Often it takes time and a lot of looking inward to find what makes us happy, and assess our happiness levels.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ~The Dalai Lama
Sometimes life presents us with a range of changes and challenges that take time and emotional energy to deal with. But there are several things that you can try, think about or do to find your spark.
Physical Triggers
Start paying attention to your body and your mind. Of course, the two are linked deeply, for example, if you’re struggling with a health issue, then often it can have a negative impact on us mentally. Not only that but some physical things will have an impact on our bank balance too.
Aches and pains can cause you to wonder “what is the cost of wisdom teeth removal?” “How much will it cost to have my acne treated?” “Is this neck pain serious, or can I work the pain out by myself?”
When it comes to physical triggers, you will feel better when you start to take care of them and listen to your body more. Listen and act on the signals. You’ll have a sense of taking care of yourself, and that does wonders for us.
Rituals
There is something that can brighten our day pretty quickly. It might be reading the paper with orange juice in the morning, or it might be the smell of fresh hot coffee. Sitting in the garden in the warm sun, or even just lighting candles when you are ready to relax in the evening.
If you don’t have something that you do regularly that sparks a little bit of joy for you, then it might be time for you to create a ritual that works for you.
Even something as simple as a sleep story in the evenings as you drift off can have a significant impact on how well you sleep, and how you feel as you get cosy.
Think about the things that you enjoy and try to make sure that you have space for them each and every day.
Be Kind
When we are kind to people, we get a little rush of happy hormones. And over time those levels build up and become more common within us. When you don’t feel great, it is easy to be angry, indifferent or rude to people - even when they might not be deserving of it. If you have been in the habit of snapping or being overly sarcastic without cause, try to catch yourself before you say anything, and turn it around into something lovely.
Changing your tone to something calm and happy, and doing it consciously will keep you happier and other people will benefit from that kindness too. Many studies show that kindness has an impact on your brain in a big way.
So when you get the choice, go for kindness.
Conscious
Our most prominent critics are usually ourselves. We are hard on ourselves with no need. We pick at our skills, we berate our bodies, and we struggle to accept compliments. An area where almost everyone could do better is to stop negative thoughts about ourselves in their tracks. And then counteract them with several positive thoughts. So for example, if you are getting annoyed with your frizzy hair, then turn it around and say I love how much volume my hair has. Or focus on a different part of you that you love - including your personality and skills.
Change how you speak to yourself, in fact, treat yourself how you treat your best friend or favourite person.
Do it… or don’t.
Do the thing! Most people have something that they wish they had done or something they keep putting off. Writing a book, learning a language, going travelling. Instead of giving yourself 99 reasons you can’t, won’t or shouldn’t do it. Make the decision to do it. Applying focus to that, and giving yourself a renewed purpose will leave you feeling invigorated and happy.
The more time we spend in indecision, the more time we spend doing nothing. Eventually, we come to regret it. So make the decision one way or another, and you will feel great about taking action when it really counts.
And, finally, don’t be hard on yourself. Comparing yourself to others will snatch the sunshine and joy from the things you are doing and achieving.
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