It's often stated that happiness is an inside job. If you want to be truly happy, it requires work. It's important to note that you'll need to do the work on a daily basis. A lot of people make the assumption that happiness needs to be effortless.
By not working on your level of happiness, you'll leave too much up to chance. Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make simple lifestyle changes that will lead to happiness. In order to improve your happiness quotient, consider the following changes. The image source is Pexels.
1. Improve Your Sleep Quality
H.A.L.T. is an acronym that stands for hungry, angry, lonely and tired. If you're in a bad head space or having a bad day, take time to "halt" and see if you're hungry, angry, lonely or tired. When you're tired, you make poor judgment calls. When you're tired, you're more likely to make poor food choices. In order to be alert, present and happy, consider improving the quality of your sleep. Go to sleep earlier, get seven to nine full hours of sleep and wake up feeling well-rested. If you need to start taking a sleep supplement, it can be a helpful investment. You might discover that you need a better mattress, a mattress pad or more comfortable sheets. Drink some chamomile tea before bed. Take a warm bath, and listen to relaxing music. As you make small changes in your nighttime routine, this can directly impact the quality of your mood the following day.
2. Include Fresh Vegetables in Your Diet
Think of a luxury vehicle. Sure, you can put regular gas in the tank. However, a premium brand of gas will directly impact the way the vehicle runs. The right type of gas can also impact the longevity of the vehicle. If you'd like to improve your longevity, be intentional about adding lots of fresh vegetables into your diet. Eat a salad as one of your meals for the day. Drink a green smoothie for breakfast. Instead of drinking soda with your lunchtime meal, try a glass of celery juice instead. As you add more green vegetables into your diet, you'll experience a boost in energy, vitality and mental clarity. The brain-gut connection shows that what you put in your body directly impacts the way you'll feel. If you'd like to feel good and happy, monitor what you put in your body. By prioritising green vegetables, you'll be off to a great start.
3. Get a Coach
While happiness is an inside job, always remember that strength lies in numbers. When you're the only one rooting for your happiness, you can definitely still make changes. However, when you have even one more person rooting for your happiness, you can move mountains. This is especially true when you have a trained professional to walk alongside your growth journey. Consider a coach who specialises in intuitive coaching. Whether you need tips, tools or a safe space to release your emotions, a good coach can be an extremely invaluable resource.
4. Exercise
While it can be understandably challenging to make your way to the gym on certain days, most people never regret a good workout once it's done. This is because you release endorphins during a great workout. Endorphins are the feel-good hormones that can boost your happiness. Even if it's just a temporary boost, exercise daily in order to gain that amazing rush of endorphins each day. The key to a good workout is to find one you enjoy. Whether you love the elliptical machine, Pilates or a fun cardio dance session, move your body daily.
5. Practice Gratitude
When you don't know how to be grateful for what you have, it'll be hard to appreciate anything else that comes in. You'll be happy for a fleeting moment. In order to live a lifestyle of sustainable, consistent happiness, spend a considerable amount of time on gratitude. When you wake up in the morning, take ten minutes aside to write in a gratitude journal. As you write down five things you're grateful for, it'll help you to shift your mindset to the positive lens. Living a life of happiness starts with the foundation of gratitude.
Conclusion
In order to feel and be happy, you'll need to exude the courage to show up for yourself. For many people, the idea of making changes can be intimidating because it's up to you to follow through. However, it's worth facing the fear. You deserve to feel happy. When you start to experience those results, nothing will be able to get in the way of your own internal happiness.
