Create a habit of feeling happy
Last week I wrote a bit about setting goals for ourselves and why its important to have something to aim for.
Having a goal will help us stay motivated and give us something to look forward to without just drifting along aimlessly doing the same thing. Having a goal is also one of the things that contributes to our happiness and general feeling of wellbeing. There are some lucky individuals who have a natural predisposition to being happy but for the rest of us we have to work at it and make it a habit.
So how do you develop a habit of feeling happy? Well there are lots of things that contribute to our feeling happier and as I mentioned earlier having a goal for ourselves is important. We can often keep doing the same things while expecting different results but that’s not how it works. If we want some part of our lives to change we need to do something different. There’s a great saying that ‘if you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got’. So have a think about what it is you need to do differently to have what you want in your life.
If you are someone who is prone to feeling a bit down a big tip would be to limit your exposure to news broadcasts on TV and radio. Its very easy to get into the habit of listening to any negativity that’s out there but the best way to avoid this is to make a conscious decision not to listen to it. We can sometimes talk ourselves into negative states of being and so the more we focus on the positive in our lives the more of it we will notice. Turning on some music or a comedy programme is much more beneficial.
Start noticing the things you have in your life to be grateful for. In recent years there have been many studies done on this area and it has been proven to be one of the most helpful in increasing our mood. Buy a nice notebook or journal for yourself, take it out on a daily basis and write down five to ten things you are grateful for right now. The actual act of writing down what you are grateful for will switch your focus onto all the things in your life you have to be grateful for.
Exercise in any form is a great way of improving our mood. Something simple like going for a short walk, running, swimming, or any activity that gets our heart rate up releases feel good endorphins to our brains which in turn make us feel better.
Getting out and meeting people will also have a dramatic effect on how we feel. One of the most destructive things that we can do is to cut ourselves off from others especially when we don’t feel so well. As humans we are meant to be in contact with other people. Never be afraid to ask for help because there is always someone to talk to. A simple cinema date, going for coffee or picking up the phone to chat can work wonders on how we feel, and this goes for men as well as women.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Clonmel
Saturday 19 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South
