5 Ways Increase Your Happiness

5 Ways to Increase Your Happiness

Increase Happiness

Was increasing happiness one of your New Year’s Resolutions? The good news is there’s still time to make good on this promise to yourself and below are some simple practices you can use to increase your happiness and they don’t cost you anything but effort!

And,  better yet, you can get started as soon as you finish reading this post.

Appreciate
Appreciating people for helping you out, being there for you, or even just listening can improve your level of happiness. Appreciation strengthens your relationships and draws more positive people to you.  Studies have shown that those who consistently show gratitude live a healthier life. They don’t experience constant ups and downs in emotions or feelings, they sleep well and have fewer health problems.

Give
Have you ever known someone who constantly looks for ways to give? For those of us who have, we’ve seen how those people seem far happier than others around them who don’t display the same giving attitude. If you ask that person why giving makes them so happy, you’ll hear how giving helps to remind them just how abundant their life already is, allows them to count their blessings, and fuels the desire to share their blessings with the world. By sharing what you have with those who can’t afford an item or who don’t have your skills, you not only make the other person happy, but you may find yourself experiencing joy.

Merely performing simple acts of kindness boosts people’s trust in and love for you. Studies show that those who treat others with kindness felt happier than those who didn’t. The desire to share your time and resources with others starts with recognizing and appreciating the positive things you have in your life. When you practice gratitude consistently, giving more will come naturally to you.

Empathize
Empathy means putting yourself in another’s shoes in order to attempt to understand and appreciate what she is experiencing. This includes both positive and negative experiences.

Many people fail to realize that taking into account another person’s point of view can increase their happiness. When a person thinks you understand them, she feels closer to you and becomes more free with you because you make them feel good about herself. Making others happy makes you happier indirectly—it’s a beautiful cycle.

Aspire
Are you hopeful?

Hope regularly relieves the mind of stress, and a mind that’s free from stress makes you happy. Being hopeful creates a vision for your future in which you know that you are living for a higher purpose. This alone can bring you a wellspring of ongoing joy. When you aspire to great things, you inspire others to dream bigger dreams too.

Review your vision regularly. Use hope, especially in times of challenge, to help propel you further into your dream. I find just by imaging all the good I want for my family, myself, and the world, that joy fills me up and takes away my doubts and fears.

Savor
What does it mean to savor? Savoring anything means finding delight or enjoy in it.

Savoring the positive things in your life is the best way to free the mind from stress. When you continually ponder the good things you have achieved, it increases your happiness. Savoring the present moment and all that we have in our lives helps us be the happiest and healthiest us we can be.

By using one or more of these simple strategies, you can reach your goal of being happier in 2019 and beyond.

What have you done to increase your happiness? Are their other strategies, habits, or practices you use to bring more happiness into your everyday moments?

Wishing you a year of never-ending happiness, abundance, and love!