hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about seven simple ways
to feel happier every day now let's begin number one take your breath away there are a few things
more awe-inspiring than the sunrise golden beams penetrating a screen of backlit clouds vibrant
colors decorating an endless horizon in a few short minutes the entire world embraces light
and life enjoying this breathtaking view can transform your day not only will the natural
beauty leave you inspired but you'll also find yourself more grateful for the gifts life has
to offer witnessing a sunrise opens your eyes to the complexity of the natural world which is
as uplifting as it is humbling most importantly the sunrise gives you hope every sunrise offers
a blank page a fresh start an opportunity to accomplish something new this freedom will
relieve stress and flood your brain with feel-good chemicals both of which boost your mood daily
exposure to sunlight can also work wonders for your mental health one particular study looked
into the mental health risks of living in a country with less sunlight researchers found
that less Sun increases your risk of developing depression anxiety and seasonal affective disorder
psychologists started using something called light therapy as a safe way to counteract anxiety and
sleep disorders the light kick-starts hormone production and reset your biological clock some
psychologists even recommend light exposure is a replacement for antidepressants and the benefits
don't stop there sunlights critical for your physical health it supplies you with vitamin D
which promotes cell and bone health our bodies supply of vitamin D works a lot like a battery
once you're fully charged your body will keep the rest in storage so you can go back and use
it anytime but if you never charge your battery well your body won't have enough power so how
much vitamin D do you need to be fully charged not actually as much as you'd think by watching the
sunrise every morning you can completely satisfy your daily needs that means stronger bones more
cell growth and a lower risk of diseases like osteoporosis and all you have to do is sit back
and take in the view number two cleanse your environment over the years you've probably
collected all kinds of random stuff that poster you don't remember why you bought that shirt you
keep because it's a gift even though it doesn't fit there's nothing really wrong with holding
on to a few useless things but they add up fast most people don't realize how much useless stuff
they have in their rooms and offices you accrue these things over an extended period of time so
you don't notice anything wrong until it starts affecting your mental state we hold onto these
trinkets because they mean something to us that poster remind you of the convention you went to
with your friends that shirt makes you think about Christmas with your family you don't want to toss
them because it feels like you're throwing away the memories - but excess clutter is actually
one of the most common mental and emotional stressors a study from UCLA found that families
are significantly more stressed when asked to sort through their possessions it elevated their
production of stress hormones and produced anxiety so do yourself a favor by cleansing
your environment without clutter everything in your space will be something you regularly use
you'll be surprised how big of a difference that simple change can make not only will you
be more productive and focused but you'll also feel better about where you live and where you
work number three blacklist social media you've probably heard about the benefits of quitting
social media to be more productive you know it's a notorious time waster but social media can also
impact your mood whether you realize it or not it forces you to make social comparisons now a
social comparison is when you judge your own worth based on someone else's life or accomplishments do
you have as much money as they do is your house as big as theirs even if you aren't directly thinking
about these questions they're constantly affecting your self-esteem the more comparisons you make the
harder it is to understand your own value it may seem harmless to scroll through someone else's
page or watch their story but each time you're subconsciously pitting your life against theirs
this is especially detrimental in the morning you might wake up and immediately check your phone it
may be you see what your friends did last night or check what your favorite celebrities are up to now
on the surface it's an easy way to slowly wake up but you should never start your day wishing
you were someone else even subconsciously you're bound to feel less motivated because
you're excited about a lifestyle that isn't yours for people struggling with insecurity
social media can dig them into an even deeper hole your perception of what happiness and success look
like becomes that much more skewed if you want to feel happier every day cut down on social
media or just take a break from it completely if you're used to checking it all the time then it's
probably going to be tough at first you might feel restless and uneasy but it's crucial that
you never use social media as a crutch instead use that time to create and embrace a lifestyle
that you can be proud of number four anticipate to motivate sometimes happiness has nothing to do
with what you're doing it might come from what you've planned anticipation is a powerful mood
booster because it gives your daily activities additional meaning imagine you just made plans
to go camping with a couple of friends the trip isn't for a weeks yet you start feeling excited
way in advance it might even be easier to work and sleep each day because you're building up towards
some sort of reward it's very common for people to experience sadness because of aimlessness if
your life lacks any sort of structure you might feel empty total freedom while great in theory
can make you confused and purposeless structures and boundaries give you a clear reason to keep
moving forward that's why something as simple as making plans with a friend can motivate
you and improve your mood number five size isn't everything what if I said you could feel happier
and get things done at the same time say you've got eight different things on your to-do list
for the day two of them are big intimidating projects - or time-consuming but pretty easy
and the last four are simple five minute chores like cleaning your room or taking out the trash
which ones should you do first most people would tell you to go with the two big-ticket items they
take more time and brainpower so why not get them done first thing in the morning in an ideal world
this is the way to go it's the most productive use of your time and gets the hard stuff out of
the way early in reality things don't always go so smoothly you may have a hard time motivating
yourself or maybe you can't stop being pessimistic whatever it is you're feeling down and uninspired
so what should you do to pick yourself back up to improve your mood and increase your confidence
start with the smallest items on your list the five minute source now I'll admit it isn't
the most efficient strategy but the point here isn't to maximize productivity it's to improve
your state of mind those small chores give you a much-needed sense of accomplishment after all you
really are accomplishing something even if it is pretty small this is an especially good strategy
for chronic procrastinators more often than not procrastination isn't really a motivation issue
it's triggered by deficiencies in mood and self-esteem for example you may not be able
to motivate yourself because you're too scared to try but you can't expect yourself to suddenly
jump from zero to a hundred small chores build your confidence bit by bit acting as stepping
stones toward bigger challenges number six expand your mind undiscovered hobbies give many people a
new lease on life they may have spent their entire lives in one field only to stumble
upon their true passion somewhere else even if you don't turn that passion into a career a new
area of interest can be incredibly fulfilling simply pushing yourself to navigate through
uncharted territory increases your confidence and self-esteem you'll find yourself struggling
less and less to face challenges because you have faith in your ability to succeed that
self assurance doesn't just make you a better worker it makes you a happier person time and
time again researchers have shown the correlation between self confidence and general satisfaction
no matter what you're interested in learning is a surefire way to brighten up your daily life
number seven study yourself you may be struggling to find happiness because you don't know your own
strengths many people are so wrapped up in social expectations that they never see themselves as
an individual they don't realize what makes them unique you should set aside some time every day to
reflect on who you are try to understand yourself as a person dig deep and analyze your own emotions
ask yourself things like what are my values and where do they come from why do I like the
things that I like you might discover that it's surprisingly hard to pin down specific answers
to these questions the truth is most people never stop to reflect on who they are but those answers
are just the beginning you still have to come to terms with your choices once you understand
why you do things you can learn to accept and be happy with your individuality thank you for
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