Seven Habits for a Happy Life

Happiness is our birth right.  It’s a state of being the children exude and adults often seek.  It all comes from our perspective whether our perspective is positive or negative and we are in control of our perspective.  Therefore we are in control of our own happiness.  When we are happy we feel better about all aspects of our life. But when we are low it can feel impossible to make ourselves happier. So here are five habits to take on board to help you lead a happier life

1.Take responsibility for your own happiness

Don’t give your power away to others. Don’t wait for or expect others to make you happy.  This is a sure way of being let down, out of control and unhappy.  When you take responsibility for your own happiness, you are in charge and you can do what is required to bring yourself to joy.

2. Feel the gratitude

Part of changing your own perspective is choosing to feel the gratitude for the things you have in your life, the opportunities or the hope etc.  There are so many things small and large that we can feel grateful for. The limbs we have to move around with, the roof over our heads, our beds, our walls, the food and drinks we consume.  No matter where you are in your life right now there will be things for you to feel grateful for.

3. Wake up with positivity

While it may seem difficult at first waking up positive each day, once you start incorporating a morning routine into your life which you follow without fail, you will start your day off well and it will have many positive knock on impacts on your day, your enviroment and the opporutnities and people around you.   Eventually you will start to crave, this early morning routine.  While this does require some discipline, particularly in making time and space for your routine, you will soon start seeing the benefits and start feeling happier.

4. Spend time in nature

Being physically active each day leads to more positive thoughts and a better outlook on life. However one better than this is to spend time in nature, whether that is a simple walk or just being with the trees and birds. In our busy, hectic lives this is a very important component to cultivating and maintaining happiness in our lives.

5. Disengage

It can often feel like we’re constantly plugged in, constantly checking our phones or work emails, and this can start to feel exhausting. So take some time each evening to disengage, turn off the TV and stop checking your emails or social media accounts. What this leads to is a time to reflect; to absorb the transactions of the day and set yourself back to focused on the important things in life.

6. Help others

Spending time helping other people will make you feel much happier in your own life. It will put your own concerns into perspective and you will start to see how your actions can improve the lives of other people. This will give you a feeling of satisfaction, as well as improving your own sense of self worth. Taking just a couple of hours out of each week to help others will significantly improve the happiness you feel in your own life.

7. Learn new skills

Repeating the same job or tasks each day can make us feel as though we’re stuck in a rut and lead to frustration. So take some time and pick up a new hobby, learn a new language or even learn to play an instrument. Focusing on these new tasks will help you develop a great sense of achievement, especially when you start to see yourself improving. You will also get yourself out of that rut of familiar habits.

Once you incorporate these habits into your daily life you will start to see yourself becoming a more positive and happier person. It is also important to remember that at certain times in life it’s not possible to be happy all of the time. Part of the process to improve your overall happiness means accepting that life will be tough at times, and when it is, allowing yourself the space to feel and retreat.  But with these habits in place these negative emotions won’t control your life, you will and you will know that you are in control of your own happiness and will soon be back to balance.