If you feel like you haven’t been yourself lately and want to take steps to being happier below are some tips to help. If you ever feel like you would like to speak to a professional about you low mood contact the Clarity Clinic.
- Get Fresh Air
Getting plenty of fresh air can help you be happy.
Nature calls. Would you like to learn how to be happy? You just need to go outdoors and take some nice deep breaths. During the colder months of the year, we tend to stay indoors most of the time. During our dark, depressive times, we hide underneath blankets so no one else will find us. Sometimes the world can appear to be a very scary place. However, being outside is very good for your soul. What I love to do is walk in a forest or near a body of water while doing mindful breathing. It is fine to cry on your walk if you are having a hard time. I have done this. When you step outside, it can really help to improve your mental health. When you are out in the great outdoors, it will give you a boost of endorphins and dopamine to help you feel good.
Free meditation app
There is an app called Declutter The Mind that teaches you how to meditate, assists you with forming the habit of practicing meditation regularly and expands your mind to mindfulness teachings.
- Dance
People who would like to be happier can simply shake their tush to find happiness. Studies, in fact, have found that people who do Zumba experience elevated moods. Dancing helps to keep your brain healthy as well by reducing your risk of developing dementia. When your brain is healthy it can help you feel happy. If you dance in a social gathering, party, or gym, you can benefit as well from the happiness that you get from being around other people. However, don’t worry. If you are concerned that you have awkward dancing skills, your dopamine boost can be obtained even when you just dance in your kitchen or follow along to a video playlist on YouTube at home. So if you want to be happier, dance like no one is watching.
- Exercise
Everyone knows that even doing a small amount of exercise on a daily basis can increase our happiness. However, according to a study conducted at Oxford and Yale, exercise can make you even happier than money. They discovered that individuals who exercise only feel bad for around 35 days per year. However, those who do not exercise, on average, feel bad for around 53 days per year. It was also found in the study that sports involving socialization also boost happiness at an increased rate. In terms of money, they discovered that amount of exercise you do matters more to your happiness compared to the amount that you earn. When it is cold outside, you may not want to play outdoor sports. However, keep in mind there are many workout routines available online that can be plugged into your television through AppleTV or Chromecast.
- Make Your Gratitude List
A Harvard study found that greater happiness is associated with expressing gratitude since more positive feelings are emphasized as well as better health, relationships, and experiences. Make a gratitude list of all of the various people and things that you are grateful for. However, we recommend that you take it a step further by directly expressing it to people if you can. When you express gratitude you not only experience happiness help but you will also brighten another person’s day. Some people might feel insecure or awkward about expressing gratitude to other people. If you feel this way, you can send a card to tell them or send a nice note to the individual on social media. When sending our your yearly Christmas cards, you can include the reasons why you feel grateful for the person to help them feel special. This is also how you can boost your own happiness as well!