Happiness is relative. So much about being happy is innately personal, but many people's paths to happiness have similarities. Whether by design or innately, these tendencies are frequently associated with and attributed to happiness. If you're not practicing all of them, it's never too late to start!
Stay Positive
It’s easy to be cynical and snarky and disinterested in the world around you, but such behaviors can weigh heavily on a person. Approach every situation with the intention of making the best of it. If you need to criticize, be constructive. Taking a good faith approach can encourage others to do the same and it creates a happy environment.
Interact
Introvert and extrovert alike find comfort and stimulation in community. It can be family, friends or colleagues, it doesn't matter. Having likeminded individuals to share ideas and discussions with is fundamentally important to being happy.
Disconnect, Literally or Figuratively
The abundance of social and traditional media can be truly overwhelming. Pressures to compare yourself to everyone are matched by mounting compulsions to stay in the loop on everything. The result is more time spent worrying about enjoying things than actually enjoying them. Having the discipline to avoid these concerns is a key to modern happiness.
Be Grateful and Forgiving
It’s easy to pay lip service to these concepts, but to actually live by them can be frustratingly difficult. Regardless, gratitude and forgiveness are essential to a happy life. To achieve these things means that you are paying back the happiness that others bring you and refusing to be weighed down by negativity. Of course, all forgiveness takes time. Do not force yourself to feel something that is not there, but rather strive to achieve it.
Focus on Health
A healthy body is a building block for a happy life. Moreover, poor health can make it difficult to focus on anything past your health. Being healthy means you’re free to cultivate your other forms of wellbeing, spiritual, social, or otherwise. Incorporate exercise in your weekly activities and develop healthy eating habits to achieve your health goals.
There are enough obstacles to happiness without negative behaviors holding you back as well. These five steps aren't a magical guide to happiness, nor are they a guarantee. Be patient and focus on implementing these techniques as they are all good practices even if you are happy.
