Does winning the lottery, driving an expensive vehicle or having a luxurious vacation make you happier?
While these things can certainly make up for some of your bad days, these material things don’t necessarily fill your head with happy thoughts. Luckily, there are some simple things or activities which you can do that don’t require a single penny to boost your mood.
Here are some things you can do in pursuit of happiness.
1. Show gratitude.
Considered as the most powerful happiness boosting activity, showing gratitude for the good things in your life can make you a better person, improve your relationships and even make life better for everyone around you. To practice this, write three good things that happened to you that day before you go to sleep every night.
2. Exercise signature strengths.
Exercising your signature strengths or doing what you’re good at as often as you can increases your happy thoughts. It’s the reason why starving artists are happier with their jobs compared to other people. In order to do this, do everything you can to be the best possible version of yourself.
3. Spend more time with people you love.
Did you know that spending more time with friends actually increases your happiness worth an additional $133,000 annually? Indeed, the happiest people are social and have strong relationships. So instead of burying yourself in your job, find time to visit your family or meet-up with your friends.
4. Give, volunteer and help others.
Giving, doing nice things, and helping others attain their goals actually makes you happier than receiving. In fact, doing an act of kindness for others can literally make you happier for the rest of the week. Go ahead, make someone smile.
5. Savor.
Are you aware that savoring is one of the secrets of happiest people? Savor what’s important by thinking of happy memories or things that you look forward to.
6. Strive and set ambitious goals.
Have you noticed that you tend to be happier when you are busy? That’s because thinking and working can combat feelings of sadness. Although mastering skills can be stressful in the short-term, it can also be happiness-boosting in the long run.
7. Think happy thoughts.
A previous study has revealed that people with positive illusions about their relationships have fewer problems, are more satisfied, and score higher on love and trust. Overconfidence at work has been proven to actually improve teamwork and increases productivity. Another research concluded that self-deception is linked to positive self-bias, stress reduction as well as increased pain tolerance which could enhance performance and motivation during competitive tasks.
8. Get your sleep.
Did you notice that it’s hard to be happy when you’re tired and sleepy? Taking a nap actually drives away negative emotions and even increases your happy thoughts. Have a decent amount of sleep at night as your mood in the morning actually sets your mood the entire day.
9. Consider little good things
It may not seem obvious but the little things in your everyday life, not the big events, make lasting improvements to your happiness. Get frequent boosts of happiness and not just intense big stuff.
10. Avoid life’s most common regrets.
Not living a life true to yourself, working too hard, not being able to express your feelings, and not staying in touch with family or friends are some life’s most common regrets. Don’t spend your life doing such things in order to be happier.
-- Mini, The Summit Express
While these things can certainly make up for some of your bad days, these material things don’t necessarily fill your head with happy thoughts. Luckily, there are some simple things or activities which you can do that don’t require a single penny to boost your mood.
Here are some things you can do in pursuit of happiness.
1. Show gratitude.
Considered as the most powerful happiness boosting activity, showing gratitude for the good things in your life can make you a better person, improve your relationships and even make life better for everyone around you. To practice this, write three good things that happened to you that day before you go to sleep every night.
2. Exercise signature strengths.
Exercising your signature strengths or doing what you’re good at as often as you can increases your happy thoughts. It’s the reason why starving artists are happier with their jobs compared to other people. In order to do this, do everything you can to be the best possible version of yourself.
3. Spend more time with people you love.
Did you know that spending more time with friends actually increases your happiness worth an additional $133,000 annually? Indeed, the happiest people are social and have strong relationships. So instead of burying yourself in your job, find time to visit your family or meet-up with your friends.
4. Give, volunteer and help others.
Giving, doing nice things, and helping others attain their goals actually makes you happier than receiving. In fact, doing an act of kindness for others can literally make you happier for the rest of the week. Go ahead, make someone smile.
5. Savor.
Are you aware that savoring is one of the secrets of happiest people? Savor what’s important by thinking of happy memories or things that you look forward to.
6. Strive and set ambitious goals.
Have you noticed that you tend to be happier when you are busy? That’s because thinking and working can combat feelings of sadness. Although mastering skills can be stressful in the short-term, it can also be happiness-boosting in the long run.
7. Think happy thoughts.
A previous study has revealed that people with positive illusions about their relationships have fewer problems, are more satisfied, and score higher on love and trust. Overconfidence at work has been proven to actually improve teamwork and increases productivity. Another research concluded that self-deception is linked to positive self-bias, stress reduction as well as increased pain tolerance which could enhance performance and motivation during competitive tasks.
8. Get your sleep.
Did you notice that it’s hard to be happy when you’re tired and sleepy? Taking a nap actually drives away negative emotions and even increases your happy thoughts. Have a decent amount of sleep at night as your mood in the morning actually sets your mood the entire day.
9. Consider little good things
It may not seem obvious but the little things in your everyday life, not the big events, make lasting improvements to your happiness. Get frequent boosts of happiness and not just intense big stuff.
10. Avoid life’s most common regrets.
Not living a life true to yourself, working too hard, not being able to express your feelings, and not staying in touch with family or friends are some life’s most common regrets. Don’t spend your life doing such things in order to be happier.
-- Mini, The Summit Express
