Habits matter. You know how rooted they are if you’ve ever attempted to break one.
The good news is good habits are deeply ingrained, too! So, why not work on making positive habits part of your routine?
Here’s a look at 11 simple habits to help kickstart your quest.
11 simple habits that’ll make you happy
Connect with friends & loved ones
i. Focus On Relationships
Happiness is synthetic—you create it, or you don’t. Happiness that lasts is gained through your behaviors. Supremely happy individuals have developed habits that keep them joyful every day.
One of those habits is focusing on relationships.
We’ve all been guilty of drifting our attention to emails and messages on our phones while out for dinner with a loved one.
Our instincts tell us that these messages deserve our immediate attention, but when we succumb to these impulses, our happiness & well-being suffer because we miss out on the chance to engage and bond with the person in front of us.
Even if you are alone, just close that message, call your friends & loved ones, and TALK.
ii. Harness The Power Of Flow
When you’re working on something– whether it’s your job or a creative project, you’ll be the happiest when you achieve that “flow,”- that stage where you completely immerse yourself in what you’re doing to the point that you lose track of time.
Block time to concentrate on your project so there’s as little distraction as possible.
Search for opportunities to communicate and have genuine conversations with your coworkers when you’re not focused on a project or a complicated task. Stronger and more meaningful relationships at work, like stronger relationships in your personal life, will make you happy.
Find your flow
Move every day
iii. Fit In Daily Movements
Make exercise a habit. Exercising regularly is known to help you live healthier and longer, and a great deal of proof suggests it will make you feel happier and less stressed.
That’s a compelling reason to schedule working out every day or as nearly daily as possible.
Furthermore, new studies indicate that exercise helps you sleep better and feel more rejuvenated and energized the next day.
So investing an hour or half-hour in a walk, run, or workout produces returns that are highly rewarding.
iv. Mix Onerous Activities With Fun
While on the treadmill, listen to podcasts or watch your favorite TV. Life is full of potential to make mundane tasks more enjoyable, such as listening to dance music while putting clothes away or a fascinating audiobook on your commute.
By adding relationships to the mundane task, you can increase the happiness factor. Hold a small cookout with friends, or paint the wall with your significant other.
Make mundane tasks more enjoyable
Mindful breathing
v. Breathful Bliss
There is a lot of scientific proof that meditation makes us happier and enhances our brain function. However, not everyone feels at ease meditating.
Even concentrating on your breathing can help you relax and boost your mood when you’re anxious. Being more attentive, in general, decreases stress and encourages well-being by focusing on this very moment. Concentrating on your breathing is a meditation that does not require the lotus posture.
vi. Claim Your Weekends
Treat your weekends like a vacation. Don’t fill it up with chores and obligations; spend it doing things you truly enjoy.
Doing something different on weekends can make them pleasant and memorable. Visit a museum or go for a short hike. When you return to work on Monday, these activities can make you feel more rested and invigorated.
Defend your weekends
Be one with nature
vii. Find Awe
According to research, those who experience awe feel less rushed for time. One of the greatest ways to feel awe is to get out into nature, even if it’s only a park.
A 15-minute stroll in nature pursuing awe intentionally has been proven to make individuals happy. It’s certainly worth the 15 minutes to experience wonder for yourself.
viii. Acknowledge The Unhappy Moments
Despite the benefits of maintaining a positive attitude, unfortunate events are inevitable in life.
When faced with bad news, mistakes, or feeling down, it’s important to avoid pretending to be happy.
Recognize your sadness, then move your focus to the source of your unhappiness and how to deal with it.
Would a deep breathing practice help? A stroll outside? Going over it with someone?
Allow the time to pass and focus on yourself.
Acknowledge the unhappy moments
Practice gratitude
ix. Practice Gratitude
Feeling gratitude makes you happier because it is one of the few emotions over which you have control.
Most of us can’t make ourselves joyful or loving. But we all have something to be grateful for in life, and if we take time to reflect on some of those things, we will feel grateful, if only for a few seconds.
Start your day by listing things that you’re grateful for in the morning.
x. Mix It Up
Many of the things that make us happy become less appealing to us over time. This is known as hedonic adaptation, and it applies to everything that provides us joy if we do it enough times.
So switch things up–do something you enjoy in a new place, with a new person, at a different time, or in a creative way.
Mix things up
Organize your day with a happy mindset
xi. Pencil In Bliss
Organize your day with a happy mindset. Making a happiness plan is one of the most thoughtful things you can do for yourself.
When something is scheduled on our calendar, we tend to follow through.
Examine your calendar and create time for friends or loved ones, time in nature, time to daydream–any of the 10 options above, and anything else that makes you feel genuinely happy.
It’s an excellent tool for ensuring that happiness is a part of your week.