12 Effective Ways to Find Happiness Within Yourself
We are all beautiful human beings here in this world trying to find our way. Every day we seek to better understand the meaning of our lives. We long to discover our gifts and release them fully into the world, and we hope to find happiness and peace along the way. For some of us the key to these desires rings loud and clear, driving what we do and how we do it. For others, these deep seeded needs are buried below the noise of daily life, below ego, below fear, below the pressures and norms that we face in society… and thus, they are rarely addressed. No one else can create happiness for any of us, although others can add to it, we are the only ones who can ever be responsible for our happiness.
1. Stop Thinking Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts are inevitable. Sometimes we think them to ourselves and other times we lament out load in hopes of getting some reassurance- “I’m so Fat” “I’m so Gross” “I’m never gonna be successful,” you know how the good old insecurity song and dance goes. Well from now on, stop entertaining these thoughts! Thoughts are real forces, and they have a huge impact on your mood and mindset. When you are thinking negative thoughts, you are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The good news is that you can control the thoughts that enter your mind and you don’t have to pay attention to the negative ones. If you don’t want to have a bad day or feel bad about yourself, then start thinking great thoughts.
2. Be a Child Again
A great method on how to find your happiness is to channel your inner child. Back when you were a little boy or girl, what were the things that made you happy? Before bills, chores, and responsibilities came your way, where did you find the most bliss? Recall the simple, good ol’ days and relive your childhood. It may hold the key to your happiness.
3. Forgive And Do Not Criticize
Learn to forgive other people. This will teach you compassion and understanding. Offense, hatred and rage give birth to suffering and frustration. Love, kindness and forgiveness give birth to happiness. Condemn and criticize people less. Stop gossiping and spinning intrigues. This will teach you to stop focusing on other people’ shortcomings and find their positive sides. It will also allow you to pay attention to your own imperfection and your problems’ reasons.
4. Do Not Complain About Life
Do not complain about circumstances, stop thinking and talking about how bad everything around you is. Can you change something with these thoughts? No. They only spoil your mood and make your life miserable. Of course, there are grief and injustice in life. It is a fact of life that you should accept. The world is what it is. There is no sense in whining and rejection. Courageously accept your fate! This does not mean that you should accept it without resignation. Improve your life, change the world for the better, and accept the order of things in your life, which you cannot change! This will save you from needless suffering and frustration over the fact that the real life does not always meet your expectations.
5. Don’t Rely On Other People to Make You Happy
Relying on other people to make you happy will leave you endlessly disappointed. The reason most people feel unhappy in their lives is they expect other people to give them things that they can only give themselves. Think about it- if you continually outsource the task of filling a void and finding happiness, you will never be fully satisfied, instead you’ll be at the mercy of everyone you meet.
6. List Your Attributes
Talking about how great you are is definitely off-putting. Acknowledging your attributes privately, however, is a wonderful thing and is a practice you all should adopt. You can write down your positive traits or consciously let them run through your mind. Everyone has positive attributes, from physical features to personality traits. From now on, forget what you’re lacking, or what you think you’re lacking, and focus on all the incredible things that make you who you are. You should love and celebrate who you are and it should be something that causes you to experience great happiness and pride, never shame or despair.
7. Be Genuinely Happy for Other People
This relates to not being jealous. If someone you know comes upon some good fortune- an amazing job, an incredible guy, a huge raise–be happy for them. They didn’t take anything away from you, and they probably struggled just like most people do on the quest to get what they want. If you put in the work, you’ll reap the same reward eventually. Remember, blowing out someone else’s candle will not make yours burn brighter.
8. Be Grateful
There’s a saying that goes: Happiness isn’t having what you want, but wanting what you have. Most of us are trained to look at what’s wrong in our lives, rather than what’s right. We yearn for a better job, a better relationship, better friends, a better body–we hone right on on what’s missing and overlook what’s right there in front of us. Try to change your filter system and instead zoom in on things to be grateful for.
9. Accept That Which You Cannot Change
There are certain things you can’t change. You can’t change your upbringing, your height, your general appearance. You also can’t change the past. All you can do is move forward and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Don’t waste your energy thinking about what a crappy lot in life you got. Instead, focus on what you have and on how you can develop these qualities to reach your full potential.
10. Do something About That Which You Can Change
If you need to lose weight, hate your friends, are miserable at your job….do something about it! The surest way to feel good about yourself is to push yourself to go beyond what you thought you were capable of. Change isn’t easy, but you only live once and no one is going to live your life for you. It’s up to you to find the strength and motivation to take the steps to get what you want.
11. Maintain Your Health
Good health and sport activity will increase the content of endorphins in your brain. Endorphins cause the state of satisfaction and happiness. Happy people take care of themselves. And the more you take care of yourself, the more happiness you’ll experience. It’s a wonderful cycle to get caught up in. Make time for exercise, make an effort to eat healthy, take pride in your appearance. Exercise and healthy eating will noticeably change the way you feel about yourself and will give you an inner glow that radiates outward.
12. Meditation
While meditation is generally beneficial, there are many ways in which meditation can help you find happiness within yourself. Happiness can be achieved if life becomes less stressful and there is less anxiety and depression to suffer. Meditation helps to get rid of the negativities and helps to reduce anxiety and depression. Meditation is also essential to tackle with daily emotional problems seamlessly. Practicing meditation can help you achieve happiness and bring peace in life.
Happiness is all around you; within you! But the only problem is that you are looking for it in the wrong places. Happiness is accessible because it lies within yourself. All you have to do is to identify it, become optimistic in difficult situations and choose to be happy deliberately. Following these simple strategies will help you enjoy your inner happiness at all times.
