With the busy life that many of us lead, it is difficult to remember to actually enjoy our days. Family, work, school and a multitude of other responsibilities can become cumbersome on the mental psyche, seemingly leaving little to no time to take time to be happy. The wonderful thing about happiness is, if you actively seek it, you can become a little happier every day. The way we choose to live is different based on the individual, but one thing we all have in common is our ability to find happiness and joy in the little things in life. If you are looking for ways to bring more joy into your life, check out these 6 tips on how to find happiness.
Notice the small things
Although there may be larger issues you are working to solve in your life, there’s always something simple just around the corner that can cheer you up, if you pay attention. This could be as simple as looking up while you’re walking to your car to notice a patch of flowers or watching stars at night.
Find your passion
If you haven’t already, find what you are truly passionate about can bring immense joy to your life. This may seem like a tall order, but you can take smaller steps daily to discover your passion. Try different things and you may find something that really speaks to you.
Keep your mind open
In order to find your passion, you have to keep an open mind. This will allow you the chance to accept something new into your life. Keeping an open mind is also helpful in being happy in general, by allowing you to experience the fullness of life.
Be open to change
If the way you’ve been spending your days requires you to try something different to find happiness, you must be open to the change that will require. It may feel scary and uncomfortable at first, but change can be good and can most definitely improve our state of mind.
Spend time with the right people
Many times, you may not even be in control of your own happiness if you have negative people around you. It can be hard to face it, but sometimes find more happiness in life means letting some people go. Focus on spending time with people who lift your mood, make you laugh, and make you feel good about yourself.
Stay present in the current moment
Constantly trying to stay ahead of the curve and on top of it all can thrust us into a dangerous behavior and way of thinking, by only focusing on getting to the next moment instead of enjoying the current one. Trying to beat traffic, getting to work on time, videoing moments just to post of social media are just a few examples of how life can hinder us from staying present. Try to take time today to stop rushing, be realistic about time commitments and enjoy a moment without documenting it.
Stop worrying
Always needing to solve the next problem or avoid the next pitfall, or fix something gone wrong, can give you serious anxiety. Try to carve out some time to literally think about nothing and leave the stressors of life for another time.
Smile and laugh more
This may sound silly, but actively making yourself smile and seeking out reasons to laugh can actually make you naturally smile and laugh more. Scientists say that smiling and laughing releases endorphins in your brain, making you feel happier and less stressed.
