What makes you happy? Sometimes it's so hard to remain happy because of the stresses of our lives, inability to fill an empty space, or hormones and emotions. Here are 10 ways to Be Happy, from us!1. Gratitude Count your blessings, instead of your curses, every single day. Be it writing them down in a journal at the end of each day or simply acknowledging your blessings, having active gratitude can change our perspective on our lives and realise that there is so much more to love! Every time we sulk over not having new shoes, remember the man who has no feet! 2. Positivity The negative seems to strike out much more intensely to us, blinding us from the good and positive that has happened each day. Similar to counting our blessings, we could also count the positive and negative things that happens per day or per week. Yes, the negative as well! It helps, to simply write down in a journal, every single positive and negative thing that has happened each day or week, no matter how big or small. Count even the simplest smile of a stranger, or your positive mood towards a certain event. You will become aware of the good things around you and it wouldn't even matter how many negative experiences there are, because the fulfilment of just one good thing is so great! You could take this even further by writing down your self-improvements to take to the next day or week! 3. Breaks from social media Somehow, at the back of our minds, we all know how too much social media is bad for us. Despite this, we just want to use it and give ourselves excuses like, 'I'm not addicted' or 'I deserve this, I had a hard long day at work!'. Trust me, I've been there and I am too, still struggling with it. We may not realise or fully acknowledge it, but social media, as has it's perks, also has it's negative consequences. It is a difference being able to be in control of it, and having it control us. Being on it too much can not only reduce our discipline, but also redefine our worth. Many of us has felt 'shitty' or envious when we see posts on Instagram or Facebook of someone way better looking than us, on a holiday and enjoying life better than us, having more friends than us or posting about work done better than us. The truth is that, we only see the result at the top of the mountain but the climb to the mountain has not been shown. We may not realise how much effort had been taken to meet the result of that post, or how it was simply captured at the perfect moment, giving the illusion of enjoyment or perfection. After all, many of us only want to post 'perfect' things - perhaps, consciously or subconsciously, to get admiration and those Dopamines released! Social media is also now our new drug and a method of gratification. We don't realise how it is taking away our patience, calmness and control. Think of those mornings when you wake up and just want to look at the stories on Facebook or posts on Instagram to keep updated, could this be because we have become afraid of missing out? In times of commute or needing to fill time, we look to social media, which helps time run faster but also makes us constantly need to be satisfied by social media in times of space. We could use this time to remain calm and observe things and the people around us, as well as practice discipline and self-control, enabling us to be happier because we can be focused on the real things. It starts with self-control, and choosing to not use social media the first thing you do when you wake up or limiting your amounts during times of space. Use this space to instead reflect and observe or speak to someone who's next to you! 4. You don't always have to be the winner It's often hard to let down our pride and our desire to be right. Guess what? The constant need to be right is also a cause of unhappiness! Sometimes, we could save our arguments and tension if we allow ourselves to be wrong, and listen to understand instead of listening to respond. We often concentrate on others' wrongs and flaws rather than our own, and accepting them and giving in to someone can be very difficult but will be healing. With this, we also know that our worth and identity is not based on what we are right about or not. Remember that a scolding or as embarrassment of being wrong only lasts for a moment, but a lesson, healing, and friendship lasts forever. 5. Be genuine and present to EVERYONE Are you guilty of using your phone while talking to someone? Or perhaps not giving total attention to someone because subconsciously, you thought that he/she was not worth your time? Well, I once watched a TED talk about having better conversations with people, and it opened my eyes. The talk mentioned that there is something to learn from EVERYONE. Every human being has something they're an expert at and has some kind of knowledge we do not know. If we allowed ourselves to get to know someone genuinely, to listen to understand instead of listening to respond to feel better about ourselves, there would be so much more to learn. If you were speaking to someone to express your opinions or make someone change their mind, go write a blog instead! 6. Breathe Many of us are so busy with life, work and living that we forget to even breathe. In fact, we have forgotten how to breathe properly, or, we do not know how to. One of the only times we breathe right is during sleep. If you realise, this is the time when our diaphragm expands with air instead of our chest. Take a moment each day, especially during those times which you'd kill by using your phones to do this. Here are 5 Simple Principles of Proper Breathing: (Source: https://betterhumans.coach.me/this-is-how-to-breathe-properly-a-surprisingly-important-guide-e65935f21c30?gi=badb89215dbe)
7. Balance those hormones with essential oils Believe it or not, essential oils can help you to be happy! These natural plant oils have the ability to provoke senses through our sense of smell, and can change the chemical messages and impulses sent around the body. Essential oils are absorbed into the body either though skin or inhalation. The naturally occurring chemicals in the oils enter the blood and other bodily fluids then interact with the chemicals in our bodies. For example, Hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes which enable our nervous system to work are all chemicals. The presence of another chemical (the naturally occurring chemicals in essential oils) is able to affect the way they work. Try mixing one yourself using these ingredients or get our professionally blended (by Certified Aromatherapist) 'Be Happy' Roll-on which contains these natural and 100% organic essential oils: Marjoram - calms and soothes the emotions. Bergamot - is an uplifting scent which can reduce anger, anxiety, stress, frustration and depression. Ylang Ylang - regulates the flow of adrenaline thus slowing the effects of frustration, panic, fear, shock and stress. These work together to promote positive emotions in the user. Simply mix with these essential oils with a carrier oil and apply behind your ears, close to your neck (that's where the veins close to our brain is!) or/and inhale from time to time for the best results. Or get our already blended 'Be Happy' Roll-on here. 8. Take risks! Did you know that hermit crabs looks for a shell that fits him, then lives in it until he outgrows it? When it outgrows a previous shell, it has to scamper around the ocean floor and find a bigger one; a process that repeats itself throughout his entire life. Just like the hermit crab, if we do not allow ourselves to leave our old shell and comfort zone to find a new one, we cannot grow. Growth leads to happiness. Without growth, how do we move forward in life and love ourselves even more genuinely? Let yourself grow, take that risk, even if it is changing that lifeless job or changing something you have been doing all your life but not happy about. Afterall, regretting to do something you didn't do is worse than regretting to do something you did do. 9. Work-life Balance Are you working to live or living to work? Often, the issue of more work than life comes with our inability to prioritize and our need for perfectionism. Are you spending too much time on prioritizing the work that you want to be perfect over the work that actually needs to be done? Stop procrastinating! A method to do this is to plan out and write down the tasks for the day in order of priority and highlight 3 main ones. Ensure you finish those main tasks for the day and you'll be able to live after work with a much clearer mind and less weight on your shoulders! 10. Mindfulness & Embracing Everything We love how 'www.happymelly.com' expressed this method of happiness so here is an extract from their website: (Source: https://www.happymelly.com/mindfulness-and-happiness/) You walk through the park on a sunny day. Do you worry about your bills? Wonder what you can make for dinner? Fume about the ways your rude, lazy coworker bothered you today? Shut off the world with headphones blaring? You may be pretty normal, but you’re not being mindful. Do you observe the scenery? How you’re breathing? The birds chirping? This doesn’t just make your walk more pleasant — it also helps you exercise mindfulness. Mindfulness can take many forms. Feeling stressed? Instead of judging yourself for feeling this way, just acknowledge it. Sometimes this simple act will keep you from overthinking and perpetuating the tension. We tend to give too much credence to negative thoughts, particularly about ourselves. Mindfulness can help you see the difference between the story you tell yourself about your circumstances and what your circumstances actually are. MINDFUL PRACTICE #1: MEDITATION Most people still have no idea how to meditate. That’s okay. Though it brings ease, it can be kind of complicated. Many meditation techniques originate from the East including Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. Buddhist practices include Zen and Loving Kindness meditations. Mantra, Transcendental and Yoga meditations are Hindu methods. And within each style are sub-disciplines you can master. Mindful meditation won’t take you to another world, but it may help you get in touch with everything good that already exists in your world. MINDFUL PRACTICE #2: MUSIC Listening to music that soothes you — and even singing along — is another way to exercise mindfulness. Whether the songs that relax you include a piano concerto, a slow-paced indie ballad or Blink-182, the mindful way to listen is to concentrate on each note. Maybe even dance along! Music is a great way to release stress. MINDFUL PRACTICE #3: SPEAK/WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS After a busy day at work, do you find it hard to focus with a steady stream of thoughts running through your mind? Does trying to push aside these thoughts while meditating just stress you out more? Instead of fighting the notions in your head, try to observe them objectively. Consider creating an audio journal. You can record yourself during your drive to and from work. Instead of fuming while you’re stuck in rush-hour traffic, you can spend the time relaxing your mind. It’s an easy way to process what’s going on in your head. ACHIEVE HAPPINESS THROUGH MINDFULNESS So, you’ve done the exercises to practice mindfulness. How do they translate into your being happy? Remember that mindfulness centers you so you can deal with reality. You’re not distracted by what you’re afraid the moment could become or by what you want the moment to be. You realize that you may not be able to control the moment, but you can control your reaction to it. Article by in-heal.com
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