Pamela Sommers is an international award-winning bestselling author. View profile
Many people believe that being happy is something to strive for in the future or that happened a long time ago and is now a distant memory. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can be happy right now, if you choose to.
Here are 7 things you can do to help you feel happier now:
1. Decide to be happy
It all starts with a decision. Yes, it can be as simple as that. Happiness is a state of mind. At first this may take practice, but once you have done it a couple of times, it gets easier. Try it for yourself and see. First thing in the morning decide to be happy, start the day on a positive note by setting the intention to have a good day and to be happy.
2. Ask new questions
If you find your mood changing and feel like dark clouds are emerging, keep them at bay, instead of going with your mood and letting your emotion take control, try asking yourself, how can I feel better right now? Or what can I do to make myself feel brighter and happier right now? Asking these questions will prompt your mind into action as it gets to work by trying to answer these questions. It can be quite powerful and because you are looking for solutions to help make you feel good, this can be quite enlightening as you are coming from a fresh perspective and a new way of looking at things.
3. Happiness recall
You may recall countless times in the past where you laughed so much or a particular time you felt happy. Just because you experienced these moments in the past, doesn’t mean you can’t experience them again. One technique that can help is called ‘anchoring’. Anchoring is a tool that is often used by Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) therapists, whereby you create a physical connection to an experience that can be used in the future to prompt you into feeling a certain way. For example, when you feel happy celebrating a special occasion and being amongst loved ones, try pressing your forefinger and thumb together and do this a few times and at different occasions. This will serve as a trigger and reminder of a happy moment. So that whenever you want to feel happy in the future, you need to press your forefinger and thumb together and you will instantly feel happy because you have associated this movement with feeling happy in the past.
It doesn’t always have to be your fingers you use, for instance, you could take two deep breaths while smiling the next time you feel happy and if you do this on multiple occasions, you will connect taking two deep breaths and smiling to feeling happy, and so the next time you want to shift your mood, you can smile and take a couple of deep breaths and this will automatically lift your mood and make you feel happy again.
4. Give yourself an instant boost
There are also what I like to call instant boosts. Playing music is an instant boost because hearing your favorite song can lift your spirits and your mood in next to no time. Compile a list of songs that you enjoy and create a ‘happy’ playlist, that way, the next time you feel down you can turn this on and tune into your happy vibes again. Exercising is also an instant boost as raising your energy levels can quickly change the way you think and feel about things in a positive way. So the next time you want to de-stress and feel good, start moving, whether this means dancing around your room, going for a walk or having a good work out, it will do you the world of good.
5. Collect happiness stories
Whenever you get a compliment, praise, great review or fantastic feedback, create a folder with all these in it and save it on your laptop or computer. This way, any time you need a quick pick-me-up you can read through them. Think of it as your virtual, go-to cheerleader, ready and waiting to support you and send you off on your happy path.
6. Find things to be grateful for
Look for things to be grateful for, it may sound simple but sometimes it’s easy to forget all the great things you have going for you. So, give it a go. Think of five things right now that you are truly grateful for. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you’ll be able to do this quickly, and it will give you reasons to feel good and help you feel generally happier.
7. Share your happiness
The great thing about feeling happy is that life gets even brighter when it’s shared. So share your happy vibes with others, celebrate your good news and positive stories because we all need more smiles and the more happiness we have to share, a brighter and happier place the world will be.
Short Article Review:
You can feel happier now by:
- Choosing and deciding to feel happier
- Recalling a time when you felt happy
- Reading through positive feedback
- Finding things you are grateful for
- Sharing your happiness with others
The information in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about any medical condition.
The Post 7 Ways To Be Happier Now appeared first on Womanly Inspiration.