Happiness can definitely be illusive at times. Many blame their circumstances, but it’s really all about what we allow ourselves to think, feel and do that affects our level of contentment.
Here’s 4 tips for switching gears and finding more happiness in the day-to-day:
1. Treat every day as if it were the weekend.
The weekend has always represented freedom to most of us; at least at some point in our lives (remember the 80’s and 90’s when nobody outside retail worked on the weekends and everything but convenience stores, restaurants and gas stations closed on Sundays?) A landmark study done by the University of Rochester back in 2010 found the “Weekend Effect” makes people happy regardless of what they do for a living (see the study summary).
The reason we feel so good on our weekends, whatever days that might include, is because we’re essentially free to do as we wish. By contrast, work and other constraining tasks and duties make us feel controlled — like we’re not the master of our own time. Treat your off hours from work as a mini-weekend, spend a few minutes every hour in TGIF mode and allow yourself to relish in what you’ll do for the 8 hours or so of complete freedom you’ll enjoy.
2. Spend time with animals.
Loneliness is an emotion that leads anywhere but down the road to freedom and happiness. Even if you’re surrounded by family and friends, a cat or dog is a great way to feel revitalized and free. I’m partial to dogs, but if cats are your thing then that’s cool too. Just like kids, dogs of any age and kittens (before they become independent and lay around in the window sill all day) live entirely in the moment. And things that happened in our past, and fear of an unknown future often bring about the feelings of doom and gloom that makes us all feel trapped.
Pets can help you to realize that life can be much more enjoyable when you just let go and live in the moment. Not to mention feeling love and acceptance with no strings attached. Maybe horse-back riding is your thing, or you’d like to help animals in need at a local shelter?
3. Grudges be gone!
Just let them go, regardless of the circumstances. People who hold grudges cause more harm to themselves than they do the offending party. The worse thing about carrying this kind of negativity around with you is that you can never change the past. Say someone borrowed money and never paid you back: maybe you never talk to them again, but sitting around stewing about it and talking trash about them to whomever will listen just keeps the ember lit, allowing the stress to eat away at you.
Tell people who trespass against you that you forgive them — either to their face or in your head. Whenever you feel a negative memory bubbling to the surface, tell yourself say “I forgive you/them” and train yourself to switch it off. I say “I forgive you” then blink really hard and it’s gone. It’s easy when you’re committed to not carrying baggage around with you.
4. Fake happiness.
A simple smile is all it takes to make a change to the way you feel. Ever been around someone who’s always smiling every hour of the day? Not only are they happy, but they make everyone around them happy too. When you’re feeling down, look in the mirror and smile — smile til you feel excitement raising up from your belly, to your chest, and finally up to your mouth. Just try it for real and keep doing it until you’re able to cultivated that feeling at a moment’s notice.
Main image by Thai Jasmine (Smile..smile…Smile..)
