15 Small Changes To Make If You Want A Happier Life
1. Get out of bed. Sometimes it is really hard to do just that. So if it doesn’t work very well, try rolling off. Lol. Once in a while I get extremely depressed and just getting out of my comfort-zone (*bed*) seems like triathlon or something as hard. On occasion the mere vertical position is enough.
2. Eat breakfast. Don’t skip breakfast. Supposedly that’s the healthy way. Who am I to say otherwise?
3. Drink more water. Health authorities recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters. This is called an 8×8 rule and it is very easy to remember. Though some people say we should sip on water throughout the day. This depends on individual and there are many factors that affect our need for water. Lifehacker gives a baseline: men should drink about 3 liters of total fluids per day; women should drink about 2.2 liters. Though some people say it depends on how much you weigh. In any case, hydrate enough.
4. Exercise. Not necessarily to be slimmer and hotter to rock those pink bikinis, but for endorphins, for feeling better, for endurance, for strength, for better, happier you.
5. Gratitude. As I have realized last year, gratitude is very powerful. If you’re not grateful for what you have, you’ll never get more; you’ll be always stuck in a negative rut with your cynicism and negativity. When you’re grateful for every little thing you have, you’ll get even more. Bottom line: practice gratitude.
6. Smile more. No fake-laughing. Set your mind on something positive, something you like, and something you’d like to see or get and radiate that positivity. Goes great with a smile on your face.
7. Practice positivity. Duh! See 6
8. Worry less. There are a lot of issues we can’t possibly influence however we would like to. Control what you can, change what you can, but stop worrying about everything else. It’s useless and takes a toll on you.
9. Be present. If you’re on a hike with a Meetup group, be there. No more checking your Insta or posting new photos, you can do it when you’re in confinement of your own apartment. When you’re at a potluck dinner, mingle. Talk to strangers, maybe they will potentially be your life-long friends. Who knows. Go find out. Kiss your boyfriend and enjoy instead of making lists in your head.
10. Never stop learning. Technically nobody ever does. Life makes us learn in a myriad of different ways. Nevertheless be curious, do something new, learn new language, read a book, learn how to play a musical instrument. I bet you’ll love it. And something to brag about.
11. Do more of what you love. I think that’s the biggest problem nowadays. Millions of people around the Earth do what they have to, not what they want to, not what they love to do. I hope you know what you’d love to do and I really hope you have that possibility.
12. Don’t be afraid. Life is a ball of mess, disappointments, frustrations, failures, doubts, successes, love, hate and a whole lot more. But at the end of the day, it is how you make it and what you make of what you have. Fear suffocates the soul and paralyzes the bones. As they say: “What you want is on the opposite side of fear.”
13. Stop waiting. For the morning. For Monday to start dieting. For New Year to start a new life and get cracking on those resolutions. Stop waiting for life to happen. Wake up and start telling people how you feel. Tell your boyfriend you love him (if you do, of course). Tell your mom the same. She’ll appreciate it. Go and do something you’ve been putting off for so long. No to procrastination and pausing your life for better times. Maybe this is the best time there’ll be and you’ll waste it on doing nothing.
14. Spend time outside. It is good for your health. Go rock that 20k hike or just walk a couple of blocks. Get inspired. Watch some motivational videos on youtube and get the hell out of your house. You’ll be grateful when you’re older.
15. Listen more. Sit in that homey place in the old town, order some cocoa, and listen. Listen to the people around. To the customers. To the waitress bringing you a hot beverage. Enjoy not engaging. Enjoy being silent. Let your taste buds work and your mind be calm. 