7 Steps To A Happier You!
We often hear that happiness is an inside job, well because it is. Nobody and nothing can make you happy – you have to create your own sunshine and work on making yourself happy. If you constantly rely on others to make you happy when they leave you, they will take your temporary happiness with them because you were relying on them to make you happy. There are many contributing factors to our happiness; however, past experiences, family, friendships, relationships, etc and how these factors affect you can also determine how you experience happiness with these particular influences. I have created a list of 7 steps you can take (if you like!) to experience a happier you. Try it, it may work wonders for you!
1. Has a stranger ever come up to you and said, “you should smile more?!” Annoying right? However, when I thought about it, that stranger probably approached you with good intentions, though that classic delivery can either annoy you or prompt you to flash your pearly whites! What I gain from this comment is that smiling is something that naturally comes to us when we are feeling happy and when we are feeling good. Smiling actually releases endorphins which ultimately help you to feel great!
2. Laugh more – I know that is kind of similar to smiling, but no I am being totally serious – laugh! Life is too short to walk around worrying about everything and anything. Put down those bags you’re carrying girl and leave them there. If you’re struggling to find something to laugh about, watch a funny film, think of a funny memory, go and socialise, maybe even attend a comedy night (@mothecomedian is hilarious lol and so is @michaeldapaah_ both on Instagram), I am sure your loved ones have thousands of funny jokes or stories to share.
3. Exercise in any way that feels good for you. I am not a big fan of exercise, although I do love dancing and I also love walking. Sometimes when I have time to myself, I go for a nice long walk, listening to some of my favourite upbeat songs. Upbeat songs always have a way of cheering me up and putting me in a great mood. I try to avoid sad, slow, depressing songs! Alternatively, put on your gym clothes and head to the gym, a cheaper alternative is going to YouTube and typing in any workout you fancy trying that day.
4. Gratitude – though it seems quite small at the time, counting your blessings is actually a fantastic thing to do because it puts you in an appreciative mood. If you can go the extra mile and write a cute little thank you note to anyone in your life who has done something amazing for you or who is just always there for you when you need them. Tell them how much you appreciate them whilst you still can – I am sure you will make their day too!
5. Spend time with people who genuinely bring out the best in you, people who want to see you doing well in life. Good company is always a blessing to be around because you will find that the conversation is always about intentional matters and you all spend the time discussing important matters, dreams, your lives and goals.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” - Eleanor Roosevelt.
6. Read a good book and once that book is finished pick up another good book. Knowledge is power and there is no greater way to train your mind than with knowledge, prayer and positive, good thoughts. There are so many books on the market on various topics, if you have a library near to you, go and have a browse. I do like libraries, but I prefer to own books (I know, I know I am a serial book collector!) We often complain about not having enough time to do xyz, but what about the times when we are having a tea break (or coffee break if that’s your thing!), when we are scrolling aimlessly through our phone, or before we go to bed?! These are some opportunities where we could be doing something more productive.
7. Do things that make you happy! If there is anything in your life that is holding you back from being happy – change it | get rid of it | leave it behind – whichever one works best for you. As stated earlier, happiness is an inside job and to truly be happy with yourself and your life, you may need to do some tweaking here and there, this does not mean that anything is wrong with you. You are a human, we all must do some tweaking every now and again, it is a part of life.
*BONUS* Pray! Pray through the good times, pray through the bad times and just pray through everything. A scripture I love to keep close to my heart is,
“My brethren, count it all joy..” – James 1:2.
This means that through every situation, we should smile, we should keep going and we should never give up. In every difficult circumstance we face, there is always going to be a brighter day.
Can you think of any other ways to make yourself happy?
With Love,
Roxanne-Sasha x
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