As human beings we are creatures of habit. We all have many different habits that can either enhance and improve our lives or impede happiness and well-being. The good news is that every day offers a new opportunity to break up with unhelpful habits and create new, beneficial ones.
Our habits can change our lives for the better or for the worse and they shape us and affect our perspective on the things that happen to us. The thing is that we live in a world where most of the information we are confronted with throughout the day is negative, scary, questionable and sometimes even crazy.
That’s why it is important to cultivate a positive mindset and adopt happy habits. We have to make time for ourselves and nourish our mind on a daily basis, incorporate lifestyle practices like mediation and mindfulness, get enough sunlight to boost serotonin production and fuel our brain and plant our feet on the ground to produce calmness.
Here are our TOP 10 happy habits that will bring you everlasting joy.
#1 Foster Meaningful Connections
What brings us happiness is people, not money. And this is actually supported by a big dose of common sense as well as scientific evidence. Happiness is incredibly contagious and in order for it to affect you, the source of happiness has to be alive. People and even animals can have a huge impact on us and in order to be truly happy, we need friends we can talk to, drink, eat, laugh and cry with. However, negativity is just as contagious as happiness, so be aware who you surround yourself with and make it a daily habit to foster meaningful, positive connections that improve your life on a mental, emotional and physical level.
#2 Invest in Experiences Not Things
Another great way to nurture happiness is to invest in experiences and not things. Material possessions fade and get old, but the memories of your experiences stay with you for a lifetime. Just think about it. What do you remember the most? The expensive pair of shoes you bought or backpacking with your friends around Europe. Whether you admit it or not, you have a big smile on your face every time you remember that night camping under the stars with your friends. But besides the magical memories, one of the biggest happiness boosting benefits of experiences is that knowledge you gain from your experiences and the interaction with different people and cultures. So whenever you have money to spare, spend it on experiences that will last a lifetime rather than things that grow old faster than you think.
#3 Follow Your Dreams
Pablo Picasso already said: ‘Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.’ Many people end up with lots of regrets at the end of their road and say to themselves ‘If only I had the guts to do this or that.’ Don’t live with a tirade of unfulfilled wishes and what ifs, because those regrets will only lead to a life of unhappiness. Instead, make a bucket list of the things that excite you and follow your dreams. Because those who risk pursuing their dreams are the ones who are happiest in life. Sure, they might feel worry and discomfort along the way, but that’s simply part of being alive. There is a certain motivation and enthusiasm when you pursue your dreams, so be alive and follow your dreams.
#4 Be Generous
While money can’t buy you happiness, being generous with your money, time and effort can make you very happy. A recent study on altruism found that finding happiness in generosity is part of a healthy psychological reward system. And the best part is, generosity doesn’t just make us happier, it also makes us more committed to our work. And if this wasn’t enough, another study showed that those who show up and help others, live a much longer life and benefit from improved mental health.
#5 Go On Nature Walks
Even in the winter when it’s freezing cold outside and the world is covered in snow, spend some time each day walking in nature. Make it a habit of getting outside and marvel at the beauty of nature, listen to your footsteps, breathe in the fresh air and soak up the sounds from the wildlife. Engage all your senses and you will experience a sense of calm immediately. Plus you get your daily dose of physical activity and the beauty of nature inspires your brain and creativity.
#6 Adopt a Healthy Diet
Science has found evidence that there is a link between your diet and your mental health so make sure that you adopt a healthy diet. It has been shown that the increasing availability of sugary and processed food is at least partially to blame for an increase in mental health problems like depression. Stick to a healthy diet that is simple and not too restrictive while avoiding processed foods. Your brain needs to be kept healthy, which is important for a variety of critical functions including your emotions. When you eat properly and take care of your brain, you feel much less stressed and experience fewer mental, emotional as well as physical problems, which will hugely impact your happiness levels.
#7 Practice Authenticity
Practicing authenticity means that you remain true to yourself and with that you know that the people who came to love you, love the real you. This means that you can feel reassured that the people in your life actually choose to have a relationship with YOU and not some fake persona that you decided to present to the world in order to be liked. The result is that you live in a state of certainty about your closest relationships and know that they won’t abandon you should they suddenly find out who you really are.
#8 Embrace Your Uniqueness
Loving and liking yourself is a significant factor in finding happiness. Make sure that you include every trait about you, even if you consider it as imperfect on the list of things you accept, like and love about yourself and commit to the idea that nobody is perfect. Be honest with yourself and identify the areas in your life where you need to continue to grow and embrace what makes you truly unique. Stop comparing yourself to others and live your own, individual, unique life, enjoy your unique life experiences and honor, embrace and love any uniqueness you recognize in yourself.
#9 Practice Gratitude
One of the most valuable happy habits is the habit of gratitude. If you want to increase your happiness it is hugely important to make appreciation a daily practice. Recognize the preciousness of life and be thankful for what seems to be the minor gifts in life. Every morning when you wake up or every night before you go to bed find at least three things that you are grateful for and feel the feeling of gratitude. It’s one of the most potent happy habits you can adopt that will make your life exponentially better.
#10 Make Time to Exercise
A lot of people are aware of the endorphins that are released into our brains when we exercise and we all know that an increase in endorphins makes us happy. So make it a point to make time to exercise every single day. And since there are a variety of activities you can choose from, find something that you truly enjoy and keep switching it up, because if you repeat the same workout every day, you may get bored and quit, which won’t help you to increase your happiness.
Happiness is attainable to everybody if we intentionally work on it every single day. So pursue your dreams, develop meaningful relationships, expand your experiences, give and be thankful and happiness becomes you.
INFLUENCE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
Pingback: Nudie News