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We all want to live the happiest lives possible. We often actively seek out happiness and would much rather spend our time with a smile on our face rather than feeling glum. But so many people make the mistake of believing that we simply have to deal with what life deals us and that our happiness is out of our control. Sure, we’ll all have a combination of good and bad times. But rather than simply going with the flow, there are actually things you can do to take the wheel and make your day to day life more positive. Here are just a few different steps you can take to achieve this!
Identify Positives and Negatives In Your Life
In order to improve your day to day life, you’re going to first have to evaluate it. You need to take a step back from day to day proceedings and determine what makes you happy and what doesn’t. Only then can you start making active steps towards significantly improving your day to day experience. Of course, when you’re stuck in routine, it may feel difficult to actively pinpoint what’s dragging you down or making you feel unhappy. It can also become easy to take the nicer aspects of your day for granted. We simply accept things that happen to us and don’t associate them with the different emotions that they stir up inside of us over the long run. Journaling or making notes can help with this though. Every time you feel a particularly strong emotion, note down what made you feel that way. You could have a journal with a positives list and a journal with a negatives list. If you notice something recurring regularly on either list, you can assume that they impact your overall mood and happiness levels on a day to day basis. You can start to focus more on the things that are making you feel happy. This could be seeing more of a particular person, doing more of a certain activity, or anything else. If you notice something recurring regularly on the negatives list, you may want to consider resolving it, working on it or walking away from it. This could be a relationship, a job, or anything else.
Focus on What You’re Grateful For
It’s easy to focus and dwell on the negatives in our lives. They can make us feel more immediately strong emotions than the positives. But it’s important that you don’t simply spend all of your time dwelling on what’s bad. Don’t dismiss what’s actually good in your life! Writing a list of things you’re grateful for on a daily basis can help to remind you of what’s going right, what’s going well and what’s making you happy. Focusing on these things instead can boost your mood and bring a smile to your face. If you’re having a rough time and you’re struggling to identify things that you’re grateful for, take a look at some Gratitude Journal Prompts. These will help you to pick out some things that are going well or to plan.
Do What’s Best for You
Many of us are kind and giving individuals. But it’s important that you don’t become a side character in your own life. You’re the protagonist and you do have to focus on yourself! Sure, there are instances where you might need to put someone else and their needs first - perhaps you have children or other dependents. But it’s important that you put yourself first some of the time and that you make decisions based around what’s right and good for you. This can feel selfish, but you need to look after yourself before you can effectively look after other people. So, make sure you’re doing what’s best for you in your life! Incorporate your own interests when making major life decisions. If you need to take others into account when making these decisions, come to a compromise so that everyone’s needs are met! This could range from big decisions to smaller decisions. If you’re choosing where to live but need to ensure your little ones have access to a good school, you can help them by sourcing areas with good schools, but then yourself by choosing your favourite spot from amongst the options. Your life doesn’t have to solely revolve around others.
Don’t Be Afraid of Change
So many of us avoid change. But change can be profoundly positive! Sure, it’s easy to settle for less for the sake of comfort and stability. But sometimes, stepping into the unknown and taking a chance can see your life drastically change for the better. So, don’t be afraid to try things that could really make you happier. This could be applied to all areas of your life. You may be comfortable in your current job in terms of income, but the job itself might not be bringing you joy. It could feel daunting to step away from it, but following a new career path could see each work day be much more enjoyable and emotionally rewarding. Staying in a relationship that isn’t bad but isn’t great could be comfortable and the easy route to take. But stepping away, focusing on yourself, or meeting someone who genuinely interests and engages you could see you become much happier on a day to day basis. Of course, you shouldn’t be brash and should think over any major decision that you do make. But it’s important to consider your options and to have the bravery to pursue further happiness if you think that it is out there.
Help Others
Helping others can help you to feel better. Doing something kind for someone else doesn’t only benefit them. It can lift your own mood, help you to feel happier and give you a better sense of wellbeing. So, think of simple ways you can help others on a day to day basis. These don’t need to be grand gestures. They can be the smallest of gestures that make all the difference to you and others all at once. Some good ideas could include:
Hold the door open for someone
Check in with an old friend
Buy a homeless person a meal or drink
Pay the person’s fee behind you at the toll booth
Donate to a food shelter
Do voluntary work
Exercise
It’s recommended that you get one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise every week, or seventy five minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. This isn’t just for the sake of your physical health though. Sure, it will help you to keep in shape and will prevent issues such as obesity that can cause serious health problems down the line. But it’s great for your mental and emotional wellbeing too. When you exercise, your body reduces production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It also increases production of positive chemicals that improve your mood. So, find a form of exercise you actually enjoy. You don’t necessarily have to go to the gym. There are alternative forms of exercise such as fitness classes, sports clubs, dance and more! There’s bound to be something you’ll enjoy!
Do Things You Enjoy
All too often, we get tied up with things we feel like we have to do. Work. Social commitments. Familial commitments. Then we feel we don’t have any time left over to do the things we want to. But this isn’t necessarily always the case. Think of all of the time you waste doing things like scrolling through social media and other useless procrastination. Instead, put this time to better use, doing things you enjoy. Whatever it is, make time for it. You could do something productive like learning a new language, writing or picking up a hobby. You could take a long bath. You could bake. You could meet up with friends. You could take a day trip. If you have more time on your hands, you can even commit to other things you’ve wanted to do for a long time. Perhaps travelling!
These, of course, are just a few different steps you can take to significantly improve your day to day experience. It really is important that you do the utmost to make the most of every day and maximise your happiness and wellbeing. It really will help to make you a more content and positive person, living and enjoying every day to the utmost!
