You may be feeling overwhelmed today and increasing your happiness may seem like a pipe dream for those who have more time and resources. We discuss happiness a lot at Honey Rock Life because so many smart driven women go through life in a semi-comatose state, crushing their careers and raising their families and barely even noticing whether or not they are truly happy. We associate happiness with professional goal crushing, monetary success, and many other important and noticeable pursuits.
At the end of the day, we can lose a vital part of ourselves in the process. One of the easiest ways to get back on track is simply to assess our true happiness and emotional state of being. Many times we are encouraged in the exact opposite direction. Our culture sends subliminal messages to us daily about putting the needs of others before ourselves, that somehow our happiness isn’t really that important as that of our bosses, children, and/or husbands. I call “hogwash” on that. Today is the day that you can begin to wake up and realize how important and precious you really are. As we dive into these scientific ways to increase your happiness, my prayer for you is that some of your overwhelm will turn into overjoy.
Why Increasing Your Happiness Is So Important
There are reasons that are actually backed by scientific research why increasing your happiness is important.
Here are a few ways increasing your happiness can improve your life:
- Happy people are more creative.
- Happy people have the ability to focus more on the big picture of life.
- Happy people to tend to be healthier.
- Happy people tend to be more resilient against stress and trauma.
- Happy people tend to be more productive.
- Happy people tend to be more successful.
- Happy people tend to have better relationships (nobody likes a grouch 🙂
- Happy people to be more grateful for what they have.
- Happy people tend to live longer. ( Aaaa….hellloooooo!)
Increasing your personal happiness may not be as hard as it appears. There are small incremental steps that you can take on a daily basis that will surprisingly increase your happiness starting today. Now that you are aware of the benefits of a happy lifestyle, let’s discuss 5 things that will increase your sense of happiness and make your life more fulfilling.
- Be Good To Yourself: Happy people have learned the art and science of self-care. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of self-care “is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” According to a recent article in Psych Central, “Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.” You should feel refueled and energized. It’s something that YOU want to do, not something that you have to do. It’s also an important key to living a well-balanced life.
- Be a Rockstar Communicator: Happiness increases when you hone your personal communication skills with those closest to you. It might be easier to rock a crowd with your communication skills than it is to connect with a loved one. Learn how to communicate your feelings, emotions, and passions to those closest to you. You will be happier and light-hearted. When you can’t get your words out they get locked away in your brain and can cause a deep sense of sadness. Try not to keep pent up anger and frustration in your heart and mind. This habitual behavior is bad for your health and your happiness. Instead, find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone. Open, honest communication is a tool that fosters intimacy, freedom, and yes, more happiness.
- Get Good (I Mean Really Good) at Setting Personal Goals: Creating personal goals that deeply matter to you is a gateway for happiness. Once you have a deep abiding sense that you are spending your time on what matters most, you will no longer be uber focused on what Tom, Dick, and Harry are up to on Instagram. Creating and moving towards achieving the goals that you created based on your own personal values and priorities is a secret sauce component of happiness. Once you learn to practice this throughout your life, you will no longer thirst for outside approval or the proverbial pat on the back. You will become your own cheerleader and you see yourself growing day by day.
- Build A Strong Supportive Social Network: Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. Of course, people are different. We can’t all be the same nor should we. Learn how to accept people for who or what they are. Avoid clashes, constant petty arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. Hone your people and conflict resolution skills and build strong lasting friendships that will go a long way in increasing your happiness.
- Heal the Trauma of Your Past: You might need a bit of help with this one. But trust me, undealt with past trauma can literally destroy your future if you let it. Many times, we don’t even realize that it’s the trauma from the past, that is blocking our happiness. No matter what you do, you still can’t seem to move forward. The hidden culprit could very well be trauma. If you are easily upset, irritated, annoyed or just plain angry, no matter how much you enjoyed your last vacation, you might need to seek professional help. There’s nothing to be ashamed of here. Abuse is real. Traumatic events like death and divorce are real. They come to rock your world and block your future.
Understanding yourself and having a deep sense of awareness will help you to create a tailor-made plan for increasing your happiness. As you take action and move forward towards your vision of happiness, you’ll find that it is well within your grasp.
As always…
Be Well + Prosper,
Elaine xx