10 Simple Ways To Boost Your Happiness

How are you going today? But really, how are you actually going?

It’s no secret that the last year has felt like an active volcano, in which spewing news cycles are followed by simmering states of despair. But while it can sometimes feel hard to turn that frown upside down, there are a ton of actions you can take to keep moving forward. Sure, some things that affect your happiness are out of your control, but there are a tonne that are: you are the one person that can reignite your happiness and see this world for the beautiful place it can be.

So the next time you’re asked, “How are you?” the fitting response will be, “Amazing.”

And to give you a helping hand, we spoke to the CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) of The Happiness Institute, Dr Tim Sharp, aka ‘Dr Happy’ for his 10 best happiness-boosting tricks. Try work these tips in your 9 to 5—you’ll never find yourself wondering about how to be happy again.

1. Defining what happiness means to you

One of the most important tips for boosting happiness is to define what happiness means to you. If you don’t know what your version of happiness and a good life looks like, you’ll always struggle to achieve it.

2. Create happiness goals

Once you’ve clarified your definition of happiness, it can then be helpful to set and work towards relevant and appropriate happiness goals. This will most likely include taking care of your physical health and wellbeing, prioritising relationships and ensuring time for rest and recuperation.

3. Prioritise rest and recuperation

This last bit, rest and recuperation are particularly important as recent research by Carnival Cruise Line the research suggests that those who’re more relaxed tend to be healthier and happier, with 79% of Australian’s saying they feel like a different person when they’re relaxed. 

4. Plan regular breaks

One of the best ways to find relaxation is to take regular holidays. Most people find that planning and enjoying holidays is a very effective way of enhancing happiness and quality of life as most people feel like better people when they’re away and resting.

5. Limit screen time

It can also be very healthy and helpful to spend less time working and staring at screens, which unsurprisingly is also very beneficial for our happiness and mental health. The aforementioned research by Carnival Cruise Lines also found that spending less time in front of the phone or laptop results in happier, healthier individuals.   

6. Prioritise good quality sleep

Good quality sleep is another vitally important contributor to happiness and wellbeing. In fact, it’s near impossible to feel happy and healthy if we’re tired and exhausted all the time. This is also supported by Carnival Cruise Line’s research which found that nearly a third of Aussies (31%) say they feel like a happier, better person when they have more sleep.

7. Fostering relationships

Further, if we really want to enjoy happiness, we need to prioritise those things that really boost our happiness and other positive emotions, and one of the best things for this is fostering and tending to good quality relationships.

8. Enjoy life with fun and play

And talking about priorities, although this will look different for different people, we should all, in some way or other, prioritise fun and play. Too often too many of us save up fun and play for weekends or end of year breaks, which is not entirely wrong. But if we can integrate pleasurable and exciting activities into our daily lives more often, then we’ll also enjoy positive emotions more often.

9. Be kind

Happiness is not just about feeling good but also doing good. So, we can feel better if we do good to and for others – be kind, be generous, be giving

10. Practice gratitude

And finally, reflect on all the previous tips and from this, all that’s good in your life and practice gratitude. There’s no doubt that those who focus more on what they have, and less on what they don’t have, are far more likely to be happy and healthy.

Source: Read Full Article