We all want a happy life. But when you’re in the middle of a really bad week, where you’re constantly stressed, rushed, exhausted and on edge, a calm and happy life may seem an impossible dream.
Happiness brings better health and deeper, more satisfying relationships. It makes us more creative, and draws other happy people into our lives. But being happy can be a challenge. It’s easy to set our focus on the bad things in life while ignoring the good, especially when life looks grim.
Three Proven Habits For Happiness
We often believe that that in order to be happy we need to make BIG changes in our life. But the turth is, even very small changes can begin the ripple effect that leads to bigger, deeply satisfying changes. And in fact, we often only need to change our mindset a tiny bit to create the calm and happiness we crave in any moment.
These proven habits will help you shift the spotlight back onto the good things and create more happiness in your life.
Practice gratitude
You can feel like you’re a fraud expressing gratitude when all you want to do is smack your boss! But people who express gratitude on a consistent basis are more optimistic, less materialistic, and more forgiving. Expressing gratitude daily helps you develop strategies to navigate those days of heightened stress.
Here’s one method of harnessing the positive power of gratitude:
- On a piece of paper rank your happiness on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being ‘never’ and 10 being ‘all the time’. Seal your answer in an envelope and set it aside. At the end of each day, write down 3 things you’re grateful for. It can be ordinary (clean running water) or uplifting (watching your child graduate). After two weeks, rank your happiness again and compare it with your original score. Chances are you’re significantly happier. And also you’re probably dealing with that work stress far better.
Perform acts of kindness
Giving not only benefits the receiver, it contributes to the givers’ health, happiness, and sense of social connection. Giving can also mean giving to yourself. Thirty minutes to unwind can mean you’ll more than recoup that time afterwards because you’ll be relaxed and functioning so much better. Try this simple exercise to get started.
- Chose one day this week and perform 5 acts of kindness. They can be big or small, random or planned, for a stranger or someone you know. Dropping a dollar in a stranger’s parking meter or shopping trolley, paying a coffee forward, donating blood, or, at work try clearing the communal kitchen area, or pitching in on a colleague’s project. At the end of the day write down what you did, how the person responded, and notice the difference you feel.
Offer forgiveness
Keeping grudges means holding onto anger, resentment, and hurt. Practicing forgiveness releases the pain and allows us to move on.
- Think of a grudge you’re holding. Acknowledge your feelings, thoughts, and sensations around the experience then ask yourself, what areas in my life is this grudge negatively affecting? How is it impacting those around me? What positive change would occur if I let it go and moved on? Forgiveness isn’t about minimising or negating feelings or condoning transgressions. It’s about letting go and setting yourself free. And remember to forgive yourself, that’s the primary step.
We all experience life’s ups and downs, and good and bad weeks. By implementing these habits into your daily life you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever challenge life throws at you and experience more calm and happiness. You deserve a happy life!