10 Happiness Habits For the Daily Life

Happiness is the thing that most of us are in search of and yet it can be so elusive at times. It holds different meanings for each one of us. For you, it might be time with your loved ones or traveling the world or doing something that you love. Whatever it may be, one thing is true. Most of us are striving to be happier with and in our lives. In this post, we will look at 10 happiness habits that you can practice in your daily life with a little effort.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
Dalai Lama XIV

Are Happiness Habits The Ultimate Answer?

By now, the one thing that I am sure of in my life is that there is no fixed recipe for happiness. Just like the fact that it means different things to each one of us, the formula also varies. However, there are certain specific actions that one can take or habits that can be developed to make it more feasible to find happiness.

In today’s blog post, let’s take a look at these happiness habits that can be incorporated into your daily life with a little effort.

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But, First Things First.

While there are habits and practices that can bring you closer to your goal in your pursuit of happiness, there is one thing that you must remember. This is a journey that requires looking inward and drawing inspiration from what motivates and satisfies you and only you. So what works for your best friend will not necessarily work for you. Hence, it is imperative that you understand yourself well and take steps that feed your soul.

At the same time, it is also crucial to keep in mind that while others can affect how we feel, our happiness solely depends on our outlook.

With that out of our way, let’s take a look at some happiness habits.

1. Be Kind- To Yourself and Others

Many of us have the tendency of being too hard on ourselves and occasionally on others. As the first step to letting in more happiness into your life, be sure to be kind.

Be kind to the people in your life. But most importantly, be kind to yourself. This is especially helpful if you are someone who has high expectations from themself. Kindness teaches us patience and endurance- some lasting qualities of a happy person.

2. Cultivate Empathy In Daily Life

A few years back when I was working as an HR professional in the corporate, I had asked my then boss what he thought was the most important trait of an effective employee. His answer was simple. Empathy.

Thereafter, I have realized that empathy is a valuable trait that when cultivated allows us to lead a fulfilling life. Real empathy enables us to look at situations with a type of clarity that otherwise doesn’t exist. And in my experience, over the past few years, actively practicing empathy has brought me new measures of happiness.

3. Learn To Let Go

How many times have you heard that letting go is the key to a happy life? Well, it is true. Holding tight onto past grudges or mistakes only hurts us. Life is a big affair and there are sure to be ups and downs. If you do not learn to let go then you will always be dwelling in a space of the bygone.

Hence, to be happy, it is very important to learn to let go whatever weighs you down. Often, mindfulness practices and meditative exercises are known to help people in this regard.

4. Gratitude Is Your Biggest Ally

It’s easy to find the faults and complain. But that doesn’t help at all. What really helps in achieving a fulfilling life is being thankful for all the good that we have. Gratitude is an important stepping stone to finding your happy place.

Practicing gratitude can be done in various ways. You can simply take out five minutes each day to remember your blessings or think about one thing each day for which you were thankful. Many people also choose to do gratitude journaling and find the experience to be somewhat cathartic.

5. Nourish Your Body

Health is wealth. Thus, it is essential to take care of your body to be happy. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, get some fresh air, minimize stress, and get enough sleep. Take actions to declutter your mental space. These are crucial steps in achieving a well-functioning body and mind and those are keys to finding happiness.

6. Do Something You Love

This is a no brainer. But often we forget or find excuses to not indulge in our passions. If you are one of those persons, then the time has come to stop. Consciously take out some time each day ( or week- whichever suits you) and revel in an activity that you love. Go back to things that you enjoyed doing as a kid before life’s responsibilities happened.

You will surely see a marked improvement in the quality of your life with this one change.

7. Disconnect From The Online World

In this era of constant virtual connectivity, we rarely take time to go offline. This practice is quite detrimental to your overall well-being. It is thus extremely important to disconnect or go offline for some time and recharge yourself mentally and physically. Limit your scrolling on social media apps or sleep with your phone in another room at night. There are many ways to take a break from the world of social media and you can choose to do it your way.

8. Think Before You Leap

An important habit of happy people is that they take decisions after careful consideration. Some troubles in our lives are entirely avoidable when we take actions only after thinking through all possible scenarios.

Here, it is essential to understand that you will not always be informed or knowledgeable enough to make satisfactory decisions in your life. At these points, it can become necessary to seek guidance. Never be afraid of asking for help. There is nothing worse than regretting an avoidable situation later in life just because you did not have the courage to seek help on time.

9. Bring Structure Into Your Daily Life

Routines are the holy grail to a happy and orderly life. Strive to bring structure to your days and incorporate certain disciplines and habits that can be lifelong. Wake up at a reasonably early hour and enjoy the stillness of the morning before starting your day. Work without distractions for a couple of hours every day to increase your productivity. Develop a night time ritual to wind down.

Structure and discipline brings certainty and that, in turn, creates a strong semblance of happiness.

10. Be Present

Finally, amidst all these, remember to live in the present. The past and the future will always be luring your mind away. But it does not do good to dwell in anything but the present. Enjoy the simple little things in your life- the happy face of a flower, the cup of morning coffee, the cute dog you meet on your walk. And in everything that you do, savor the moment.

Remember, happiness has this sneaky habit of only being present in the present, however much we believe otherwise.

You Are In Charge

There will be several conjectures in your life when it will feel as if you are losing power and have no control over things. Indeed, we cannot influence all that happens in our lives and have to learn to accept less than desirable outcomes. However, at the same time, how we choose to feel or react to a situation is completely within our power. And you can strive to be happy, even if it can be hard at times.

Happiness, after all, is a lot about how we choose to feel.

Peace.

Do you have any related experience or story to tell? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.