8 Practices for Happiness
To help yourself to be happy place the following practices into your life:
To help yourself to be happy place the following practices into your life:
1. Choose to be happy.
Write down on a piece of paper “I choose to be happy.” Keep it with you all day so you can look at it several times a day. Remind yourself that you are going to be happy. This may take effort at first, but with time it will become second nature.
2. Acknowledge the good things in your life
Take a minute every day and write down what is good in your life. Read this list once a day and add to it as good things appear in your life.
3. Make everyday a great day
When you wake up every the morning tell yourself this is going to be a great day. Tell yourself you feel good and good things will happen today.
4. Think positive
Find the good in everything and you will feel better. Do not let negative thoughts enter your mind. Keep everything positive.
5. Smile and laugh as often as you can
When your happy you smile and when you smile you become happy. This is a good trick to use when you are upset or angry, just force yourself to smile for ten seconds and you will start to feel better. Laugh whenever you can, it is hard not to be happy when you are laughing.
6. Be thankful
Appreciate the things that you have and be grateful for them. When you realize the good things in your life you become happier.
7. Be helpful
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig
When you are helpful you feel good about yourself. When you feel good about yourself you feel happier. Try this, do something helpful for someone, but do not let anyone know even the person you are helping. You will help someone without expecting anything in return, but will receive self gratitude.
8. Exercise
When you exercise your body makes endorphins. Endorphins are compounds your body produce that give you a sense of well-being. At the very least take a walk everyday and enjoy your surroundings.
As you go through your day be conscious about being happy. Make choices that will make you happy. If you do this every day it will become natural to you and become easier and easier.
What do you do when things go bad? This depends on the situation at hand. There are times when you need to be sad and grieve. It is part of human nature. This will usually occur during a death of a loved one, a divorce, or a terrible incident. Take time to grieve and accept the situation. In time your sadness will ease and you need to respond by bringing happiness back into your life.
You are in control of your own happiness. Many things will effect your life, but it is up to you how much it will effect and for how long. So put into practice the steps in this chapter and learn how to be happy, and start living a better life.
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~Abraham Lincoln
