Happiness… what exactly is it? It’s different for different people. Some have described it as a euphoric feeling of infinite joy. Regardless of your definition, isn’t it a wonderful feeling that you wish you could have all the time?
The rigors of life make being happy all the time virtually impossible, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the opposite of happy all the time either. For many years, psychologists have studied the art of happiness, trying to pinpoint a true definition of it, and how to achieve it. It truly depends on the person and what makes them happy.
For some people, their happiness may be linked to money. Although money is said to be the root of all evil, it’s actually not for some. Family is also a source of happiness for people. Having family gathered for a family function definitely makes for a good time full of love and memories.
Ultimately, you are in control of your happiness. The choices you make and the people you involve in your life are contributing factors to your happiness, but not the only deciding factor. Here are some things you can incorporate into your daily life to increase your overall happiness.
Exercise
How in the world can exercising make you happy, when you many not even like exercising? This is a common question from people who don’t normally exercise. Well, first you have to have it in your mind that you want to exercise for the “happy” benefits.
- Exercise promotes happiness through the release of “happy” chemicals in your brain. These happy chemicals are called serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. Getting your heart rate up through cardio is a great way to release these chemicals. You don’t have to go in the gym and wear yourself out either. Taking a nice walk around your neighborhood or in the park can do wonders for you.
- Getting that heart pumping also relieves stress. Everyone knows that being stressed out can put anyone in a bad mood. Think of it like you’re sweating away the worries of your day. If you make exercising a habit, you’ll be able handle stress better in the long run.
- Exercising gives you a confidence boost. When you workout, you will eventually begin to see a difference in your physique. You may have it in your mind that you’re exercising to release those happy chemicals, but in the process, you’re improving your appearance. That also leads to more confidence, which makes you a happier person.
So as you can see, exercising impacts your overall health, physically and mentally. Happiness and health go hand in hand, almost to where you can’t have one without the other. So do your mind and body a favor, and go get that heart pumping!
Help Others
When you help someone, doesn’t that make you feel good? Most people will get an overwhelming sensation of great joy and satisfaction after helping someone. It doesn’t matter how big or small the task of helping someone may be, the only thing that matters is that you served the purpose of helping someone.
One way to achieve this satisfying feeling of purpose is to become a volunteer. You can volunteer at your local homeless shelter, soup kitchen or nursing home. At a nursing home you can play bingo with the residents or simply do room to room visits.
The room to room visits are especially important for those residents who are bedridden. Sometimes a little attention and conversation is all someone needs for their day to be made, and for yours to be made too.
Rest
Rest could really be said to be the key to life in general. Making sure you get enough rest ensures, happiness, success, physical health…you name it, and rest is usually somewhere as a contributing factor.
As far as rest and happiness goes. There are several factors to consider when making sure you’re getting a good night’s rest:
- You want to make sure you have clean, fresh bedding, a comfortable mattress and pillows that are best for your sleeping position.
- Going to bed at a decent hour is crucial to ensuring your body gets the rest it needs.
- Do away with any distractions. Distractions include the television, smartphones, laptops and tablets.
- Ease up on the caffeine. Having too much caffeine in your system can keep your body wired for hours. If you must have caffeine on a daily basis, limit your intake.
Happiness is a Choice: Choose to Be Happy
Happiness is considered to be a state of mind. Accept that being happy is a choice, and choose to be happy regardless of what circumstances may be thrown at you. One good mindset to have is that happy people don’t always have the best of everything; they just choose to make the best of everything.