Silhouette of girl with magic wand in hand

BOOST YOUR HAPPINESS: 7 small but life-changing shifts to make

Have you ever wished for a magic wand that could make all your stress and worries disappear with a single swish? You’re not alone—we’ve all been there!

Failure or disappointment brings gloomy clouds along with it, and before you know it, you can forget what it feels like to be happy. But take heart in knowing that experiences like this are common and natural, and there are simple practices you can apply within your daily life to recover from disappointment and become a happier person.

Read on to discover just seven of these small shifts that will boost your level of happiness.

Remember to be grateful


A daily dose of gratitude can take you a long way towards happiness. Whether you see it or not, the truth is, you probably have a lot to be thankful for. It’s best to adopt a daily habit of reflecting on these blessings—your health, your loved ones, your career and anything else that comes to mind.

If you want to mix things up a little, try being grateful for different things each day, including small things that might make your life easier, like Uber and Skype. Make it a habit to list at least three things you’re thankful for before you begin your day.

Spend time outdoors


Couple walking in forest

A nature boost will often work as an instant pick-me-up, and sometimes, a shift in your location can be enough to shift you towards happiness. Getting up and taking a walk outside may help you take on a more mindful outlook by putting you in touch with your feelings and relieving your worries about the past or future.

The rush of endorphins that walking brings may also make you feel more joyful and healthy as you appreciate the beauty of nature. Go out, breathe in some fresh air, soak up some sun and watch yourself transform into a happier person!

Do something kind for someone else


Believe it or not, happiness is intrinsically connected to caring for others. When you’re kind to others, it not only helps them, but benefits you as well.

The act of giving comes with excellent side effects—aside from making you happy, it’ll typically improve your health and enable you to forge secure connections with those around you. Feeling good comes from doing good! Contrary to popular belief, giving doesn’t have to be about money, as you can also give someone your time, energy or ideas to help them out.

The next time you need a happiness boost, simply try practicing kindness. If you take a look around, you’ll notice endless opportunities to do so, and it almost always works out for the best.

Prioritize self-care


Caring for yourself is also a healthy and essential way to boost your happiness. Often, we’re so focused on the needs of our partners, children, parents, friends and other loved ones that we end up putting ourselves last on our priority list.

Instead, you need to remember that it’s OK to take time for yourself regularly. You can pamper yourself with a massage or invest in your body by adopting healthy eating habits, sleeping well and staying hydrated. You must be kind to your health and well-being—both mental and physical—to be genuinely happy.

Practice being present


If you think about it, most of our stress is related to worrying about the future or regretting the past. Both of these habits hamper our productivity and are little more than a waste of time.

If you want to increase your happiness level, an important mental technique you can apply is mindfulness. To engage in mindfulness, try changing your mindset to keep your focus strictly on the present moment. This will make you more aware of all that’s going on around you, including your breath, the sounds in the room and the light outside. It can make you feel alive and grounded as it prevents you from getting carried away with your thoughts.

If you practice being mindfully present in each moment, you’ll likely notice a significant spike in your happiness level.

Make space for laughter


Two men smiling and laughing

They don’t call laughter the best medicine without reason. Smiling and laughing are highly infectious, and it’s nearly impossible to be sad while smiling or laughing.

Laughter can help you both physically and mentally by reducing your stress levels, lowering inflammation and improving the functioning of your heart. Similarly, a genuine eye-crinkling smile can calm your cardiovascular system and release endorphins that are capable of fighting stress hormones. That’s why it’s incredibly important to find ways to bring more joy into your life through smiles and laughter.

For instance, you could watch a comedy, exchange funny anecdotes with friends and make a conscious effort to keep conversations light and real instead of taking everything too seriously.

Connect with other people


Research has proven that social connections have the power to increase your level of happiness and improve your overall well-being. A typical example of this would be that people prefer spending time with friends and family instead of behind a computer at work.

Each person’s happiness is interconnected with the people around them, so having strong relationships can help you stay happy and healthy and live a long life. Your close relations should be there to offer love, support and meaning to your life, and add to your self-worth.

As human beings, we crave meaningful connections with others and a sense of belonging more than anything else, which means the key to staying happy lies (at least partially!) in seeking invigorating connections with other people.

Don’t limit yourself to this list


When you begin to use these seven ideas to transform your mindset and improve your life, keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive. While these tips are extremely practical ones, they’re not the only strategies you may be able to use to boost your happiness. You can use this list as a jumping-off point to really get creative and find more innovative solutions to shift yourself out of a bad place. When it comes to feeling more positive and enthusiastic about life, the first step is all it takes to kick-start a metamorphosis.

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image 1: Pixabay; 2: Pixabay; 3: Pixabay

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