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Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 8 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives.
I want to honor and discuss each of these 8 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.
1. Express Gratitude
When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate Optimism
Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful person will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. Know failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3. Avoid Over-Thinking & Social Comparison
Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. If we see ourselves as worse than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. The majority of the time, this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
4. Practice Acts of Kindness
Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin.
5. Develop Strategies for Coping
How you respond to the difficult moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes bad things happen – it’s inevitable. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions when you are focused on hardships that are transpiring. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal. Deal with the problem instead of ignoring it and count on the ones you love to help see you through.
6. Learn to Forgive
Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are can eat away at you. Consider approaching the person who has wronged you and ask for an apology. Many times, the offender doesn't even realize they've done something wrong. After you get an apology it's easy to forgive and forget.
7. Savor Life's Joys
Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
8. Commit to Your Goals
Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
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