7 Little Steps To Make Towards Leading A Happier Life

First and foremost, give me a smile. It takes fewer muscles for you to smile compared to when you are grinning or making other facial expressions. Besides, smiling will greatly increase your level of happiness automatically. Recently, I have only learned to live a “simple” and “happy” life. By “recently,” I mean the past couple of months. I am quoting simple and happy because living a simple and happy life means something different for everyone. However, the tips I am about to share with you all today, I am confident you will be able to apply it to your daily life.

1. Smile! Literally, all you have to do is show a smile on your face. A smile symbolizes happiness, warmth, and kindness. You do not have to smile for anyone else but yourself. Sometimes, I find myself smiling at my own reflection in the mirror. When I smile, I tend to feel a rush of positivity and peace.

2. Take care of yourself! Your physical and mental health is very important. I strongly believe that if you take care of what is on the inside, your outside will radiate brightly. Most time, people only care about their physical appearance. Of course, you can look good and people noticed, but what about the part of you that people do not see? It is important to take care of the part of you that people do not see because it is what makes you, you! If you do not feel good about yourself, you will most likely give off the negative energy you are feeling to other people.

3. Eating right and exercising! The kind of food you eat affects how your mood is. For example, eating junk food will make you feel grouchy and lazy, but if you choose a healthier alternative, such as fruits or vegetables, it will leave you feeling positive and strong. Honestly, I, myself, enjoy a good chocolate bar sometimes, but it is how much you consume. I am not telling you to go on a diet, but I am telling you to have a balance on what you eat. Alright friends, I will be talking about exercising now. I know, I know. Most of us hate the gym, but I promise you, it is very rewarding. I have only started working out for 3 months now, but so much about myself have changed. For example, my self-confidence has sky-rocketed and left the building! Honestly, my sister thinks I am in love with myself, which is true! Self-love is very important. By exercising, I have learned to build on parts of myself I never knew I had. My tip on exercising is, start out with what you are comfortable with! Even if that means entering the gym and just walking 10 minutes on the treadmill and leaving afterward, you are still taking a step towards changes.

4. Surround yourself with positive people! The people you surround yourself with is a reflection of who you are. Having good friends that help you, loves you, and support you, is what we all want in a friend(s). However, sometimes, it is hard for us to pinpoint these types of friends and keep them around. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself if you are having trouble deciding if a friend is good for you or not: a. Does this person allow me to have an opinion without judging me? b. Do they only appear when good things are happening to me, but disappear when I need someone to listen to me? c. Am I always the only one checking up on them? If you ask yourself these questions and the answers are the ones you are not looking for, I think it may be time for you to evaluate who is really your friend. Surrounding yourself with the right people is important for your happiness because what they do around you may affect how you feel. It is not right to blame them, which is why it is critical for you to know when to walk out of a friendship.

5. Have time for yourself! I know the previous step is about finding the right people to hang-out with. However, I think it is equally important for you to have time for yourself. We all need our personal space where we can wind down, be in our comfortable pajamas, and just enjoy the silence and serenity. Having company is good, but the best company is when you have learned to be comfortable with being alone. There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely, and I want you to be able to withstand being alone with yourself. I think when you are at the point where you are comfortable being alone, you will be able to embrace every part of you. That self-doubting voice inside of you, say goodbye to them! Cause once you are comfortable being alone, you can conquer anything.

6. Give yourself grace! Admit it, we all make mistakes. No matter how big or small the mistake is, always remember to give yourself grace. Giving yourself grace means forgiving yourself, embracing yourself when no one else is, and lastly, understanding yourself. I say forgive yourself because the mistakes we make do not define who we are. Of course, there are exceptions, but I trust that you will know what they are. Secondly, embracing yourself when no one else will, because you are, you! Self-care is so important because you should be your number one fan! Thirdly, understanding yourself. I think this is the hardest to do, because most times, we do not know who we truly are. Not knowing who we are and what our potentials are, we at times may be conflicted and not know what to do. However, taking little steps and appreciating yourself will definitely help you achieve this.

7. Have love, and give love. I have mentioned so many times how important self-love is. One thing I heard a long time ago is, if you do not love yourself, how will you love others? There is some truth to this statement. If you do not know what love is, and you have no experience loving yourself, how will you give love to someone else? This also goes both ways; know what love is, so you know it is real when you receive it. I think it is only fair that when you have learned to love yourself, you also give those love to others as well. To have love, use all the appropriate steps I have listed above and build a relationship with yourself and others. Having a stable and firm foundation with yourself will enable you to achieve all the things you want to.

I, by no means, wrote this with the intention to cure and hope that everyone will be happy after reading it. I understand that many of us are different and we use different techniques to find happiness within ourselves. However, I wanted to share with everyone what helps me. I hope you have enjoyed reading the steps that I have listed.