A Guide to a Happy Life: 11 Simple Steps

There are many ways to lead a happy life. People have different personalities and preferences, so no one method will work for everyone.

Everyone wants the same thing. To be able to find true happiness. But what does true happiness look like? And how does one achieve it?

Here are 11 tricks to living a happier life.

1. Focus on meaningful relationships

Humans are social beings. Studies show that the number one factor to human happiness is to have meaningful relationships with others.

Meaningful relationships include friendships and people with whom one shares a family bond or those who share an interest in something meaningful to both parties.

Relationships are key to happiness and should be cultivated as much as possible.

Make a point of spending time with friends more often than before by planning days out together or making the first move if others seem busy so that you can catch up on what’s been going on in their lives. Make an effort to have quality time with those that make you happy.

Advice for talking with your parents: Aim to have two 30 minute conversations per week where it feels like there’s nothing else but the two of you talking about anything under the sun – from politics to pop culture, it doesn’t have to be anything major!

2. Learn something new every day

Learning is an essential part of being a human being. Learning contributes to happiness because it feeds your intellectual curiosity.

You can learn anything about how to do a new hairstyle yourself to understand why the universe is expanding or even learning about ancient civilizations.

Many resources help you delve into these subjects and find the content at your level of comfortability and expertise, so there’s no excuse not to try something new every day.

Learning also improves our memory and provides us with an outlet for problem-solving skills, which both promote happiness in the long term.

It’s important to remember that human beings have natural drives such as hunger, thirst, sleepiness, etc. Still, we should never underestimate social needs because they’re less tangible than physical desires like food and water.

3. Keep your bedroom organized

Why does organization help increase happiness? When things are a mess and disorganized, people tend to have higher levels of stress. A well-organized space makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and can also lead to an increased sense of order.

Organization helps in many ways. Being organized helps lower stress levels, decreases frustration when trying to find things, and positively impacts the mental state when things look nice and clean.

A cleanroom not only feels better but smells cleaner too!

4. Experience the outdoors

Experiencing the natural world and getting fresh air has many benefits for well-being.

There are three benefits to the human body that are improved from the outdoors: physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.

Physical benefits:

For centuries, humans have used nature and the benefits of being outdoors to improve their physical state.

One example of this is called forest bathing.

Forest bathing – or Shinrin-yoku in Japanese – is a way for people to spend time in nature. Forest bathing has been associated with balanced nervous system functions, heart conditions, and bowel disorders.

Mental well-being: 

Some people who are depressed may feel as though they don’t have anything worth living for. One study found that while walking in nature, those feelings of despair lessened and many felt a sense of accomplishment.

Nature also tends to reduce stress by lowering the levels of stress hormones released, such as cortisol.

Spiritual Benefits:

There are many spiritual benefits to enjoying the outdoors as well!

Environmental psychologists argue that there is value to our relationship with the natural world. Seeing the beauty of nature inspires within us an appreciation and drive to protect it.

This can have a positive impact on individuals, such as higher self-esteem.

5. Practice Gratitude

Being thankful for what you have will increase your happiness and decrease feelings of envy. It’s a great way to cultivate gratitude!

Be sure to write down five things that you are grateful for every day, as this will help train the brain into thinking positively about life.

Expressing gratitude is also an easy and effective way to connect with other people by making them feel valued or appreciated. For example, sending thank-you cards in the mail can be very gratifying because it gives us time to think about someone we care about in our lives.

A simple act like taking ten minutes out of each morning and giving thanks can significantly impact one’s well-being over time.

6. Do what inspires you.

Take advantage of any free time by doing what inspires you!

Doing what inspires you can lead to your happiness because you’ll be doing something fulfilling and purposeful instead of wasting time on things that don’t give you fulfillment.

One of the best ways to live a happier life is to find something to be passionate about. Being passionate allows you to find a sense of purpose and meaning in your life, which leads to a happier and more fulfilling existence.

To exemplify the benefits of inspiration and fulfillment, we can take a look at the world’s happiest and healthiest people.

Five locations on earth are said to have increased longevity of life and to have the happiest residents.

These are called Blue Zones.

Researchers have studies the blue zone regions to figure out what leads to a happier life.

One of the essential findings and commonalities amongst all the locations was that the people have strong social bonds and feel a sense of purpose in their daily lives.

7. Live in the present moment.

Individuals who have a hard time remaining present and at the moment often feel depressed and have a more difficult time finding happiness.

What does it mean to be present? To live in the present means to be alert to the moment and not being wrapped up in thoughts about the past or future.

It means that you are open-minded, aware of your surroundings, and present with what is going on around you.

To live in the present doesn’t mean ignoring what the future holds or forgetting what the past has taught you; it just means appreciating where you are at this current place in time.

The only way for someone to truly feel satisfied and happy is to appreciate the current and not always wish they were at a different stage in life.

Yes, having goals and dreams is very important, but make sure you stop along the way to enjoy the current moment.

8. Focus on your physical health

Exercise is one of the best ways to experience good health and increase your quality of life.

“Studies have shown that people who are physically active report lower levels of depression and anxiety.” -American Psychological Association. Exercise releases natural ‘feel-good’ endorphins in the body, reducing cortisol production.

It also helps to reduce stress by lowering your heart rate and providing you with an outlet for pent-up energy or emotions.

People who get into a healthy routine of working out at the same time each morning experience more joy over the day.

Morning exercise increases your productivity by increasing your energy levels.

9. Focus on positive speech and language

Controlling your thoughts to focus on positive things and not the negatives in life can increase overall happiness.

The power of the spoken word is a phrase used to show the impact of positivity and thought.

If you use negative vocabulary intended to put yourself or other people down with a negative tone, your brain and the receiver’s brain will release more stress chemicals than usual.

There have been many studies done on the power of speech and vocabulary that support the impact of using positive words and refraining from using negative ones.

10. Spend 5-10 minutes a day working on breath work

Taking a deep breath when facing a challenging situation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and leaves you in a relaxed state.

Focusing on your breath work for 5-10 minutes per day can have tremendous benefits on your overall level of happiness.

Using a technique such as the Wim Hoff can have tremendous health benefits and help build your positive mindset.

While focusing on the breath, you are building muscles of focus in your mind. When you increase your power to control one’s thoughts, you will remove negative thoughts and focus on positive ones much easier.

11. Meditate

Meditate to achieve a sense of inner peace and happiness.

Meditation is a simple way to train the mind for greater focus, patience, awareness, compassion, and kindness.

It has also been shown that meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms associated with chronic illness.

There are many meditation practices, including mantra-based meditations like Transcendental Meditation or Vipassana (mindfulness). Choose whichever style suits you best.

Conclusion

Happiness can be more challenging for others to experience, and sometimes it is out of individual control.

But by consciously making choices that lead to happiness, we can guide ourselves and each other towards a more fulfilling life.

If you are having an incredibly challenging time remaining happy and positive, please consult with a doctor.

F.A.Q:

What is true life happiness?

True life happiness is different for everyone. It is different than materialistic happiness that comes from wealth, fame, or power.

What are the best ways to achieve true life happiness?

The most important way to live a happy life is by being grateful for what you have and not taking anything for granted while maintaining a positive and resilient approach to challenges as they arise.

Sometimes people find it difficult to be positive in their lives because of experiences they had at an earlier point in time: trauma, abuse, poverty, or other factors outside of their control. Regardless of what happens, don’t become bitter! If you’re having difficulty achieving this type of contentment with yourself despite trying all the things on this list then please consult with your doctor about how therapy can help! A medical professional can determine whether your depression is clinically significant.

Is happiness a choice?

Happiness is definitely impacted by choice, but the choice is not solely responsible for happiness. This is a question that has been debated for many years, and as more research is done, more solutions are provided for what causes happiness.

What vitamins will make me feel happier?

Researchers have studied the association between foods and the brain and identified 10 nutrients that can combat depression.

Those 10 include: omega-3 fatty acids, chromium, folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D Vitamin B6, and zinc.