Have you ever wondered what’s the secret to happiness? Depending on who you ask, they
will have a different answer for you. What they do have in common though, is that they
know that happiness comes from within and the best way to create happiness is through
good habits. This video will go over 10 habits you can start building to create happiness
in your life. 1. Happy people seek out connections with
other people. We all have a built in need for social bonds and we need to build connections
with other people to be happy. Just talking and connecting with people makes us happy
since it’s built into our DNA. The second reason why building connections helps you
be happier is that having social support is a buffer during times of stress. Life is tough
and we all face hardships which can send us down a deep spiral of negativity. When you
have a strong support network, you get a chance to share your feelings and vent out the stress.
This helps make the situation feel not as stressful and it helps you get through those
tough times. To build this habit, you can do something simple like reaching out to at
least one person everyday and having a conversation. It can be your friends or even a stranger,
it doesn’t matter who you reach out to. By creating bonds, you will feel a lot happier.
2. Happy people spend time alone. I did mention relationships are important to your happiness
but having some time to yourself is just as important. Happy people make a habit to spend
some time alone to catch up with themselves. By spending time alone, you get to reflect
and think about various things. Building this habit isn’t too hard and you can start right
away. Give yourself some time alone to catch up with yourself everyday to feel happier.
3. Happy people practice gratitude. Simply being grateful can give your mood a huge boost.
You can practice this habit either at the start of the day or the end of the day but
most people recommend practicing gratitude in the morning. To practice gratitude, think
about a few things you are grateful for. Also, as you go about your day, keep an eye out
for the pleasant things that happen in your life. With enough practice, you can be more
aware of all the positive things around you. 4. Happy people reward themselves. Rewarding
yourself too much can be a bad habit but if you do it in moderation it can be very effective
in boosting your mood. Since forming good habits can be tiring, giving yourself a reward
can help you build those good habits easier which in turn will make you happier. Treating
yourself also keeps you energized so you can keep practicing those good habits for happiness.
By rewarding yourself, you are also able to ask more of yourself and push yourself to
do more. 5. Happy people exercise. You might have heard
this a million times before but I’m going to say it. Exercise is great for you since
it improves your physical health and mental health. Regular exercise helps reduce stress
and boosts self esteem. Although going to the gym regularly is a great way to build
this habit, not everyone can go to the gym often. Doing something simple like taking
a walk around the block after dinner every night can give you the benefits of exercise.
A small amount of exercise can make all the difference. The trick is to not overexert
yourself otherwise you will end up feeling frustrated and sore.
6. Happy people get rid of excess and declutter. Decluttering sounds like a lot of work but
decluttering can be a weekly habit. By setting aside some time each week to get rid of things
you don’t need anymore, you can have more space and time for the things you truly care
about. Having too many things to deal with often makes people unhappy and by decluttering,
you are able to clear your head and know what to focus on. If you want to learn more about
this topic, check out some videos on minimalism since a minimalist lifestyle can make you
happy. 7. Happy people get enough sleep. You also
might have heard this one a million times before. Getting enough quality sleep is important
since sleep deprivation impacts your health and productivity. People who tend to not get
enough sleep end up more stressed and grouchy as well. If you are having trouble sleeping,
you should try sticking to a sleep schedule and avoid bright lights before you sleep.
8. Happy people practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined on mindful.org as the basic human
ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly
reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. When you are mindful, you are
able to observe the present moment and be more aware of your surroundings. It’s a
bit hard to explain why mindfulness makes you happy but studies have shown that people
who are mindful have great mental health. Most people develop and practice their mindfulness
by meditating. Meditating doesn’t have to be complicated and there are many forms of
meditation for different purposes. Do some research on what kind of meditation you want
to do and you can get started on practicing mindfulness.
9. Happy people spend money on experiences instead of materialistic things. Research
has shown that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material
items. Compared to material things, experiences improve over time and they are often unique.
Experiences are what life is all about after all and they can make or break your happiness.
By spending on various experiences, you get to try out a lot of new things and be happier.
10. Happy people don’t overthink. Overthinking often makes people unhappy and it’s terrible
for you. Happiness and overthinking don’t go hand in hand at all. The bottom line is
that if you overthink you need to break that habit in order to be happier. After all, happy
people don’t obsess over questions like “What makes people happy?”
What habits make you happy? Leave a comment below and check out the video shown on the
end screen if you are interested in learning about how to declutter your mind and stop
overthinking.