Tips for Living a Happy Life

Are you happy? The question seems clear enough. But if you really take the time to analyse your happiness level, you may find that you are out of control and you may be thinking about how you can fix it. Here are a few tips to help you live happier:

Be grateful every day:

There is nothing more satisfying than appreciating the blessings around you, because no matter how sad or stressed you are, there are many other things that are worth thanking for such as your health, living with your parents or beloved ones and more. According to Harvard Medical School, gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness. Gratitude allows individuals to have more positive thoughts, enjoy good times, strengthen their health, cope with adversity and develop strong relationships with others.

Take a walk:

Walking is good for the body and entertaining at the same time. Outdoor exercises such as walking around will help you feel more energetic and affect your mood. Additionally, there are many health benefits for walking such as improving high blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease, making the bones stronger and preventing stress and depression. People are advised to walk for 30 minutes every day to get the health benefit. American Psychological Association has further information on how walking affects peoples ‘mood.

Spend less time on your phone:

Disconnecting from social media and technology allows you to free up time to invest in other activities and interests that please you. But let's face it: if you have a job that needs you to constantly check your messages, or you can't resist sharing that lovely picture on Instagram, maybe you can start with the small goal of not using your phone persistently throughout the day. Make sure you know when to use it so you save your time for doing other enjoyable activities such as reading, writing, dancing, cooking and more.

Take care of yourself and help others:

Do not forget that you take care of yourself first and foremost because happiness begins from within, when you feel happy and satisfied, you can spread more love and care to those surround you. According to Action for Happiness, helping others is not only good for them and a good thing to do, but it can also make you happier and healthier. More importantly, it can connect you to others, create stronger communities and help to build a happier society for everyone. Mark Snyder, an American social psychologist and head of the Centre for the Study of the Individual and Society at the University of Minnesota says:

"People who volunteer tend to have higher self-esteem, psychological well-being and happiness."

Travel

Travel makes you happy because it gives you the chance to step beyond your well-worn, self-constructed and offers a space for you to explore and exercise your ideal visions. Travelling is a great way to develop your character and help you become more open-minded to the world. More importantly, it allows you to improve your confidence, communication skills and will lead to happiness.