How To Be Happy Again With Many Options

This article is about how to be happy again no matter what happens in your life.  In this article you will find many options to help you on your way.

There are so many ways you can be happier in life. It is exciting to realize just how many options you have to become happier. You are not stuck where you are.  Smile, things are going to get a lot better for you.

For example, you can boost your happiness by helping people, meditating for 20 minutes a day and keeping a gratitude journal. These are some of the amazing ideas that I will cover in more depth below. 

The World Happiness Report 2015

This is according to the 2015 World Happiness Report. This report is a report that is put together by an International team of economists, neuroscientists, and statisticians. They measure and rank global well being. You can access it by clicking The World Happiness Report 2015.

They have found that happiness depends on:

1. Being and staying positive 
2. Your Recovery from negativity
3. Spending time with friends and family
4. Being more mindful

The researchers of The World Happiness Report say these 4 steps can be trained. We will go into more depth about each of these steps below.

Staying Positive

Staying positive can be summed up by looking on the bright side. If you’re always turning to the negative side, then you are going to be unhappy.

Try to get rid of the negative thoughts and replace them with happy thoughts. Make it a habit. It will take a while to make it a habit but it is worth it.

Negative Feelings – How To Be Happy Again

The second point is to recover from negative feelings. You will have negative feelings and negative things happen to you. It’s just part of life and it can make you strong and more resilient. 

One of the best things you can do is to journal or write about your negative feelings and experiences. Face them head on. It’s okay to write things down.   It’s very helpful. Don’t just push your feelings away.

Spend Time With Family And Loved Ones

The third point is to spend time with family and loved ones. Sometimes, it’s easy to let time with family and friends fall by the wayside because you are spending so much time working. Part of the reason you are working so much is because you are trying to earn more money for your family. They miss you. You miss them.  It is making you unhappy and maybe create resentment.

Set work hours. If you work for yourself,  you will have control over your work hours.  It is easy to just work all day in the office and for your loved ones to feel like you have forgotten them. Stick to your work hours.  Make time for your family and friends. You will be happier.  In turn, this will make you more successful.

Mindfulness

The fourth point is to be mindful. Mindfulness is huge these days. Mindfulness means being present and recognizing the now. It is so easy to get lost in mistakes of the past or worries of the future. That will lead to unhappiness.

Be Mindful

Instead, be mindful. Focus on the now. Be peaceful. Be present. Meditation can definitely help with this and that is something we will talk a lot more about later in this post. 

In The World Happiness Report, it can also be really helpful to set achievable goals. Setting goals that you can  achieve gives you something to look forward to. It will give you something that you can accomplish. That is a cause for celebration.

Set Achievable Goals

If you set achievable goals, you will start to recognize progression. That will make you happier. Setting goals is an important thing for mindset so it cannot be ignored. You have to set goals.

Also, don’t stay inside all the time. It’s not healthy.  It will eventually make you unhappy. You need the sun. You need to be in nature. Being out in nature will make you feel happier.

Exercise for overall health

You also need exercise. That is part of health overall. If you are not exercising, the chances are high that you are not healthy and not happy. When you exercise, the body releases feel good hormones. You will feel good in the short term and the long term. It is hard at first but it soon becomes something you cannot live without. Exercise will become a daily part of your life and it will make you happier.

I recommend you go through this post several times. Find what works for you. Figure out what is making you unhappy and what you can change in your life to fix that.

It might be most helpful to find your fast cure, things that help you feel better right now. This can give you the strength to focus on the stuff that will take longer to work. Instant boosts of happiness can be going out with friends or family or simply just taking a walk in the park.

It can also be helpful to develop a plan. Are you going to meditate, journal and keep a gratitude journal each day? Are you going to exercise and make time for your family each day? Make a plan and stick to it.  That will help you develop positive habits which equal happiness.

Meditation Can Help  Boost Happiness

Meditation is something that can be very helpful in boosting happiness. Some people shy away from meditation because they feel like they won’t be able to do it.

Studies suggest that meditating can decrease feelings of depression and anxiety. The fact that meditation can decrease feelings of depression and anxiety is a big thing. Do you feel anxious while you work? That can be really damaging to your happiness.

What Is Meditation?

So, what is meditation? Meditation is focusing quietly on the present for set periods of time. There isn’t anything complicated about this.  It really can be what you want it to be. 

Meditation is beneficial that its effects can even be seen on brain scans. Studies of Buddhist monks show that their brains have developed areas that are linked to increased awareness and better control of emotions. That’s amazing! Obviously there are clear benefits to be had that are documented and real. 

Those who have a program of meditation that they follow on a regular basis tend to show changes in the brain that are linked with better self awareness, perspective, and memory. If you are more self aware, then you will be happier. 

You will know more about what the right path is for you which will make you happier. You will have a better perspective on life. This can help you find a better path and make connections that will improve things in all areas of your life. 

Find a quiet place where you can be comfortable with no distractions.

Close your eyes.  Pay attention to your breathing. Pay attention to the now. Don’t think.  Let go of any thoughts that come into your mind.

You can listen to guided meditations. There are free options online or you can buy guided digital downloads.

You can also read books on meditation and mindfulness that can help you learn how to do this.

Meditation can help you be happier in life. Make it your goal to meditate for around 20 minutes each day. This will make a big difference in how you feel. You’ll be more sure about yourself and your path. Meditation is amazing, it’s easy and its free.  It is an valuable tool for happiness and health.

Be Grateful – How To Be Happy Again

If you want to be happier (who wouldn’t want to be), then it is important to find things to be grateful for. What is there to be grateful for when you are so unhappy? There are always things to be grateful for. It doesn’t matter what you are going through, there are always ways to find gratitude.

If you make it a habit to find things to be grateful for, it will become second nature to you. And if it is second nature for you to be grateful, then you will start to feel happier.

Gratefulness is a positive emotion. Studies show that feeling positive emotions can help cancel out negative emotions. If you are making a daily effort to feel gratitude, then those negative feelings won’t seem strong. Gratefulness and happiness can cancel out the negative.

Studies also show that experiencing positive feelings can help you feel more proactive in life.  If these feelings of gratitude become a habit, you’ll naturally start to seek other ways of happiness. This one form of finding happiness can make it easier and more likely for you to find happiness in other ways.

Positive Emotions

Positive emotions can help you when you’re feeling negative. So write down thoughts of gratitude when you’re feeling negative. This can help you take positive action.  This includes other positive actions you’ve found in post. It is all a big positive circle.

I suggest you buy a  journal that makes you feel happy. This is going to be a journal you use for your feelings of gratitude. You can also type out your gratitude journal but there’s something special about writing by hand.

Write down at least three things you are grateful for in your life each day. This doesn’t take a lot of time. You can do it at any time of day.

Make it a daily habit. Don’t think of it as a chore. I hope it’s something you will look forward to. It will make you happier.

Journal Your Way To Happiness

This goes with the gratitude journaling we talked about above. This is going to take a different focus. You’re going to journal to get your feelings out. You will journal about the difficult things that are going on in your life. This will help you to chase other things in life that will make you happier.

A research study showed that writing your thoughts down is a great way to sort your thoughts, solve issues in your life and relieve any stress. Researchers did brain scans that showed that the act of recording an emotional experience was calming.  They could see the activity in the part of the brain that’s responsible for calming feelings. This activity was not present in the brain scans of those who journaled neutral experiences.  

It is easy to see that journaling is a great way to sort out your thoughts. Journaling can help you weigh the pros and cons of solutions to problems in your life. Problems can often weigh you down. But once the issues are down on paper, the solutions can become clear. That can help you feel happier and more confident in the paths you choose in life.

Journaling To Relieve Stress

Journaling can help you relieve stress. It really stresses you out to keep things bottled up. When you journal, it lets that stress out. Try it to see an immediate benefit in the form of stress release. There’s a huge benefit in journaling about problems you’re facing  and anything else that’s weighing on you.

Buy a great journal that makes you feel good. There are some really nice leather bound journals here, for example. This is worth investing a bit of money in.

You can certainly type out your journal or use one of the journaling apps out there. Again, though, I think there’s something special about putting pen or pencil to paper. I think you’ll be able to get your thoughts out in a different and better way than you would be able to through typing away.

Make journaling a daily habit. You will find that it is a great way to get thoughts out of your mind and down on paper. You’ll find solutions to your problems. There are so many great benefits.

You can journal about life and business.  If you’re happy in life, you can be happier in business. If you’re happy in business, you can be happier in life.

Your journal is for you and you alone. Do not worry, just write away.

Help Others By Becoming A Volunteer

It can make you happier help others, really.  We lose sight of this. It helps to give you a better, view if we help others.

Help others in any way you want. You can help others who are less fortunate. Volunteer in causes that are close to your heart.

Opportunities As A Volunteer

What opportunities are there for you to volunteer? There are lots. People are always looking for volunteers. It might take stepping out of your comfort zone, but you will see some great benefits. 

You should do it because you really do want to help others. It will make you feel more confident and better about yourself. Taking a break from your work and doing something you do not normally do is like a breath of fresh air. 

You will be giving back and adding value to your own life. We are here on this earth for a reason, to try and leave it better than we found it. Volunteering is part of that.  This will make you feel good.

If you want to be happier then help others.  How on earth are you going to accomplish your own goals in life if you are volunteering your time?

You do not have to volunteer full time. There is no set time. Volunteer the amount of time that makes you feel like you are giving to others.

Helping Others – How To Be Happy Again

If you make this a priority and ensure that you are really helping others, you will find that you still have time for your own goals. You will find ways to be more productive. Suddenly, those work activities that used to take hours and hours to complete because you were feeling lack of energy, suddenly go by quickly.

You will feel good and work more productively if you start volunteering for something you believe in.

That is exciting, when you think about it. Which volunteer opportunities exist near you and what do you feel excited about being a part. Who can you help?  Choose a certain number of hours. Then, follow through. You will be giving back and you will feel happier as a result.

Take Plenty Of Breaks

How often do you take breaks while you work? If you are like many people, then the answer is not very often.  Well, contrary to how it might seem, you might be costing yourself money.

The fact is that we’re not built to work constantly without taking a break. Your eyes get fatigued, your brain gets fatigued, and you are not built for sitting constantly. You need to take frequent breaks.

If you try to work non stop, then you are probably setting yourself up for being less productive. That is not good. This can stress you out and make you unhappy. This is costing you money let alone destroying your health.

Give Yourself Permission To Take Breaks

Give yourself permission to take breaks. You might work for 30 minutes then every 30 minutes, you get up and stretch and get a drink of water etc. Figure out what span of time works for you.

It is also important to set breaks throughout your day. Set actual work hours. It’s easy to fall into a trap of working all day.  If you take breaks, you’ll actually be more productive when you sit down to work.

When I find myself being unproductive I find that taking a short nap of 30 to 60 minutes helps.  I seem to get more done during the day than I would have if I had kept working. This is important for your happiness.

When you’re not working, go outside in nature. This can be during your breaks or during your time off. Take your lunch outside as this can revive you and set you up for happiness.

Do things you enjoy when you’re not working.  This can reset you and revive you.

Whether your break is quick or long, you will return refreshed, happier, and ready to get more done.

Getting Out In Nature – How To Be Happy Again

Getting out in nature can help you feel happier.  How often are you stuck in the four walls of your office or house? That is depressing.  Getting out in nature on a regular basis can make you much happier in the short and the long term.

When was the last time you went outside and looked at nature? It is not enough to just be outside.  It is important to be in awe of nature and really appreciate it. Take the time to do this. It can make a big difference.

Being  in nature can also decrease stress levels. A study found that students who were sent out into the forest for two nights had lower stress hormones than those who spent two nights in the city.

Forest Therapy

Researchers also found a decrease in heart rate and stress hormones in those in the forest compared with those in built up areas. This is called forest therapy.  Can you go take a walk in the forest or park? It really can be that simple.

How are you going to find time to get out in nature enough? What about lunch time? You don’t have to eat inside.

Researchers have found that those who ate outside were happiest. Those who ate at their desk were the least happy. Those who ate in parks had a better attitude than those who ate in a restaurant or at home.

It doesn’t matter if you live in a city.  Find nature. Get in touch with nature no matter where you live.  Get in touch every day. It will help you be happier. It is important.

Getting out in nature can help you feel happier and help you to get more done. It can also help you feel more creative.

Reward Yourself Often

We have talked about helping others. What about helping yourself? I am a big believer in rewarding yourself for a job well done.

So, reward yourself. Doing this can help you become happier. You can reward yourself in many ways big or small. The beauty of this is that you get to decide what the rewards are. Do you ever praise yourself? Or, is it a lot of negative talk? 

If you are like a lot of people, then your internal talk is very negative. Let us replace that with positive talk.  This will be your first reward to yourself. Every time you find yourself thinking a negative thought, reject it and replace it with a positive thought.

You can and should reward yourself in other ways. Rewards can be small for smaller goals. Rewards can be larger for larger goals.

Small Or Big Rewards

Small rewards could be something like taking a bubble bath. Or taking the afternoon off. Or buying yourself a copy of a book you wanted to read.

Larger rewards could be buying a new gadget. Or taking that mini trip.

We should be celebrating more in life, not less.

Let go of your mistakes. Learn from them and analyze them. Don’t dwell on them and kick yourself over and over again.

If you praise and reward yourself for a job well done, and replace negative talk with positive talk, you will find that you will be happier in life.

Belong To A Group

You can boost your happiness level if you find ways to belong to a group.  Don’t isolate yourself. That can be depressing. This could be one way to solve that problem. It’s a basic human need to feel part of something. There is only so long we can try to do everything alone. You  will also need the support of others. It is that subjective sense of belonging that is crucial for happiness.

This is an incredibly important point. Maybe you do belong to a group or many groups. That doesn’t mean it is actually helping you or contributing to your happiness. Feeling a connection to it is the key for it to be of a benefit to you. You have to feel a sense of belonging. Learn from them and they can learn from you. Look around your local bulletin boards and announcement boards. You are likely to find something. 

Get A Mentor Or Coach

It can be extremely helpful to find a mentor or coach. This is great for you, because you will be moving in one direction, trying to improve. You’ll feel a sense of belonging and a boost in happiness. It is a great boost.

No matter how you go about it, make sure you find a group that you can belong and feel connected to. It’s hard to feel alone. This can help you feel happy again.

Improve Your View Of The World

Another way you can become happier is to improve your view of the world. This simply means to find new things to appreciate in the world. Seek out culture you have never seen or experienced before. Expand your horizons.

Learn New Things

You can boost your creativity and happiness if you find and learn new things to appreciate in the world. It can be exciting to see things you have never seen before. You will gain new perspectives and see your life in a new light.  Learning new things will help you discover how to be happy again.

Participate In Culture

There are so many ways to make this happen. You can visit a museum or go to a concert. Participate in culture.

Think about the impact it could make on your life to start participating in culture. There are so many great benefits. Relieving anxiety by viewing art? It can happen.  Give it a go. Get out there and see things in real life.

Consider which events are coming up in your area. Check your local newspapers. You might be surprised to find that there are local theater groups and art shows.  Things you had never considered, even if you don’t live in a city. You can find art and culture and expand your view of the world no matter where you live.

Find, see, and experience new things to make you happy again.

Set Goals That Are Achievable

Setting goals is an incredibly important part of success in life.  It is also an important part of your happiness. If you want to be happier, you should set goals that are achievable.

Of course, the first step is setting goals which most people do not do. And when people do start to set goals, they often make them too broad and not specific. You have to give yourself something to really aim for.  So the more specific, the better.

Setting Goals That Are Too Broad

When your goals are too broad you may never achieve them or they might be too far off. When you set more specific, narrow, achievable goals, you can actually achieve them and you will likely be happier.

Be consistent. This is the secret to success. So, make sure your goals are specific! That will help you feel more satisfied with what you are doing. 

As part of your goal setting, figure out what you want to achieve in the short term. Be specific. Figure out the tasks you need to complete to achieve those goals. Schedule it in.  Follow through with them.

Long Term Goals – How To Be Happy Again

Also, figure out what you want to achieve in the long term. Again, be specific. Figure out the tasks you need to complete to achieve those longer term goals. At this point, those task and goals might be more general than they would be for your short term goals.

Make sure you allow yourself time to celebrate for a job well done. Reward yourself and participate in positive talk. 

You are setting goals you can achieve as part of making yourself happy again.

Learn Something New Often

It is important to constantly be learning and growing. It will help you feel happier and become more fulfilled in life. You are never done with learning. It doesn’t matter how much of an expert you are. Learning will expand your expertise and keep you happy. 

Sure, it can sometimes be frustrating to learn new things. There’s a learning curve sometimes. But, there is a payoff for short term stress, as long as you are learning a skill that is valuable to you. Overall, especially in the long term, you will feel happier.

And in many cases, it can be a joy to learn new things. This is true if you are in a line of work that you enjoy.

Never Stop Learning 

So, even if you don’t actually achieve your goal, you can still see benefits to your happiness just by learning. That is amazing. Keep learning. Never stop learning. 

Broaden your skill set and you will be more productive as a result of being happier. You will improve your skills.  This will help you do tasks more efficiently. And you will be happier doing it, which will make you more productive. It is one of those cycles.

Broaden your skill set and you will be more confident in what you are doing. This can make you happier as well.

Broaden your skill set and you will be happier,  for all the reasons we have talked about, and more. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by learning something new.

Time For Friends

It is important to make time for friends if you want to be happier. We have talked about making time for family and being part of a group. But, there are specific and immediate benefits that come from spending time with friends, specifically.

Spending time with friends might make you happier than spending time with family, at least in the short term.

That is not to say that time with family is not important.  It certainly is. It is that you can get an instant boost in happiness with friends. It’s that immediate stress release you get with friends.

That is why it is so important to make time for friends. You can go out for nights on the town or whatever it is you like to do together. Just get away for a bit.

Celebrate With Friends

You can also combine getting together with friends with the idea of finding reasons to celebrate. Celebrate the completion of your achievable and specific goals for example. Let them in on what you are doing and let them be proud of you.

Whenever and why ever you choose to do it, make time for friends. You just might find that it helps to make you happier.

Exercise To Happiness

Exercising on a regular basis can help you feel happier. You have heard it before, that exercise can cure all. Well, it’s time to listen, because it’s true. Science backs this up. Exercise has been shown to release chemicals in your brain that help you feel good, reduce stress hormones, and relieve depression and anxiety. 

The benefits can work instantly and work in the long term as well.

Just 20 minutes of exercise can boost your mood for 12 hours. What if you exercised in the morning? That could give you a mood boost that lasts throughout your day.

Mood Boost

Or, maybe you could do with that mood boost at lunch. You could exercise outside in nature and take advantage of both mood boosters. There are so many great options that are open to you, now that you know what is most likely to make you happier. You will start to see choices everywhere.

These benefits add up over time. Those who exercise regularly are happier and more satisfied in life. This is exactly what we want to achieve. You want to be happier and more satisfied. Exercise is a big part.

Exercise around 30 minutes a day. It might be hard getting started at first, but you will soon get used to the daily routine and wonder how you ever got along without it.

Exercise regularly and you should see boosts in mood, productivity, health, and over all well being. This is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Do Things That Make You Feel Happy

Do you smile enough? Are you smiling like you mean it? Seek things that make you actually smile. Life is really short. If you seek things that actually make you smile, you will be happier.

You can actually make yourself unhappier if you try to have a fake smile. 

Find the positive, happy things in life. Find the things that make you happy. Smile.

Let Go of the Things That Make You Unhappy

It is time to let go of the things that make you unhappy. You are holding on to things people have done or said to you that were hurtful and the ways they have wronged you. This can damage your happiness and it just isn’t worth it.

People will wrong you all throughout your life. But, holding onto that damage can consume you. It is okay to be upset with people who have done you wrong. There is a time to let things go.

That means letting the things go. That thing they did or said just is not worth your time or energy. It might be time to forgive and forget. It might be time to forget if you cannot forgive.

Sometimes the thing was so unforgivable that it is time to let that person go. That is important to recognize. There comes a time when certain people are no longer meant to be in our lives. 

Get Rid Of Toxic People

Get rid of toxic people and toxic situations. When you do that, you can be happier in life. Let happiness take over you instead. Getting rid of toxic people can help you discover how to be happy again.

It is time to let go of the things that make you unhappy, including people. Journal about it. Talk it through with people.  Do whatever you need to do to get through it and then move on. When you do, you can move forward to be happier in life.

Get a Mentor

Even successful people need a mentor.  This is someone to look up to and learn from. We all get inspiration from somewhere. If you don’t have one, it is time to find one.

You can have a mentor even if they don’t know about it. Learn from people online even if they are not aware you are learning from them. You can learn from people through their books, blog posts, YouTube videos, forum posts, social media posts, emails etc. There are so many different ways you can learn from people and become inspired by them.

A study has shown that when people read about someone else’s great experience, they are more satisfied and less stressed and more willing to volunteer.

Learn From The Success Of Others

Do you take the time to read about the experiences and successes of others?  You can find great blog posts full of success stories.  Learn from them. Figure out how and why they are successful. You can gather great clues so you can be successful. This can boost your happiness.

You can also hire a mentor. This is a good strategy if you need hand holding.  A good coach will be a great support system and help you get to where you need to be faster. You have to be willing to put in the work and stick with it.

Learn from and become inspired by others and you can become more successful and happier.

Start Making Changes

You really can be happier and it can start today. You can take these tips and techniques and put them to use right now.

It is all up to you to form a plan based on what you have learned and make the changes. I think you’re going to have a lot of fun doing it. This is because I have told you to do things like reward yourself and smile more, so this is going to be fun, right? 

Commit yourself to your happiness.

Happiness isn’t something that just happens. If it did, we would all be happy.

You can be happy if you take steps to be happy. This is your life and you only get one life to live. You deserve to live a happy, fulfilled life of your own choosing.

It’s up to you to make the changes. It’s time for you to figure out what is making you unhappy. Journal to find out what is going on.  Journaling can help you discover how to be happy again.

Happiness Starts Now!

Once you have figured it out and have done some self reflection, review the tools and suggestions we have covered. Some of these include getting out in nature, getting more exercise, finding inspiration, exploring culture and expanding your view of the world and so on.

Keep a gratitude journal and a regular journal.   It can be overwhelming to try to make all of these changes at one time. Don’t do that.  Instead, try to make just one change at a time. Start the gratitude journal. Then, start the regular journal. Start your achievable goal setting after that. Exercising more, smiling more etc.

Soon you will have worked through this post and it will become like second nature for you. You will be happier in your life. Won’t that be nice?

When you’re happier, you will achieve more. It will be easier and more natural for you to get things done more efficiently.  Put what you have learned above into action. This post is mainly about how to be happy again in your life. You can be happier and it starts now.  I hope this article explains in easy terms how to be happy again.

Like this article, pin it on Pinterest