When you own your successes and mistakes, you will lift a burden in your life and enjoy more happiness and freedom. When you can properly assess what makes you happy or sad, and understand the why behind that particular feeling, you will have more clarity for how to be happy.
You will be more in control of your feelings and emotions and be on a clearer path toward self-understanding. Emotional intelligence is such an important component of being happy.
Understanding others is essential to thrive in life and at work. Embrace empathy in everything you do. Understand others. Embrace your imperfect self. Showing more self-understanding and understanding others helps you connect with humanity. Understand their background, perspective and circumstances and you will feel more connected to yourself and to others.
This is more than positive thinking. This is embracing a fundamental truth that happiness is a possibility in your life. Once you accept that principle, you have opened your mind to the possibility of change.
You have started on a path to accept more happiness in your life. You can practice happiness daily. Find things that make you happy and repeat them daily.
Develop positive habits. Identify the things that make you unhappy, and work toward eliminating them from your life. A happy mind and a happy home go together. Declutter your personal space and free your mind. Clutter means disorganization and it can be an impediment to accomplishment and well-being. When we declutter, we bring order to our lives. In place of clutter, decorate your personal space with things that make you happy. Surround yourself with happiness and it will bring more organization, order and happiness to your life.
An open mind is a pathway to possibility. Be open to new people, places and experiences. When you are flexible and open to change, your happiness can increase.
You can increase social connections, find more joy and feel more a part of a greater community. Follow these 20 principles for a happier life. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. Nov 11, , pm EST. Nov 11, , am EST. For centuries yogis have used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality. Buddha advocated breath-meditation as a way to reach enlightenment.
Try it. Writing about oneself and personal experiences — and then rewriting your story — can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. We already know that expressive writing can improve mood disorders and help reduce symptoms among cancer patients , among other health benefits.
Some research suggests that writing in a personal journal for 15 minutes a day can lead to a boost in overall happiness and well-being, in part because it allows us to express our emotions, be mindful of our circumstances and resolve inner conflicts. Or you can take the next step and focus on one particular challenge you face, and write and rewrite that story. We all have a personal narrative that shapes our view of the world and ourselves.
By writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand in the way of our personal well-being. The process is similar to Socratic questioning referenced above. Numerous studies show that writing and rewriting your story can move you out of your negative mindset and into a more positive view of life.
When people get up and move, even a little, they tend to be happier than when they are still. A study that tracked the movement and moods of cellphone users found that people reported the most happiness if they had been moving in the past 15 minutes than when they had been sitting or lying down.
Optimism is part genetic, part learned. Even if you were born into a family of gloomy Guses, you can still find your inner ray of sunshine. And thinking positive thoughts and surrounding yourself with positive people really does help. Optimism, like pessimism, can be infectious. So make a point to hang out with optimistic people. Where you live — the country, the town, your neighborhood and your home — all have an effect on your overall happiness.
Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.
On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? This so-called happiness ladder is famously used as a way to measure and compare happiness across the globe. Here are the 10 happiest countries on Earth:. The United States 6. France 6. Japan 5. The least happy places on Earth are not surprising. They tend to be countries that have experienced war, natural disasters and hardship: Rwanda 3.
Tanzania 3. Afghanistan 3. Central African Republic 3. South Sudan 2. The research is intended for use at the public policy level, but there are lessons to learn at the personal level as well. Find a sustaining and satisfying job; do your best to live in a happy place; surround yourself with social support; take care of your health; and be generous in spirit, time and money in order to pave your own personal road to happiness. What factors make a community a place where people are happy? The Knight Foundation and Gallup interviewed 43, people in 26 communities to find out.
The lesson is that where you live can have a profound effect on your happiness. Explore new neighborhoods, rent before you buy, talk to friends, talk to potential neighborhoods and relocate your way to a happier life. Look for neighborhoods with a green commons, sidewalks, parks, street festivals and community gatherings.
Look for signs that the people there are connected and create opportunities to connect with each other on a regular basis. Numerous studies support the notion that spending time in nature is good for you. We know that walking on quiet, tree-lined paths can result in meaningful improvements to mental health, and even physical changes to the brain.
Some research shows that even looking at pictures of nature can improve your mood. Sunlight also makes a difference. Seasonal affective disorder is real. Epidemiological studies estimate that its prevalence in the adult population ranges from 1. Natural light exposure — by spending time outside or living in a space with natural light — is good for your mood. Getting organized is unquestionably good for both mind and body — reducing risks for falls, helping eliminate germs and making it easier to find things like medicine and exercise gear.
Excessive clutter and disorganization are often symptoms of a bigger health problem. People who have suffered an emotional trauma or a brain injury often find housecleaning an insurmountable task. Attention deficit disorder, depression , chronic pain and grief can prevent people from getting organized or lead to a buildup of clutter. At its most extreme, chronic disorganization is called hoarding, a condition many experts believe is a mental illness in its own right, although psychiatrists have yet to formally recognize it.
While hoarders are a minority, many psychologists and organization experts say the rest of us can learn from them. The spectrum from cleanliness to messiness includes large numbers of people who are chronically disorganized and suffering either emotionally, physically or socially.
The chronically-messy person can change through behavioral therapy or with guidance from numerous self-help books on the topic. Get rid of the rest. One of my favorite bits of happiness advice comes from Ms. She proffers a one-minute rule that I have found incredibly useful in my own life. Here it is:. This simple sage advice helps you decide what to tackle in a messy room.
Do the one-minute tasks first. If you do nothing else, incorporate the one-minute rule into your life. It will give you a short boost of happiness after you accomplish so much in a short time — and as a bonus, you will end up with a cleaner room, which will also make you happy. A lot of potential for happiness happens in the bedroom. As a result, many people who study and write about happiness encourage people to focus on life in the bedroom.
The same can be said for people who are happy with their sex lives — they are happier overall than people with less-than-satisfactory sex lives. Sleep is essential to better health. So how do you become a more successful sleeper? Grab a pillow and find out. Studies consistently show that our own happiness is linked with the happiness of others. One of the ways we know this is from the Framingham Heart Study, a massive study started in that has tracked three generations of participants.
The study was designed to identify risk factors for heart disease, resulting in reams of data on health, food, fitness habits, stress, family issues and happiness. To measure happiness, the Framingham study asked people how often they experienced certain feelings during the previous week. Yale scientists decided to mine the data to study happiness and social networks. The structure of the study allowed them to track changes in happiness over time.
And because the scientists who designed the study wanted to keep track of people, they asked participants to identify their relatives, close friends, place of residence and place of work. Psychologists conducted a series of experiments to determine the role that pets play in our happiness.
They found that pet owners were happier, healthier and better adjusted than were non-owners. Pet owners said they received as much support from their pets as they did family members.
And people who were emotionally closer to the pets also tended to have deeper ties to the humans in their lives. Dog owners who felt a strong connection to their pets were happier and healthier.
And in one expressive writing exercise, writing about pets was just as effective as writing about a friend when it came to staving off feelings of rejection, according to the report published by the American Psychological Association.
Many people think of their marriages as a source of happiness. In one study of 24, people in Germany over 15 years, researchers found that getting married only triggered a small bump in happiness, measured as one-tenth of a point on an 11 point scale. Of course, there were big variations among individuals. Some people were much happier after marriage; and sadly, some were much less happy after getting married.
The bottom line was that if you are already a happy person, you will not gain much extra happiness from marriage , probably because you already have a rich social network. At the same time, if you lack a strong social network, you will get a bigger happiness benefit from partnering up. At the same time, a married person with a limited social network will suffer more after divorce or the death of a spouse.
Habits matter. Well, good habits are deeply engrained, too. Why not work on making positive habits part of your routine? But the next time you find yourself feeling low, crack a smile and see what happens. Or try starting each morning by smiling at yourself in the mirror. Regular exercise can help to reduce stress, feelings of anxiety, and symptoms of depression while boosting self-esteem and happiness.
Even a small amount of physical activity can make a difference. The trick is not to overexert. Remind yourself of any fun activities you once enjoyed, but that have fallen by the wayside. Or activities you always wanted to try, such as golf, bowling, or dancing. No matter how much modern society steers us toward less sleep, we know that adequate sleep is vital to good health, brain function, and emotional well-being.
Most adults need about 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night. If you consistently have problems sleeping, talk to your doctor. You may have a sleep disorder requiring treatment. You already know that food choices have an impact on your overall physical health. But some foods can also affect your state of mind. For example, swap a big, sweet breakfast pastry for some Greek yogurt with fruit. Try adding in a new food swap each week. Simply being grateful can give your mood a big boost, among other benefits.
For example, a recent two-part study found that practicing gratitude can have a significant impact on feelings of hope and happiness. As you go about your day, try to keep an eye out for pleasant things in your life. They can be big things, such as knowing that someone loves you or getting a well-deserved promotion. But they can also be little things, such as a co-worker who offered you a cup of coffee or the neighbor who waved to you.
Maybe even just the warmth of the sun on your skin. Research shows that performing acts of kindness can help you feel more satisfied. You might be surprised by how good it makes you feel. If you want to offer someone a compliment on their physical appearance, make sure to do it in a respectful way. Here are some tips to get you started. Turns out, that instinct is a good one. According to Harvard Health , deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress.
A positive attitude is generally a good thing, but bad things happen to everyone. Acknowledge the feeling of unhappiness, letting yourself experience it for a moment.
Then, shift your focus toward what made you feel this way and what it might take to recover. A journal is a good way to organize your thoughts, analyze your feelings, and make plans. It can be as simple as jotting down a few thoughts before you go to bed. Not sure what to do with all the feelings that end up on the page? Our guide to organizing your feelings can help. Learn more about the upside of stress. Instead of letting yourself get overwhelmed, try to tackle the stressor head-on.
This might mean initiating an uncomfortable conversation or putting in some extra work, but the sooner you tackle it, the sooner the pit in your stomach will start to shrink.
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