What makes for happiness? What should we focus on? Discover eight tips to be happy.
Who doesn't want to be happy? Obviously, we all want to be happy, since happiness is a source of satisfaction and well-being. Life is full of challenges that can be painful and trying, but in this path of life of ours, we are called to draw on our inner resources to live and cultivate happiness.
March 20th is the International Day of Happiness and on this occasion I wanted to open a reflection on how to feel happy. So I approached other wellness bloggers to share their thoughts on the matter. These are bloggers I really enjoy reading and I know you will find their contributions to this post helpful. I invite you to visit their blogs and learn more about them as they have a lot to teach you. To find solutions to our quest for happiness, I gave them the floor and ask them to answer one question: What's your best advice to be happy?
Here's what they had to say.
Goal of happiness
"What is my best advise to be happy? That is an easy one for me. It would have to move more. In the last few years, I have learnt that exercising is great for many things. One of them being exercise is great to help you be happier. Exercise helps to produce endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins and serotonin are known as mood lifters or happy hormones. It can be as simple as walking for 5 minutes to 30 minute hard-core HIIT session in the gym or at-home. If I don’t move around during the day, I usually feel groggy and my mental health can be affected. However, after a simple workout, I am ready for the day, more happier and more energised."
Happy Together Blog
"My best advice to be happy would be to learn to know yourself and to love yourself for exactly who you are. After much reflection, study, reading, and contemplation, that is the single best way to be happy that I have been able to come up with. Happiness is not the attainment of things but a feeling, and it starts with the feeling that you are perfect, even in your imperfections, and that you are worthy and deserving of love just the way you are. Realizing this will give you the courage to be vulnerable and to open yourself up to others, allowing you to have those meaningful relationships and connections we all desire. It will also protect you from harm, the nature of the world is that nothing lasts forever and that certain things lie out of our control. Loving yourself will make you robust against that pain, not immune to it, but stronger against it. If you love yourself truly and deeply, then no external changes, occurrences or events can truly harm you. So love yourself first and foremost, the rest will fall into place."
Metaphysical Mama
"I was asked to share my advice on how to be happy. I could tell you to live a healthy lifestyle and surround yourself with people who support and inspire you. I could tell you to take time for yourself and do the things you love. All of these things are important and can contribute to a positive state of mind, but will they make you happy? Maybe. The thing about true happiness is, it’s our natural state of being and doesn’t come from things or other people. It comes from within. The reason so many of us have a hard time finding it is because we attach our happiness to outside sources. For example, “I’ll be happy when I get that job, I find the perfect partner, I have more money” etc.. Unfortunately, when we get those things we still aren’t happy. This is because happiness doesn’t come from anything external, it comes from us. When we choose to be happy, we will still experience sadness and anger, but it becomes easier for us to work through those feelings and return to happiness. So my advice on how to be happy is to simply choose to be happy, right now!"
Riyah Speaks
"We live in a busy and very demanding world. To balance every day stressors and to meet life demands you must practice self-care. Self-care is not selfish. It’s a ways for you to maintain your overall well-being and health by putting yourself first. How do you expect to take care of others if you can’t take care of yourself? Self care is the key to happiness. Now, in our fast world we need time to be with us selves and to just reflect on our wants and needs. Even if it’s just for a few minutes a day, taking the time off to take care of yourself will not only improve your overall mood but make you an overall healthy person."
The Mind Relief Blog
"Well, happiness is a very important feeling as it controls many aspects of our lives ranging from our mood to our overall mental and emotional health. My best advice to be happy is to focus on the positive side of things as it brings about immense feeling of contentment, satisfaction and relief. When you focus on positive things, a whole lot of things happens amongst which is happiness".
The Serenity Room
"Happiness is a relative term. Some people find happiness in the people that they choose to surround themselves with. Other people seem to be happy no matter how the circumstances around them appear. There are certain things that can be done ensure that you put yourself in the best position to experience true happiness. First, you must be mindful of your self-talk. You cannot experience true happiness if your self-talk is negative. Speak positively. Speak about happy things. Even if you have to talk about something negative, end on a positive, optimistic tone. Second, be mindful of your thoughts. It is very hard to maintain a happy disposition if your thoughts are negative. Be mindful of whether your thoughts are primarily negative and work to make them more positive. Meditation, journaling, and practicing affirmations are a good way to practice mindfulness. Lastly, happiness can be found through expressing gratitude. Expressing gratitude for all you have, even if it is less than what you think you deserve, can go along way towards you feeling happy with life. Gratitude is what will help you maintain a happy disposition even when things happen that can cause you to become unhappy. If you have to, write a list of everything that you are grateful for and pull it out on days where you need an emotional or mental boost. Hopefully practicing these things will help you in your quest for true happiness."
Unwanted Life
"This isn't an easy question to answer because happiness is subjective. What might make one person happy might not work for someone else. That said, you can do a few things to improve your chances of being happy, such as stopping the act of comparing yourself to others. There can only be the one you, so don't waste your life trying to be a poor imitation of someone else, and be the authentic version of yourself instead."
Ma Qualité De Vie
For my part, I think that in order to be happy, you should first be at ease with yourself, i.e. be aligned with your values, have a good self-esteem, take care of yourself. Then, you should put your life experience into perspective and look at it from a constructive point of view. Look at the bright side of things. You will also benefit from getting rid of any resentment, as it is a feeling that eats away at you from within. Finally, make a contribution to others or society no matter how small, so don't be self-centered because you belong to communities that you can serve. Knowing that you are making a difference for others brings happiness.
I hope these tips will help you find happiness and keep it going. Let me know in the comments what you think. Don't forget to visit the blogs of my guests, whom I thank for collaborating on this round-up post.
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(Ma qualité de vie means My quality of life in French.)
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