Train your brain to think more positively with these 11 habits for happiness that is a sure way to actually find joy and be happy! Enjoying your life should be your #1 priority! Living any other way goes against the purpose of life. Learn what you can start doing TODAY to have a happy life.
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“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein
Your happiness and joy have everything to do with you, not anyone or anything else. Take it from Albert Einstein. When most people are upset about something it’s usually because of things that are outside of their control.
You have to completely change this way of thinking if you feel like you are one of these people. The only thing you can control is your mind. That’s it! … and really, that’s enough. Your mind has the power to do so much!
So let’s learn how to better yourself and build habits for a better life. Develop some habits for happiness and you are sure to feel better.
This post is all about habits for happiness.
How to Train Your Brain to Build Habits for Happiness
1. Identify your areas of negativity
In order for you to truly change your way of thinking, you first need to figure out what is the cause of your unhappiness. I find that most people ignore their feelings. The thought is that maybe if you ignore your unpleasant feelings, you won’t feel miserable.
That’s the opposite of what you should do. Really dig in and figure out what is bothering you. The only way to feel better is to identify why you don’t feel good in the first place.
You can’t squash the monster until you find the monster.
2. Focus on the good things
Once you have identified what is going wrong in your life, spend the next moment going through the good things happening in your life. Focusing on positive things helps to boost your mood and feel better.
This is simply something that you can do to build everyday habits for happiness. Don’t spend too much time on the first step. There are a lot of good things happening in your life. You just have to clear your mind and look around. You’ll see them.
3. Practice gratitude
Similar to focusing on the good things, practicing gratitude goes hand-in-hand.
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
The fact that you are reading this blog post means that you actually have the means to do so. That’s worth being grateful for. Start by writing down 3 things you are grateful for at the end of each day.
It can be as simple as writing, “I’m grateful for food, Netflix, the Internet, and my dog.” Seriously, it doesn’t have to be some worldly thing. Keep it simple! It is sure to boost your mood!
4. Put yourself first
As mentioned before, people are usually unhappy because they are trying to fix things or think about things that are outside of their realm of control.
When you put yourself first, it changes the way you live your life. Think about what you actually enjoy doing, eating, watching, or places you like going to. It’ll empower you when you start putting yourself first.
It may seem hard or awkward at first, but the more things you say no to the more you can say yes to the things that resonate with you.
I remember when I was told I should spend time doing things that I want to do or like doing. It dawned on me at that moment that I didn’t even know what I liked doing. I had spent so much of my time worrying about other people’s needs and wants that I neglected my own. Never again.
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5. Rest and recuperate
There is nothing wrong with spending time alone. In fact, it is quite important! Spending time by yourself helps you to figure out what it is that you actually enjoy doing.
It forces you to figure these things out because you have no one else there to influence your mind. For once just think only of what you want to do and how you want to spend your time.
Likewise, simply sleeping or resting in bed is worth doing if that’s something you really want to do.
So what are some new habits to start for a happy life? Keep on reading!
8 Habits for Happiness
1. Get enough sleep
There are so many benefits that are tied to getting quality sleep. Most people need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep per night to feel well-rested. If you don’t get enough sleep it can truly affect your mood.
You probably know this already actually. Have you ever woke up cranky when someone woke you up out of your sleep too early or when something woke you up?
Man, being a light sleeper can really suck! Set yourself up for success by going to bed at the time needed to get a full 8 hours of sleep. If that’s 9 pm or 11 pm so be it. Do what works best for you!
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Now, I live in an apartment that’s next to a busy street and have SUPER LOUD NEIGHBORS. I mean they start stomping around at 5:30 am most days!! It’s so annoying!
So I bought an inexpensive white noise machine from Amazon literally today to use to hopefully block out all of the noise and get some quality sleep! I’ve heard great things about this machine so we’ll see what happens. The one I bought is listed below.
2. Exercise
Did you know that exercising daily can lead to a longer life expectancy? Do you want to live a long beautiful life? Start implementing daily workout routines into your life.
It doesn’t have to be an exhausting trip to the gym. You can simply go for a walk around your neighborhood. You can buy a bike and bike around the neighborhood. Try doing yoga or something.
Don’t let exercise intimidate you. Make it yours and do what works for your body. Just make sure you are doing SOMETHING.
3. Appreciate what you have
This habit goes hand-in-hand with the practice of expressing gratitude. There is something to be said about how often expressing gratitude is mentioned. It is sure to boost your mood and promote a happy life.
I mean, this is what happy people do! They are happy with what they have which builds more happiness. Come with an abundance mindset instead of lack. If you focus on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
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4. Journal
Documenting what’s going on in your life can be truly eye-opening. Especially as things change and evolve, (as they always do) you’ll be able to go back and see how far you have come… or have not.
Growth is always the goal, but if you haven’t been developing these habits of happiness, then you’ll never be happy. You’ll always be exactly what you are. There’s a great quote that changed the way I look at things.
“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.” – Max Depree
This quote is posted on my bulletin board. Sometimes you have to do things you’ve never done before you achieve goals you’ve never achieved before. It makes sense! Try journaling!
5. Surround yourself with the right people
The top 5 people you hang out with tend to be the ones you’re like the most. Have you heard of the saying that you’re like the average of the top 5 people you hang with?
Your company influences you more than you may think. Now if you have family members that tend to be more negative than positive, then try spending less time with them. Keep yourself busy doing your own thing and soon you’ll run up on like-minded people such as yourself.
6. Live in the moment
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living the present.” – Lao Tzu
The quote mentioned above is on a sticky note posted on my fridge. It really speaks for itself. That’s all there is to say about living in the moment. Do things you enjoy doing or things that make you lose track of time.
For some people, that’s playing video games, reading books, drawing or painting, fishing, or anything that makes you happy.
In closing,
I hope you have found these habits for happiness to be helpful to you. Try things over and over until you feel better so you can start living your best life!
