How do you want to feel? Do you want to be happy and content? Many unhappy people believe that you need make changes in your life if you want to be happy for the rest of your life.
In this blog post, I propose 19 ideas for keeping yourself happy and staying on the path towards a lifetime of happiness!
Meditation
I’m a big believer in the power of meditation and how it works wonders if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life. It’s been proven to lower stress levels, improve concentration and even reduce depression. For me personally, I find it really grounding and centring.
All you need is 20 minutes a day. For example, at night before bed or first thing in the morning when you wake up! Even if you can only do five minutes now and then, that will still benefit your mental health.
You could also try setting aside time during your workday to take yourself away from distractions, close your eyes and focus on deep breathing (or mantra).
The point is not so much whether or not we are successful with meditating but rather how focused we stay during those moments where we are trying.
Practice Self-acceptance
It’s interesting how we feel about ourselves, and our lives are so closely tied to what others say about us. You may not believe that something someone says will affect you, but it does – especially if they are close to us or people who give much criticism.
It can be hard when certain negative opinions of yourself come from those closest to you. This could lead a person to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to please these people at their own expense without realizing that this isn’t going anywhere satisfying for anyone involved.
Try permitting yourself instead by practising self-acceptance and letting go of any need for validation outside your own comfort zone. This is a very important advice if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life.
Let Go
I’m so happy that I can share with you this next suggestion because it’s been my salvation over the years. Learning to let go of things outside our control (especially if they don’t serve us) has helped me tremendously reduce stress and focus on what really matters.
We all have deadlines, jobs, family responsibilities – but letting those things take up too much space or time is counter-productive.
As we know from cognitive distortion theory, any worry will only lead to more worrying! Plus, it takes a toll on your health when you’re constantly feeling ‘overwhelmed’. Try setting aside some time each day to make lists and prioritise tasks by importance rather than urgency.
Be More Open
Allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable with people is a great way of getting closer to them, but it also forces you to face your own feelings – something that can be tough work sometimes!
The trick is to recognise when this vulnerability will lead you further down the path towards happiness or into an emotional downward spiral. For example, if I feel happy after starting a conversation with someone, they might ask me personal questions like, “How was your day?” This usually leads on from there until we’re both fully immersed in our storytelling session (and maybe even crying together).
But if I’m not feeling so good, these types of conversations could leave me feeling worse than I did before. So I always try to think about what might happen and whether it will help me be happy in the future – then make a decision accordingly.
Move More
One way of making sure you’re feeling good is by taking care of your physical health with daily exercise, a healthy diet or caring for mental well being through meditation, yoga or mindfulness activities (such as walking).
These are all things that we know contribute to our general state of mind, so they can’t only be doing us good but also provide an excellent way of staying positive! Another thing is looking after yourself when you feel down from time to time.
This could mean seeking out support groups on social media if this type of community resonates with you or even just taking a day off from work.
It’s Ok To Have Bad Days
“It’s ok to not be ok.” It doesn’t mean that you’re weak or flawed if the world isn’t perfect and everything in your life is going well.
It just means we all have our moments where things are tough, but those are also often when we grow most as human beings. So give yourself some space, let yourself feel what you need to feel and know that happiness will come back around again! We’ll get there together 😊
Sleep is Sacred
Tossing and turning in bed is something that many people suffer with regularly. In my experience, it seems to be one of the most common things for those who are finding themselves unhappy. As if they can’t get comfortable enough or settle into sleep at all.
The problem with this is not so much how you feel when tossing and turning but rather what it disrupts during your nightly routine.
For example, falling asleep quickly means we’re more likely to stay asleep throughout the night, whereas being kept awake by restlessness will lead us towards feeling tired again in the morning (not forgetting any hours spent wide-awake).
So find ways of getting settled before going to bed, such as taking a bath or reading an interesting book!
Perspective Is Important
For those struggling with anxiety, it can be a good idea to try and keep your worries in perspective, as this often helps us feel better. For example, if I’m worried about money, all that makes me more anxious because my mind won’t stop thinking of ways to solve the problem (and how much worse things would get).
But when I think about the fact that many people have problems like mine but manage to survive. Whether they’re rich or poor – somehow things seem easier and less overwhelming than before!
So by looking at what we’ve been through already, we know that there’s always hope for tomorrow. Even though some days might be extra bad, these periods will still eventually pass, and we will make it through them!
Find Your Passion
Another way of staying positive is to find things that you’re passionate about. This means continuing to write blog posts as I can’t think of anything else in the world that makes me feel more alive than when I’m sharing my thoughts with people looking for something new or different.
So if you haven’t already, then explore the idea of finding your passion. Even if it takes a little time.😊 You need some passion if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life.
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Try Something New
Sometimes our lives get a little too routine, and we find ourselves going through the motions day in, day out. While it’s good to have some sense of stability, this also means that things become predictable, which can mean less happiness as time goes on!
So one thing is to try something new regularly if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life. Whether it be eating different types of food or taking up an activity you’ve never done before (whatever your interests are).
It doesn’t matter if these changes gradually occur over time or all at once because either way, they’ll give us the opportunity for a fresh perspective and keep life interesting!
Take a Break From Tech
If possible, stepping away from any technology might seem like a strange idea, but actually, it could help us feel happier in the long term. For example, it’s been shown that when we’re constantly plugged into our phones or laptops, we tend to be less active and more anxious.
Somethings will make us unhappy without realizing it and should be controlled if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life
So try stepping away from technology for a little while each day if you can (even just 30 minutes) because by doing so, you’ll allow your body and mind some time to rest before getting back online again. And who knows, this might mean being able to sleep better at night too, as well as feeling more relaxed throughout the day!
Practice Gratitude
Another way of staying happy is by finding ways of practising gratitude every single day. This means thinking about something we’re grateful for. And while there are many things to appreciate, it’s best if we start with the basics, such as walking or talking!
Then gradually work our way up from there until eventually, we’ve found something that means a lot to us (such as family). This might sound too easy, but when practised regularly, gratitude can actually change how we feel in life and make all of our problems seem less significant than before.
Reach Out To Others
A simple tip if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life is not forgetting about other people. Even though sometimes this seems impossible because so much effort has been put into finding happiness.
What often happens is that after time passes by and you stop caring about your own needs/desires, you might start feeling lonely and unhappy again.
So give yourself a break now and then by going out with friends, family members or even meeting someone new. Not for anything but to enjoy each other’s company (and if something else happens as well, that’s great too! 😉
Make Self-care A Priority
It can be hard at times when we’re struggling in life because it’s all happening so fast. There are always more problems waiting around the corner. And while this is true, one way to stay happy will be stopping ourselves from taking on things that don’t belong to us!
For example, I often try to take care of my partner emotionally without realizing how much personal baggage he has separately from me (and vice versa). So it’s important to make sure we also take care of ourselves because otherwise, that can lead to feeling overwhelmed and unhappy.
Learn To Say No
It might seem like a paradox, but an easy way if you want to stay happy for the rest of your life is learning how to say no! For example, what often happens in life is that people want us for something or need our help with something. So much so that we feel obliged (or even obligated) as though this will somehow fill up the emptiness inside them.
If we’re not careful, then all these things which don’t actually belong to us can create more problems and eventually get on top of us until there are too many things pulling at the same time. While it might seem scary at first, knowing how to say no can actually help us feel more content with ourselves.
Music Heals
Try listening to music that suits your mood. For example, if you’re feeling happy, try putting on something upbeat or even danceable. Be careful not to listen too much because this might make us numb in the long term.
It’s important we don’t get used to hearing only one type of song, which will eventually lead to a mismatch between what our body is telling us emotionally versus physically.
So stick with an album here and there before carefully choosing another track. And while doing so, also remember that music has been shown repeatedly as being able to reduce stress levels by anywhere from 18-32%!
Looks Matter Too!
We might be used to the idea of having a personal space that we’re comfortable with, but it’s important not to neglect our outer appearance as well. This is because if people don’t feel good about how they look, this can have an impact on their mental health and happiness levels.
So much so that some studies even show that those who are considered attractive earn up to 20% more than others each year.
So while grooming isn’t necessarily something everyone loves doing, just spending a little time every day making sure your hair looks nice, or you’ve got fresh breath will make all the difference in the world. And once again, there are always benefits such as feeling more confident and looking healthier!
Add Some Humor
It might seem like a cliché, but if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, you mustn’t take yourself too seriously because that can feel overwhelming.
Try taking life a little less seriously by doing silly things on occasion where you’re able to make up your own rules (and then break them!) The reason is that humour has been shown as an effective way to reduce stress levels and boost happiness.
Do something you have always wanted to do!
For example, if you have always wanted to go diving, then maybe this is the perfect time to do so. While it might seem like there’s not much point in doing something which isn’t sustainable long-term (like buying an expensive toy) for just a bit of happiness. We need to remember that these things can sometimes be enough all on their own!
So once again, keep in mind what your body is telling you emotionally and how it responds physically because often, even small actions can stimulate dopamine levels and release endorphins into our bloodstream, which will make us feel more content with ourselves.
For instance, spending some time alone for a few minutes can actually help people sleep better at night.
Key Takeaway
I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful and feel motivated to try out some of my recommendations. Remember that happy people are the best kind of people – let’s all work towards being one!
The main point is that people should be happy – and this isn’t something which will happen automatically over time without us taking some of the necessary steps to make it better.
But with these 19 ideas for staying happy, hopefully, you’ll feel less stressed out and more content with yourself! So what are your thoughts on all of this?
Do any of my points resonate, or does anything need changing? Let me know by commenting below! 😊
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