20 ways to increase your happiness

We all just want to be happy, right?

But we’ll only be happy when we finally reach that goal, when we finally get that job, that house, that raise… no. It is not that hard and far away. There are ways to be happy on the way. I have 20 ways to increase your happiness in everyday life when you are in need of some more happiness.

Read this and stop only working for happiness in the future – become happy NOW!

1. Learn to allow your happiness

Have you ever thought that it is hard to be happy? That it is hard to calm down and make room for happiness? If this is the case, then you probably don’t even know how to allow happiness into your life. I can help you with my blog post on 5 steps to your happiness.

2. Do more of the things that make you happy and less of those that don’t.

Are you doing things for somebody else rather than for yourself? Are you running miles every day to slim down, even though you hate running? Do you hate your job? Well, sit down and think for a moment. What is the advantage of doing those things that you don’t like doing? None.

Then just stop doing them! Ask yourself what you truly like doing. Analyze what you do without somebody telling you to. Those are your true passions. Do more of those and you will instantly feel happier.

3. Delete the negative people

Are there people in your life who suck the energy out of you? The ones who keep complaining about literally everything? Get away from them. There will be no miracle that makes them change from one day to another, so there is no excuse for not distancing yourself from them. You are not responsible for their negativity and should not be influenced by it. Free yourself from other people’s negativity, and it will boost your happiness.

4. Meditate

Meditating literally frees you from your thoughts. “Meditating” is the same as making yourself a gift. The gift is time and freedom, and it is the most precious gift you can give to yourself. It helps you calm down, distance yourself from your thoughts and look at them from the outside.

You can find out what it is that is holding you back, start being rational and begin working on your problems. It opens the door to self-discovery and helps to build an understanding of your true needs.

5. Surround yourself with people who think the way you do

After you’ve gotten rid of the negative people, it is equally important to find the right people for you. People who you can talk to for hours on end without ever getting bored. People who you can trust.

Join a club to find people who share the same interest as you. Reconnect with friends that you’ve always been resonating with. Write to the people who interest you. Look for those people, and find them.

6. Appreciate and be grateful

Appreciate what you have. Look at yourself and your life, appreciate what you have done to get here. Appreciate and be grateful that you are alive. Be grateful for the good and the bad moments, because it all is part of a learning process. Be grateful for this beautiful world. Gratitude is a foundation for a more positive mindset and more happiness. Read more here.

7. Have a positive attitude

Sounds too easy, I know, but don’t forget: The world changes when you change the way you look at it. If you decide to live your life with a smile on your face, your life and the world will smile back at you. If you keep a positive attitude, everything is easier.

8. Eat healthy

For a happy life, it is obvious that you need a healthy and happy body. And your body won’t be happy if you treat it like a trash can. A lot of the way you are feeling actually depends on the way you are nourishing your body. If you eat an unhealthy diet, you are more likely to feel unwell. So make sure to follow a healthy diet, filled with valuable nutrients. I assure you, you are going to feel a difference.

9. Do physical exercise

We all have heard it, guys. Moving your body fills you with energy, it motivates you, it makes you confident… but only if you do it. Give it a try. Start looking for your best way to move. Take a walk. Go for a run. Work out or head to the gym. Moving gives you energy and it activates not only your body but also your mind.

10. Love yourself

You are unique. You are amazing. Be confident and know that you are right just the way you are. You can achieve everything you want if you love yourself. Check out my posts on self-love!

11. Try something new

More happiness can also be brought into your life by trying new things. Trying something new means developing a new skill and taking the next step. Achieving a new skill will bring a change of air into your life and constantly trying new things will keep you from feeling bored ever again in your life. Stay open and curious and life will always feel exciting.

12. Get rid of a bad habit

To increase your happiness, work on improving yourself, because self-improvement makes you feel good about yourself and your life. So look at yourself and decide what you don’t like a hundred percent and where there is room for improvement. Take one bad habit and change it, replace it with another. Once you’ve reached that goal, you are going to feel happier not only because you have one vice less, but also because you can be proud of yourself for changing it.

13. Love more

Not only love yourself but love more in general. Make small acts of appreciation to your family, your partner or even just strangers. Smile at people, compliment them. Be kind and helpful. It will fill you with happiness to see other people smiling because of what you have given them. And maybe next time, they will remember you and do something for you in return.

14. Live in the moment

Let go of all your mistakes and bad experiences of the past. Stop living in the past and start living in the now. As long as you’re still looking back, you cannot go forwards. As long as you don’t let go of your past self, you can’t be the better new self. Keep it in mind and stop regretting.

Also, don’t travel to the future in your mind. Don’t wait for anything. Live in the reality, the moment just now. It will take away a lot if not all of your worries.

15. Practice self-care

Make sure you don’t over stress and take breaks from time to time. Take a hot bath. Make yourself a good time with your family. Meet friends. Plan time only for yourself. Time to find back to yourself, to reflect, to calm down. Care for your mental health and you are ready to tackle the tasks of life with ease. Find some great self-care ideas here.

Do you ever get up in the morning and say “Ugh, this is going to be a bad day” and it turns out to be a bad day? Well, this is only because you decided for it to be a bad day. So try the opposite. Feel the difference. And never again stop doing it.

16. Don’t compare

Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Comparison is the thief of joy“… And yes, comparing kills your happiness. When you have a habit of only seeing what others do “better than you”, you miss the things that make you as amazing and unique as you are.

You should absolutely never try to be like anybody else because that would not only be a loss to you but a loss to the world. Don’t withhold yourself from the world. Please stop comparing and value yourself.

17. Smile more

Yes, it is that simple. Start your day with a smile on your face. Make those lips form into a smile. Try it out. It works. You immediately feel different. Happier. Lighter. And you’ll make other people smile, too.

18. Spend time in nature

Go out into nature, away from the grey cement, the buildings, the streets, the electricity. Liberate yourself from the fast world in which everybody feels stressed. Breathe in the fresh air in the middle of the forest. Smell the wood, the earth. Feel the breeze of the wind. Relax. Savor. Be happy.

19. Learn to say no

A lot of our stress in everyday life comes from our inability to say no. It is hard for us to say no because we don’t want to disappoint anybody. We aspire to achieve esteem, we want to be kind and helpful, of course, but please know that it is okay to say no, too. It will free you of responsibilities that you don’t want and need to have. Responsibilities that won’t give you pressure anymore.

20. Appreciate the little things

Life is an accumulation of moments. Every moment has something special, and you can develop an eye for the little things that give you joy.

That nice song on the radio when you wake up. The warm water on your skin in the shower. The smell of the fresh air when you leave for work. The smile that a stranger gives you. And so many more. Learn to see and savor the little things in life, and it will give you a lot.

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There are so many ways to enrich your life with more happiness, you just need to know and to get involved with them. They will improve your standard of life, and help you chase your dreams with more energy and happiness on the way.

For even more happiness, make sure you check out my 7 ways to make your everyday life happier and my 7 habits to stop to be happy.

If you know any more ways, I’d love to hear them, because filling my life with happiness gives my life more…. life.

Let’s rock our happiness!