs.
11. Learn something, anything.
Be an active participant in life rather than a passive consumer. I firmly believe that stimulation is critical for happiness. Technology makes it possible to learn absolutely anything these days. Don’t tell me it’s boring. Don’t tell me you can’t.
In this world, you’re either growing or you’re dying.—Lou Holtz (and a bunch of others)
12. Speaking of, start looking for the reasons why you can, instead of the reasons why you can’t, do things.
Don’t let limiting beliefs, circumstances, or other people hold you back. You’re in charge of your life, and you CAN make choices to improve it, even when the deck seems stacked against you.
13. Practice compassion.
For yourself (silence that inner critic) and for others. Operating under the assumption that everyone is doing the best they can really cuts down on anger and negativity. It may not change events or circumstances, but it definitely makes me happier.
14. Spend less.
There’s a widely accepted cultural myth that money leads to happiness. The happiness that comes from acquiring is fleeting at best. Besides, if you spend less, you need less money, and how many people would be a whole lot better off if they didn’t stress so much about money?
15. You do you, and let me do me.
This is two part. One: be yourself! You’ll be happier if you’re not trying to fit some mold or live up to someone’s perceived expectations. Two: don’t worry about what I do (as long as it doesn’t actually hurt anyone or prevent you from doing you). Accepting others rather than trying to control them leads to a lot more peace, internally and externally.
Simple steps, right? At least in theory! What are your favorite tips and tricks?
Originally published at www.ablindquest.com