Let us start today’s article with a quote from Dalai Lama. He said,” Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.” Upon reflecting on his wise words, we can realize that Happiness cannot be bought in some markets; our actions can only create it. Do you remember Timon & Pumba from Lion King? A humble wild boar & a tiny meerkat spend their life chanting ‘Hakkuna Matata,’ which means ‘there are no troubles’ in the Swahili language. Though trouble finds them sometimes, still how happy they are! Timon & Pumba needn’t strike a balance between personal life & professional life. They are free from the stressful lifestyle of our modern world of ours. Still, there is something we can do to find Happiness within us among all this chaos. Here are some tips to live a happier life.
Why does happiness matter?
Does happiness matter? People respond to this question in astonishingly different ways. Some suggest that there are far more vital things to worry about; others see happiness as crucially important & something that every human being eventually wants. Happiness communicates our feelings, but it is more than a passing mood. We are emotional beings & experience a wide array of feelings daily. Negative emotions – like fear & anger – help us escape danger or defend ourselves.
Positive emotions – like enjoyment & hope – allow us to connect with others & build our capacity to manage when things go wrong. Trying to live a happy life is not the process of denying negative emotions or pretending to feel joyful all the time. We all face misfortune & it is entirely natural for us to feel anger, sadness, frustration & other negative emotions. Happiness is about making the most of the good times and efficiently handling the unavoidable bad times.
To experience the best possible life, we must live for the moment & prepare ourselves for the future. So happiness matters – the scientific evidence is convincing. The pursuit of happiness is not some middle-class luxury; it is about helping people to live better lives & building a society that is more productive, healthy & unified. As Aristotle said: “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim & end of human existence.”
Tips To Live a Happier Life
1. Focus On Positive Thinking
To find happiness, you must divert your brain from a negative mindset to a positive one. Try these things: Spend one to two minutes looking for positive things in your life. Do this three-four times a day for some days, & your brain will start doing it automatically. Select a positive mantra for the day, something you will repeat to yourself, like “Today is beautiful” or “I feel grateful for things I have.” When things go south, take a moment & try to see it from an optimistic view. Never underestimate the significance of identifying the silver linings in life.
2. Celebrate Little Triumphs
Life is full of ups and downs, but in between, we have a lot of little triumphs that go unnoticed. Take a moment to rejoice in these small wins. Did you clean your messy room? Did you finally complete a work that has been pending for a long time? Take delight in these little achievements. Pay attention to these small but good achievements.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation works by bringing your consciousness & attention to the present moment. It is about being lenient & accepting how you are feeling. Practicing mindfulness means being present, aware & inquisitive. Accepting what we are going through reduces stress & helps us see circumstances for what they are. Through mindfulness, we can find peace & confirmation in ourselves.
4. Accept Not Being Perfect
Many of us struggle for perfection; we want to push ourselves to be our best. But to be a truly happy person, you must accept the imperfections that are part of daily life. Perfection is almost impossible & holding ourselves & others to these standards is pointless. We will always end up feeling disappointed. Accept that life is not perfect & identify that there is beauty & grace in that imperfection.
5. Do What You Love
It is very hard to maintain overall happiness if you do not like your job. Don’t waste the best time of your life in a job that you hate, even if it is paying your bills. What are you interested in & passionate about? Focus on creating a career in an area that motivates you & will offer you a high level of satisfaction, & your happiness mindset will go up rapidly.
6. Live In the Moment
Our thoughts & feelings often rotate around the past or the future. Reality is what you are experiencing at that moment, what you are feeling right now. Sometimes we want to get away from that reality. We are wholly engaged in our lives when we stay in the present. Attempt to live in the moment, & you will start to have a more profound admiration for your life.
7. Be Creative
You may think artists are moody & depressed, but studies proved that regularly engaging in creative activities helps to promote a happier mindset. Those who spend time using their imagination & being creative have more keenness & more likely to have feelings of happiness & well-being. Creative activities can include writing, painting, singing, playing some instrument, or any activity that demands your creative side.
8. Practice Giving Back
Be charitable with your time & your money. Give to others who are in need. Give to those you love & care for. Those who give back attain a sense of unselfishness & humanitarianism. Those who are generous in spending money on others are most likely to have good health, possibly because giving offers a feel-good effect that reduces blood pressure & stress.
9. Listen To Music
Listening to our favorite music lifts our spirits. It makes us feel better because listening to music lets our brains release dopamine, a neurochemical connected to pleasure & relaxation. Those who connect with music through dance or attending concerts can get higher levels of happiness & a sense of well-being.
10. Stop Comparing Yourself with Others
Stop comparing yourself to the people around you. Most significantly, stop comparing your possessions to all the things everyone else has. Social media tends to make us feel everyone else has it better than us. How often does scrolling through your newsfeed make you feel negative-minded & depressed? Letting envy & bitterness enter our minds robs us of appreciating what we have.
Conclusion
There is an inopportune reason why happiness is often intangible; our brains are not programmed that way. Instead, our brains have developed to survive, protect ourselves, and keep us safe. We have moments of delight & periods of satisfaction & bliss. But many of us are overwhelmed with constant negative emotions. How to find more joy in our life? It takes practice to develop lasting happiness. We have to reset our foundation. It cannot happen overnight, but here are tips to live a happier life.
