By not giving in to quick and easy pleasures, we teach children to be happy with who they are and with what they have. We also forge their will: and with this will they will learn to build their. So flourishing is about leading a life that appears good not only in one's own but also in other people's eyes. Both ideas of happiness are important as together they make our lives more balanced. Feeling good (or hedonic well-being) is about positive experiences (having fun and positive feelings). Introducing students to practical ways that their daily choices could be making them more or less happy ignited one of the most participatory and enthusiastic responses from my class. It turns out we can teach our children how to be happy by encouraging certain habits. The first is gratitude. Teaching children to be grateful in a world of overabundance can seem like a daunting.
It's easy to become obsessed with the pursuit of seeking happiness, but the truth is we can all do a little something to feel a bit happier. Often ‘a bit' happier is all it takes to feel significantly better, the journey to happiness is more of an accumulation of marginal gains rather than one big thing suddenly making us happier.
Some of these ways will be more useful to certain people than others and for that reason they are in no particular order.
Serious about happiness?Our latest ebook is an extended version of this article that is packed full of simple, actionable and proven tips.
Introducing: 40 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Happier
1. Try!
Research recently published in the journal of positive psychology tested if explicit intentions to increase happiness results in higher levels of happiness. Participants listened to music while actively trying to elevate their mood. The study was able to show that the people who tried to feel happier reported the highest level of positive mood, this boost was sustained for at least 2 weeks.
Read more: How to be Happy? Just Try.
2. Flow
Considered by some as his pioneering work into happiness Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the architect of the notion of ‘Flow' The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Flow refers to those experiences when a person is completely immersed in one single activity or event, a moment when all energy is focused on one thing and the rest of the world fades into the distance.
Read more: Flow: The Secret to Happiness?
3. Spend money on others
This may sound counterintuitive but research has shown that spending money on others can make you feel happier. In the research participants were split into two groups and told either to spend money on themselves or on somebody else. The study was able to show that those who spent the money on someone else reported happier moods over the course of the day. More importantly (for some) the amount they spent on others didn't matter, they still felt happier by giving even small amounts.
4. Make sure your partner is happy
This one might sound a bit obvious, and well it is, despite this people can become blinkered and see their pursuit of happiness as a solo mission. But research has recently confirmed the old Happy Wife Happy Life adage by showing that the higher the quality of marriage that was observed, the happier the couples evaluated their life as a whole, this was the same for both genders.
Read more: Happy Wife, Happy Life
5. Take part in simple activities
But make sure you're doing it properly and its the right activity for you! Researchers have recently developed a framework based on existing research that demonstrates that relatively simple intentional changes in one's thoughts and behaviors can precipitate meaningful increases in happiness. So it might be time to ditch those self-help books.
Read more: Can Simple Activities Increase Well-being?
6. Listen to music
While #1 required people to try and feel happier while listening to positive music, strangely listening to sad music also prompts a boost in happiness. A recent study found that listening to sad music is actually beneficial in helping us to focus on and work through our difficult emotions.
Read more: Why Sad Music Actually Makes Us Happy
7. Spend more time outside
Evolutionary wise the amount of time we spend inside is probably a bit awry. We are not designed to spend so much time inside, especially sitting down staring at a screen, we should be outside, away from technology and all of the modern day stresses at least some of the time. This is backed up by research that links time outdoors to a natural boost in happiness.
Read more: Report confirms daily dose of nature boosts happiness, wellbeing
8. Exercise (Sorry)
Unfortunately for those who are not a fan of exercise, it has been shown time and time again to be extremely useful in improving mood. Some even go far as to say that regular strenuous exercise can be as good as taking antidepressant medication. One particular study recently published explains how exercise that helps our body to produce endorphins not only block feelings of pain but are also associated with a feeling of euphoria.
View & download of more than 80 Griffin Technology PDF user manuals, service manuals, operating guides. Racks & Stands, Automobile Accessories user manuals, operating guides & specifications. Griffin Technology. Cases, chargers, cables, home & car audio for iPhone, iPad, iPod, smartphones, tablet PCs, more. Get more from your tech - Connect to play. Griffin PnP Adapter 8 dip Mac PnP The monitor has thin horizontal lines across the screen. The monitor is probably running at the wrong resolution. Make sure the monitor and computer both support the resolution you have set. Try setting a different resolution and restart your computer. If there is a switch for external/internal sync on the back of. 5.0 out of 5 stars Griffin Technology Mac PnP Universal Video Adapter works pwerfectly Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2008 I got the Griffin Technology Mac PnP Universal Video Adapter to connect an old Mac to a recent VGA monitor. Griffin mac pnp manual user.
Read more: What Happens To Our Brains When We Exercise and How it Makes us Happier
9. Sleep more (or better)
Getting a good nights sleep is unparalleled in feeling generally happier throughout the day. But more than that sleeping properly has been linked to many other benefits such as improved memory and increased optimism. One particular study showed how not getting enough sleep was linked to people choosing larger portions of food and performing worse at work. Lack of sleep can be seen as a catalyst for unhappy-inducing issues.
Read more: A Fundamental Secret to Happiness? Get Enough Sleep
10. Be grateful
Most of us were brought up to say our pleases and thank you's, probably out of politeness more than gratitude but growing evidence has shown that gratitude and happiness are strongly linked. Being grateful has been linked to positive emotions, boosts in energy levels and increased optimism.
Read more: The Importance of Gratitude to Happiness
Want to know more?Our latest ebook is an extended version of this article that is packed full of simple, actionable and proven tips.
11. Get a pet
Some anecdotally claim that a pet is happiness that you can buy but does science back this claim up? It seems so. Research has been able to show that pets can be a source of social and emotional support. Specifically the study was able to show that pet owners had better self-esteem, were more physically fit, were less lonely and more conscientious, as well as other benefits.
Read more: Puppy Love: Pet Owners Are Happier, Healthier
12. Move closer to work
Time spent sat in a car driving to and from work can seriously add up over the year. But what effect does this time wasted and generally frustration of sitting in traffic have on our happiness levels? Research has shown that it has a surprising and dramatic negative effect that can build up over time. The long drive may be a source of unhappiness that is never fully acknowledged or addressed.
Read more: Want to Be Happier? Try Walking Even Part of the Way to Work
13. Complain
Getting things off your chest has an immediate and tangible positive effect for most, so it would make sense that withholding things, specifically complaints when you have a problem would make you feel unhappy. At least that is what researchers recently found, specifically withholding complaints does come at an emotional cost.
Read more: Emotional Costs of Withholding Complaints
14. Smile more
Smiling can make you look more attractive and feel better. Research found that people unable to frown due to having cosmetic botox injections are happier on average than people who can frown. As well as feeling happier the perpetual-smilers were found to be less anxious, this was shown to be a psychological boost rather than a boost purely from feeling more physically attractive due to the botox.
Read more: The Power of a Smile – How Smiling Can Change Your Life and Change the World
15. Plan a trip
Yes, plan a trip not take a trip. Well taking a trip might do the job as well but research has shown that simply planning a trip even if you don't end up taking it will boost your levels of happiness. The research specifically showed that the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage due to the anticipation.
Read more: Happiness from Travel – The Anticipation or the Actual Trip?
16. Help others
We all feel a little buzz when we do something nice for somebody else, especially if we don't know the person well or if its a stranger. But what does science say about how helping others effects our happiness? Well it shows us that the little buzz is in fact a result of happiness, specifically showing it increased life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of competence and generally improves mood and reduces stress.
Read more: Do Things For Others
17. Spend more time with friends
As we get older we tend to lose friends as life gets in the way. But research has shown that it is important to maintain friendships. Positive friendships help us to feel more confident, feel less stressed and generally people with more solid positive friendships see higher and more consistent levels of happiness.
Read more: Hold Onto Your Friends
18. Bin your negative thoughts
It has been shown time and time again that negative thinking will lead to a spiral of negative affect and ultimately unhappiness. So what can be done? Well research shows that people who physically discarded a representation of their thoughts, they mentally discarded them as well. So write that negative thought down, and throw it in the bin.
Read more: Want to Get Rid of Bad Thoughts? Dump them in the Bin!
19. Imagine
You've probably heard about people mentally rehearsing or mentally running through things, well science is now able to back this up as a valid tool. A study found that imagination is strong enough to change real-world perception, that is to say that changing your mindset can change what you see and hear in the physical world. Change your mindset for a happier state.
Read more: The Power of Imagination
20. Experience
Modern consumer culture can compel people to buy things they don't need simply because its available and it seems like a cool thing to buy at the time. But does consuming buy us happiness? Well it likely gives us a small immediate boost but research shows that given the choice, experiences provide a much better gain in happiness over consumption.
Read more: Spending money on experiences, rather than items, increases happiness
21. Meditate
To many the idea of meditation is somewhat alien but with the ever increasing popularity of mindfulness mediation it is becoming more accessible, with apps and websites walking you through simple meditation techniques. Research shows that simply performing daily meditation for eight weeks can lead to increased levels of happiness.
6 Bullets (2012) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Six Bullets is a 2012 American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash, produced by Brad Krevoy and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, and Charlotte Beaumont. The film was released on direct-to-video in the United States on September 11, 2012. Six bullets movie. Directed by Ernie Barbarash. With Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, Charlotte Beaumont. An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Read more: Positive Meditation: Happiness skills for life
22. Focus
With so much going on ‘these days' focusing is not an easy thing. Phone calls, text messages, emails and social media can keep us distracted for hours. But researchers have shown that focusing can increase levels of happiness, much like the practice of mindfulness meditation focusing involves living in the present moment, which can help to cut out negative feelings.
Read more: Mindfulness: Finding Joy in the Present Moment
23. Write a journal
Working in a similar way to #18 Bin your negative thoughts, writing down your thoughts for the day so that you don't dwell on them has proven to be a successful way of increasing happiness. Research has shown that keeping a journal helps people to let go of their worries, hold onto positive experiences for longer and feel more grateful.
Purchase: The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-year Record
24. Learn something new
Learning new things affects our well-being in many positive ways. We are exposed to new ideas an information that helps us to stay engaged and curious about the world. After learning something new we also get a boost of self-confidence from the newly acquired skill. Learning new things also has an array of knock on benefits such as improved career prospects and independence.
25. Drink tea
It appears us Brits are right after all. While tea has been linked with a range of benefits, many turn out to be untrue but new research has been able to show that drinking tea is linked with a protective effect against the symptoms of depression. This is thought to be due to antioxidants that are naturally occurring in most types of tea, although in differing amounts.
Read more: What's the Best Tea to Help Manage Anxiety?
26. Fake it
This isn't about faking happiness per se but about faking your body language. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy has shown how ‘power posing' that is, standing in a confidence posture even when we don't feel confident can affect levels of testosterone and cortisol in the brain and improve our chances of succeeding. This tactic is best employed when we need to appear confident to enhance our chances of success.
Read more: How to Be Confident and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Per Day
27. Buy Happiness
While this may contradict some advice in that buying things doesn't buy happiness, evidence does say that people who spend more money in certain circumstances are happier. This is more about ensuring we are buying things to live better, so spending money on maintaining strong bonds with friends and family, promoting health and living more efficiently all provide a positive boost.
Read more: Can Money Really Buy Happiness?
28. Eat a well balanced diet
Most people know eating a well balanced, fruit and vegetable rich diet is beneficial to our physical health. But eating nutrient rich food has been shown to improve your mental health as well as physical health. Research has shown that people who eat a good amount of fruit and vegetables everyday have higher levels of happiness and mental well-being.
Read more: The Happiness Diet
29. Drink alcohol
While we should always drink in moderation, drinking socially can be a great short term boost to happiness, some would describe it as ‘borrowing' happiness but there is some evidence to suggest that drinking alcohol releases feel good endorphins that enhance pleasure. Obviously drink sensibility as getting extremely drunk is definitely not fun, at least not for long.
Read more: Cheers! Drinking DOES release the feelgood factor in our brains
30. Drink less alcohol
Erm, okay so this is sort of, the opposite of the last point so now might be a good time to point out that different substances effect different people differently and alcohol is no exception to that. In a 75 year long Harvard study they were able to show that people who moderated their alcohol intake were generally happier, healthier and had higher levels of well-being.
Read more: The Secret to Happiness? Drinking Less Alcohol
31. Talk
Talking therapies have proved extremely useful time after time but can a simple chat help to increase our levels of happiness? Well one study found that people who engaged in even meaningless chatter saw a boost in happiness levels. Part of the art of conversation is also listening, being a good listener has also been linked to a greater sense of well-being and strong relationships.
32. Have fun / Play
This one is quite often missed out on lists like this. But having fun and playing is such an obvious way to improve our levels of happiness that it seems silly to list it. But it is in fact backed up by some pretty impressive research. Play is an important developmental tool when we are growing and continues to be a something that is missing from many adults lives.
Read more: The Key to Happiness: A Taboo for Adults?
33. Take risks
As we get older we tend to avoid risks more and more, and rightly so, we have learnt our boundaries. But can some risk be good for our happiness levels? Research has shown that people who take more risks are generally happier and this could be for several reasons, firstly these risk pay off in terms of rewards. Research shows that well calculated risks help happiness levels.
Read more: Taking Risks In Life: How To Be Happy
34. Remain optimistic
Being optimistic might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if you aren't a particularly optimistic person to start out with. But optimistic people generally respond to negative events more positively and this is protective against letting negative events make you feel unhappy. Researchers recommend framing negative events as temporary and limited, and remembering that over a life time they are insignificant and will pass quickly.
Read more: Optimism and Happiness
35. Say no
Not just randomly but when you should be doing. Some people find it very difficult to say no to requests, whether at work or in their personal lives. But saying no is important in order to make sure you aren't taking on too much and that you are setting clear boundaries. Research has shown that overburdening yourself leads to feelings of being overwhelmed, severely worsening your state of happiness and well-being.
Read more: Why Saying NO Will Bring You Health, Abundance and Happiness
36. Lower your expectations
You might have jokingly heard people say they are lowering their expectations but it turns out that might not actually be a bad thing. Research suggests that lowering your expectations protects you from disappointment when things don't go the way you hoped. Obviously this doesn't mean stop striving, it just means aim for the best but prepare for the worst.
Read more: The Secret to Happiness
37. Take the right Supplements
While taking multivitamins is generally frowned up these days, there is evidence that suggests particular supplements are linked to well-being and increased levels of happiness. 2 supplements in particular have recently been shown to improve the symptoms of depression and increase general levels of mood. Luckily both are extremely safe and accessible.
Read more: 2 Supplements Proven to Improve Depression
38. Forgive
Forgiveness comes easier to some people that it does to others. But just like letting go of negative emotions forgiving is essential so that we don't enter a spiral of negativity. Researchers from Stanford University have been able to show that forgiveness is a huge predictor of happiness and well-being, explaining that forgiveness is the experience of peacefulness in the present moment.
Read more: Why Forgiveness is the Key to Personal Happiness
39. Age
You can't really do much with this one but it might act as reassurance. The vast majority of people see a rise in general happiness levels in line with ageing, we naturally grow happier. Researchers have shown that the older we get the more our memory is biased towards the positive. Another study has also demonstrated that we have simply learn to seek out the activities that we know will lift our moods.
Read more: Why are older people happier?
40. Stop trying to be happy
The hard truth is that we aren't supposed to or capable of being happy all of the time, so the endless pursuit for constant happiness is properly in vein at best and damaging at worst. This is backed up by a study completed by Yale psychologists who found that pursuing happiness can lead to increased expectations that ultimately lead to unhappiness if not fully realised.
Read more: Happiness Hacks: The 10 Most Unexpected Ways to be Happy
Time to get serious about happiness.Our latest ebook is an extended version of this article that is packed full of simple, actionable and proven tips.
Shares
Many people (including me) speak about 'self-love': figure yourself out, love yourself before you get into a relationship.. and so it goes.
However, you only truly obtain self-love by having compassion for the self, so you can appreciate and do considerate deeds for others.
Along my path to learn about myself and work on my own self-love, I discovered several major truths that still resonate with me and support my personal effort.
I am a constant work in progress, as most of us are. To help you gain more perspective and have a foundation on which to begin your journey of self-love, here are 30 truths to remember:
1. Stop comparing yourself to others. People achieve success and fail at different rates.
2. You're not as fat as you think. Besides, your body fat percentage has no bearing on what makes you a quality human being.
3. Exercise because it is good for your soul and not solely for your outward experience. Appreciate your body and all the things it can do. Stop picking it apart — you will never achieve perfection.
4. Find something at which you excel. Maybe you are really amazing at working with kids and you just don't know it yet.
5. Spend more time with your girlfriends or guy friends. Relationships may come and go, but friends are forever — cherish that.
6. Spend time alone. It's okay if you want to stay home on a Friday night, catch up on your DVR and eat froyo because you've had an exhausting workweek.
7. Read that book you've been meaning to read. In fact, read as many books as possible. Reading expands the imagination and sharpens the mind.
Read more: Puppy Love: Pet Owners Are Happier, Healthier
12. Move closer to work
Time spent sat in a car driving to and from work can seriously add up over the year. But what effect does this time wasted and generally frustration of sitting in traffic have on our happiness levels? Research has shown that it has a surprising and dramatic negative effect that can build up over time. The long drive may be a source of unhappiness that is never fully acknowledged or addressed.
Read more: Want to Be Happier? Try Walking Even Part of the Way to Work
13. Complain
Getting things off your chest has an immediate and tangible positive effect for most, so it would make sense that withholding things, specifically complaints when you have a problem would make you feel unhappy. At least that is what researchers recently found, specifically withholding complaints does come at an emotional cost.
Read more: Emotional Costs of Withholding Complaints
14. Smile more
Smiling can make you look more attractive and feel better. Research found that people unable to frown due to having cosmetic botox injections are happier on average than people who can frown. As well as feeling happier the perpetual-smilers were found to be less anxious, this was shown to be a psychological boost rather than a boost purely from feeling more physically attractive due to the botox.
Read more: The Power of a Smile – How Smiling Can Change Your Life and Change the World
15. Plan a trip
Yes, plan a trip not take a trip. Well taking a trip might do the job as well but research has shown that simply planning a trip even if you don't end up taking it will boost your levels of happiness. The research specifically showed that the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage due to the anticipation.
Read more: Happiness from Travel – The Anticipation or the Actual Trip?
16. Help others
We all feel a little buzz when we do something nice for somebody else, especially if we don't know the person well or if its a stranger. But what does science say about how helping others effects our happiness? Well it shows us that the little buzz is in fact a result of happiness, specifically showing it increased life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of competence and generally improves mood and reduces stress.
Read more: Do Things For Others
17. Spend more time with friends
As we get older we tend to lose friends as life gets in the way. But research has shown that it is important to maintain friendships. Positive friendships help us to feel more confident, feel less stressed and generally people with more solid positive friendships see higher and more consistent levels of happiness.
Read more: Hold Onto Your Friends
18. Bin your negative thoughts
It has been shown time and time again that negative thinking will lead to a spiral of negative affect and ultimately unhappiness. So what can be done? Well research shows that people who physically discarded a representation of their thoughts, they mentally discarded them as well. So write that negative thought down, and throw it in the bin.
Read more: Want to Get Rid of Bad Thoughts? Dump them in the Bin!
19. Imagine
You've probably heard about people mentally rehearsing or mentally running through things, well science is now able to back this up as a valid tool. A study found that imagination is strong enough to change real-world perception, that is to say that changing your mindset can change what you see and hear in the physical world. Change your mindset for a happier state.
Read more: The Power of Imagination
20. Experience
Modern consumer culture can compel people to buy things they don't need simply because its available and it seems like a cool thing to buy at the time. But does consuming buy us happiness? Well it likely gives us a small immediate boost but research shows that given the choice, experiences provide a much better gain in happiness over consumption.
Read more: Spending money on experiences, rather than items, increases happiness
21. Meditate
To many the idea of meditation is somewhat alien but with the ever increasing popularity of mindfulness mediation it is becoming more accessible, with apps and websites walking you through simple meditation techniques. Research shows that simply performing daily meditation for eight weeks can lead to increased levels of happiness.
6 Bullets (2012) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Six Bullets is a 2012 American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash, produced by Brad Krevoy and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, and Charlotte Beaumont. The film was released on direct-to-video in the United States on September 11, 2012. Six bullets movie. Directed by Ernie Barbarash. With Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, Charlotte Beaumont. An ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Read more: Positive Meditation: Happiness skills for life
22. Focus
With so much going on ‘these days' focusing is not an easy thing. Phone calls, text messages, emails and social media can keep us distracted for hours. But researchers have shown that focusing can increase levels of happiness, much like the practice of mindfulness meditation focusing involves living in the present moment, which can help to cut out negative feelings.
Read more: Mindfulness: Finding Joy in the Present Moment
23. Write a journal
Working in a similar way to #18 Bin your negative thoughts, writing down your thoughts for the day so that you don't dwell on them has proven to be a successful way of increasing happiness. Research has shown that keeping a journal helps people to let go of their worries, hold onto positive experiences for longer and feel more grateful.
Purchase: The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-year Record
24. Learn something new
Learning new things affects our well-being in many positive ways. We are exposed to new ideas an information that helps us to stay engaged and curious about the world. After learning something new we also get a boost of self-confidence from the newly acquired skill. Learning new things also has an array of knock on benefits such as improved career prospects and independence.
25. Drink tea
It appears us Brits are right after all. While tea has been linked with a range of benefits, many turn out to be untrue but new research has been able to show that drinking tea is linked with a protective effect against the symptoms of depression. This is thought to be due to antioxidants that are naturally occurring in most types of tea, although in differing amounts.
Read more: What's the Best Tea to Help Manage Anxiety?
26. Fake it
This isn't about faking happiness per se but about faking your body language. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy has shown how ‘power posing' that is, standing in a confidence posture even when we don't feel confident can affect levels of testosterone and cortisol in the brain and improve our chances of succeeding. This tactic is best employed when we need to appear confident to enhance our chances of success.
Read more: How to Be Confident and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Per Day
27. Buy Happiness
While this may contradict some advice in that buying things doesn't buy happiness, evidence does say that people who spend more money in certain circumstances are happier. This is more about ensuring we are buying things to live better, so spending money on maintaining strong bonds with friends and family, promoting health and living more efficiently all provide a positive boost.
Read more: Can Money Really Buy Happiness?
28. Eat a well balanced diet
Most people know eating a well balanced, fruit and vegetable rich diet is beneficial to our physical health. But eating nutrient rich food has been shown to improve your mental health as well as physical health. Research has shown that people who eat a good amount of fruit and vegetables everyday have higher levels of happiness and mental well-being.
Read more: The Happiness Diet
29. Drink alcohol
While we should always drink in moderation, drinking socially can be a great short term boost to happiness, some would describe it as ‘borrowing' happiness but there is some evidence to suggest that drinking alcohol releases feel good endorphins that enhance pleasure. Obviously drink sensibility as getting extremely drunk is definitely not fun, at least not for long.
Read more: Cheers! Drinking DOES release the feelgood factor in our brains
30. Drink less alcohol
Erm, okay so this is sort of, the opposite of the last point so now might be a good time to point out that different substances effect different people differently and alcohol is no exception to that. In a 75 year long Harvard study they were able to show that people who moderated their alcohol intake were generally happier, healthier and had higher levels of well-being.
Read more: The Secret to Happiness? Drinking Less Alcohol
31. Talk
Talking therapies have proved extremely useful time after time but can a simple chat help to increase our levels of happiness? Well one study found that people who engaged in even meaningless chatter saw a boost in happiness levels. Part of the art of conversation is also listening, being a good listener has also been linked to a greater sense of well-being and strong relationships.
32. Have fun / Play
This one is quite often missed out on lists like this. But having fun and playing is such an obvious way to improve our levels of happiness that it seems silly to list it. But it is in fact backed up by some pretty impressive research. Play is an important developmental tool when we are growing and continues to be a something that is missing from many adults lives.
Read more: The Key to Happiness: A Taboo for Adults?
33. Take risks
As we get older we tend to avoid risks more and more, and rightly so, we have learnt our boundaries. But can some risk be good for our happiness levels? Research has shown that people who take more risks are generally happier and this could be for several reasons, firstly these risk pay off in terms of rewards. Research shows that well calculated risks help happiness levels.
Read more: Taking Risks In Life: How To Be Happy
34. Remain optimistic
Being optimistic might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if you aren't a particularly optimistic person to start out with. But optimistic people generally respond to negative events more positively and this is protective against letting negative events make you feel unhappy. Researchers recommend framing negative events as temporary and limited, and remembering that over a life time they are insignificant and will pass quickly.
Read more: Optimism and Happiness
35. Say no
Not just randomly but when you should be doing. Some people find it very difficult to say no to requests, whether at work or in their personal lives. But saying no is important in order to make sure you aren't taking on too much and that you are setting clear boundaries. Research has shown that overburdening yourself leads to feelings of being overwhelmed, severely worsening your state of happiness and well-being.
Read more: Why Saying NO Will Bring You Health, Abundance and Happiness
36. Lower your expectations
You might have jokingly heard people say they are lowering their expectations but it turns out that might not actually be a bad thing. Research suggests that lowering your expectations protects you from disappointment when things don't go the way you hoped. Obviously this doesn't mean stop striving, it just means aim for the best but prepare for the worst.
Read more: The Secret to Happiness
37. Take the right Supplements
While taking multivitamins is generally frowned up these days, there is evidence that suggests particular supplements are linked to well-being and increased levels of happiness. 2 supplements in particular have recently been shown to improve the symptoms of depression and increase general levels of mood. Luckily both are extremely safe and accessible.
Read more: 2 Supplements Proven to Improve Depression
38. Forgive
Forgiveness comes easier to some people that it does to others. But just like letting go of negative emotions forgiving is essential so that we don't enter a spiral of negativity. Researchers from Stanford University have been able to show that forgiveness is a huge predictor of happiness and well-being, explaining that forgiveness is the experience of peacefulness in the present moment.
Read more: Why Forgiveness is the Key to Personal Happiness
39. Age
You can't really do much with this one but it might act as reassurance. The vast majority of people see a rise in general happiness levels in line with ageing, we naturally grow happier. Researchers have shown that the older we get the more our memory is biased towards the positive. Another study has also demonstrated that we have simply learn to seek out the activities that we know will lift our moods.
Read more: Why are older people happier?
40. Stop trying to be happy
The hard truth is that we aren't supposed to or capable of being happy all of the time, so the endless pursuit for constant happiness is properly in vein at best and damaging at worst. This is backed up by a study completed by Yale psychologists who found that pursuing happiness can lead to increased expectations that ultimately lead to unhappiness if not fully realised.
Read more: Happiness Hacks: The 10 Most Unexpected Ways to be Happy
Time to get serious about happiness.Our latest ebook is an extended version of this article that is packed full of simple, actionable and proven tips.
Shares
Many people (including me) speak about 'self-love': figure yourself out, love yourself before you get into a relationship.. and so it goes.
However, you only truly obtain self-love by having compassion for the self, so you can appreciate and do considerate deeds for others.
Along my path to learn about myself and work on my own self-love, I discovered several major truths that still resonate with me and support my personal effort.
I am a constant work in progress, as most of us are. To help you gain more perspective and have a foundation on which to begin your journey of self-love, here are 30 truths to remember:
1. Stop comparing yourself to others. People achieve success and fail at different rates.
2. You're not as fat as you think. Besides, your body fat percentage has no bearing on what makes you a quality human being.
3. Exercise because it is good for your soul and not solely for your outward experience. Appreciate your body and all the things it can do. Stop picking it apart — you will never achieve perfection.
4. Find something at which you excel. Maybe you are really amazing at working with kids and you just don't know it yet.
5. Spend more time with your girlfriends or guy friends. Relationships may come and go, but friends are forever — cherish that.
6. Spend time alone. It's okay if you want to stay home on a Friday night, catch up on your DVR and eat froyo because you've had an exhausting workweek.
7. Read that book you've been meaning to read. In fact, read as many books as possible. Reading expands the imagination and sharpens the mind.
8. Spend time outside. Discover a new trail or a mountain to hike. Soak up the sun.
9. Take a lot of pictures. Take way too many and don't forget to print them. Don't let them just sit in your phone memory.
10. Let go of the past. Forgive the people who hurt you so that YOU can move on. Carrying around anger only poisons you.
11. Reunite with old friends from high school, college and your past in general. Let go of friendships that no longer serve you. People grow apart; it's natural and it's okay.
12. Call your friends and family more often; don't just follow them on social media. Remember when we used to have to call or meet up with people to hear their voices? That experience is so much richer.
13. Resolve the issues you might have with your family. Tell them you love them. Show up to family events and don't have something better to do.
14. Take vitamins because you want to be the healthiest version of yourself. Unless you want to be cranky and lethargic all day, make sure you get enough iron.
15. Treat yourself to something you want but don't need. Whether it's a fancy designer purse you've been eyeing for years or a plane ticket to the destination of your dreams, remember how fine the line between saving and living is. Toe it.
16. Care about your appearance -- not in a vain, superficial way. Care about how you look, so you can feel great when you leave the house. But, if you feel like wearing sweatpants and your hair in a bun to the grocery store once in a while, go f*cking do it.
17. Watch that movie or that Netflix series you've been meaning to see.
18. Be active. Exercising regularly releases endorphins and contributes to your level of happiness and will help you feel better about yourself.
19. Pick up a hobby. My roommates and I ordered paint-by-numbers from Amazon. It made me feel creative and allowed for some roommate bonding time.
20. Save up money and travel somewhere new. Try the sunrise at the top of Mount Haleakala in Maui. You will literally feel like you are in heaven.
21. Laugh at yourself. If you trip over your feet or realize your shirt is on inside out, don't worry about it and make it a joke.
22. Do karaoke. Do it sober. Do it drunk. Sing. I read somewhere that the more you sing, the happier and healthier it will make you.
Ptoteach To Be Happy Meme
23. Eat less processed food. If you actually knew what was in that sh*t, you would be disgusted. Watch the documentary 'Food Inc.' But, if you want to have fries, with extra, extra ranch sometimes, do it.
24. Dance. Freak Dance. Weird Dance. Make up a dance routine with your friends like you did when you were 12. Stop caring about what you look like. Have fun.
25. Smile more. The more you smile, the happier you will feel. It makes others happier, too — trust me.
26. Do favors and don't expect anything in return from the kindness in your heart.
27. Guard your heart, but be open. Don't let people take advantage of you.
28. Be less judgmental. 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.'
29. Look up at the sky. Realize that sunsets are gorgeous. Look at the stars, as they're pretty incredible, too.
30. You will never be able to please everyone. Not everyone will like you. You won't like everyone you meet. That's perfectly fine also.
Love yourself. Enjoy the life you have been given, and embrace each day with open arms as the best version of you.
Always remember this quote by Buddha:
Ptoteach To Be Happy Hour
'You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.'
