“It is your choice to be happy. Make up your mind to enjoy this day, to have a blessed, prosperous, victorious year. You may have some setbacks and your circumstances may change, but don’t let that change your mind. Keep it set to happiness.” – Joel Osteen
For many, the word happiness is downright elusive. They are finding it hard to understand and experience this seemingly simple emotion. Thus, they end up enduring the daily grind feeling weary and depressed.
I’ve been one of those sad people before. It wasn’t easy but fortunately, I was able to get out of it in one piece. I want you to experience that too. Here are seven simple tips that I found very effective and useful in finding my own kind of happiness. Hopefully, you’ll be able to put them to good use.
* Be the better man / woman in making amends
One of the funny things about us people is that we complicate our own lives. We don’t own up to our mistakes just because of our prideful nature. Well, I discovered that being the better person in a fight has its advantages. For starters, the ones who try to make amends are the ones who feel “lighter” when all has been said and done. The burden of thinking negative thoughts towards another person will simply vanish and with it are the ill feelings.
Furthermore, there’s nothing good to come out of burning bridges. Yes, there is always an exception to the rule but I see nothing wrong in keeping as many relationships as one possibly can.
* Embrace the “real” you
I love the LEGO Movie because it reiterates the importance of being happy with who you truly are. This is a very important thing to remember when you’re on the pursuit for happiness. Remind yourself that you are your own man/woman. You don’t need to be on par with another person just to feel good. You can be happy just by being you.
Moreover, you can’t please everybody in this lifetime. You’ll never be good enough for others because all of us have these imaginary standards that can only be met by the likes of Brad Pitt. You and I are living on the real world and sometimes, you just flat-out suck.
* Avoid expecting anything from anyone
As pessimistic as this claim might sound, I learned that there are some people out there who just won’t deliver when you really need them to. Thus, I developed this “do more and expect nothing” mentality.
If a friend or a loved one is constantly disappointing you then stop hoping for them to get their act together. Instead, do the dirty work and feel satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.
* Spend less time on the Internet
Stay too long and the four corners of your room will only turn you into a gloomy version of yourself. Go outside and feel the sun. Indeed, the Internet is a wonderland filled with useful information, crazy people and your everyday drama but there’s more to life than sitting in front of your computer screen (just remember to finish reading this article before you go out).
* Put effort in things you CAN control
I learned that there are a lot of things in this life that are out of my hands. For example, whether or not I’ll be able to pen a New York Times Best Selling book in the future or how somebody else will react to my new hairstyle. However, there are also some things that I can control and those are the ones that truly matter. This is pretty much the most important tip in the list because happiness is truly a state of mind.
* Visit your loved ones more often
Family will always be there through thick and thin. I flunked out of college twice due to bad company and it resulted in a severe case of depression. Luckily, my mom told me that I could spend the remainder of my semester with her and to make the long story short, she and the rest of my loved ones saved me.
Never forget that you aren’t alone. Sometimes all you have to do is go back home.
* Exercise whenever you get the chance
Your physique has a lot of effects on your psyche. It’s more likely that you won’t feel happy if you’re having breathing problems when you’re climbing the stairs, right? Burn those fats away and live a healthier and much happier life!
Your happiness is not going to be served on a silver platter. You’ve got to work for it and give it your all. Use the above mentioned tips and improve your emotional state now!
____________
Katherine Smithson is a budding copywriter who is trying to pave her way through the blogging realm. Through bestessay.com, she is currently venturing modern writing and blogging in different websites in hopes that someday she’ll be able to make a name in the industry of blogging and writing per se.