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8 ways you can feel happier and live better

Hindustan Times, Delhi | By
Sep 18, 2018 11:57 AM IST

In a philosophical sense, being happy could be just letting everything flow the way it is supposed to and just trust the process.

We often wonder about the meaning of happiness. But the answer need not be elusive. Being happy doesn’t just mean giggling to yourself every now and then, but it could well be defined as a feeling of contentment, knowing that everything around us is exactly the way they are meant to be.

In a philosophical sense, it could be just letting everything flow the way it is supposed to and just trust the process. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California, defines happiness in her book, The How Of Happiness as, “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”

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Chemically, however, our brains are processing a mix of four important chemicals when we feel happy from within - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. If you often find yourself struggling with blues and seek motivation from sources around you (which, is absolutely human to do, so no worries), we’ve got an aid-list for you that will ensure that you enjoy you a shade of blue only in your clothes and accessories and nothing else:

1) Because you believe so

Simple yet intentional changes in the way you think and condition yourself can reinforce the feeling of happiness and feeling content with what you do to keep yourself busy. This change will come from within and surely no amount of self-help books will awaken these at any point. It’s a road to wellness that you can own once you choose to sincerely embark on it.

2) Plug in your earphones and tune into some good music

Music is therapy in every way, and the feeling it should evoke is genre agnostic. While we believe that a peppy number with positive lyrics will instantly boost our mood, listening to sad music too is beneficial as it helps us focus on seemingly difficult-to-deal-with emotions and working around them.

3) Get a pet home

Give a furry animal being a home, his meals on time and a cosy bed to sleep on and you’ll never feel inadequate. Pets also have a huge healing power and pet owners are known to be high on self-esteem, less lonely and more physically fit. It’s a win-win situation for both sides.

4) Exercise

Just getting out of the house and feeling the sun on your back can be refreshing in so many ways and an instant boost for your mood. Even though you’re not much a fan of exercising, find alternatives to move those muscles so it helps both your physical and mental health. It is also believed that regular exercise is as good as taking in those harmful antidepressants. The solution is au naturel.

5) Sleep, as early as you can

A good night’s sleep is imperative in feeling perky the next day. So if your friends and co-workers are wondering what the reason behind your change of mood and the spring in your step is, you know what to attribute it to. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, is a catalyst for issues that awaken the unhappiness in you.

6) Gratitude

We all often use the words “thank you” and “please” out of a habit induced in us through the elders in our families. However, it’s fast being proven that being grateful for things are linked with happiness. Gratitude leads to positive emotions hence increasing optimism. According to Psychology Today, “when we are kind to others, we feel better about ourselves. We can do nice things for others, be empathetic, or we can just treat each other with respect, communicating kindly rather than assuming the worst.”

7) Vent it out

You might hear the words, “stop complaining”, “you have everything going for you, why complain?”, so on and so forth. While we’re not saying that we must hold on to the negative stuff in life, instead of focusing on the positive, venting it out every now and then may not be a bad idea after all. Withholding anger and disappointment leads to a buildup internally this definitely comes at an emotional cost.

8) Smile

Smiling not only makes you look pleasant and feel good, but also calms the air around you. Smiling, as we know, makes one look attractive and it ought to be part of your personality.

Here are our top 8 pointers for a calmer lifestyle. More power to you and have a great week.

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