If you struggle to find happiness in life you aren’t alone. We all go through periods where we may struggle to be happy. Happiness is in us all the time but we lose track of it. We are distracted by constantly trying to do stuff and climb the corporate ladder.
The definition of happy is “feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.”
Here’s what I’ve found to be my happy recipe:
- Remember your core values and beliefs– Are you living in accordance with those? Have you ever thought deeply about those mean to you? Write them down. If you are doing things that don’t line up then make adjustments.
- Do you have a chemical imbalance?- Our bodies are complex and designed to get a well balanced amount of nutrients in order to operate at its best ability. Having low vitamin B, D, magnesium and other vitamins are shown to be linked with depression. Talk to your doctor and have blood work done to see if you have any nutrient deficiencies and try eating a diet with healthy whole foods.
- Stop comparing your life to social media– Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat have gotten way out of hand these days. You only see filtered pictures about how great everyone looks and how amazing their life is. You are left to think your life is boring. I can’t tell you how many times I have commented on my friends Snapchat story and thought they had the best weekend ever just to find out it really wasn’t all that great. You see one happy family photo on the beach and that 60 seconds it took to take that photo was the only time they weren’t fighting all weekend. You never know the real story on the other side of that photo. You don’t know the struggles that person has. We don’t post about those. Can you imagine what would happen to social media if we did?
- Free yourself– Free your heart of hatred. Learn to let things go. Choose not to let little things bother you. Free yourself to give and serve your community. Having an impact on others is shown to bring personal satisfaction. Free your mind of worries.
- Expect less– Live life as you experience it, not as you think it ought to be. If we stop living with expectations of how our life should be and just start being thankful for what we have we can learn to appreciate the small things. The more simply we live the happier we are. Are you working to afford a living or survive life? The more money you have does not bring happiness, it brings more debt. Do you want a higher salary just so you can buy that new car or fancy house? *Check back in with your values to remind yourself what really matters.
- Try journaling– This can be as simple as writing down 3 things you are thankful for every day.
- Make time in your schedule for FUN activities?- Make this as much of a priority as eating and drinking. Once you do, you will see how much better everything else seems to go. We are more productive at work and have better relationships when we allow ourselves this freedom.
Remember, happiness is everywhere but it starts within us. You have to find it. Choose to be happy!
A great resource for instant peptalks to boost positivity is a book by Karen Salmansohn called Think Happy.
