How to Find Happiness by Being Your Authentic Self

You can change many things about your life, but your authentic self, who you really are, is not one of them. That’s why learning to accept yourself can be a great strategy to increase your happiness. However, this is often much easier said than done. 

Disclaimer alert: Personal development “consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance the quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations.” We are not building a case against personal development. Accepting who you are doesn’t mean that you don’t look for ways to grow and improve yourself. The key here is balance. 

Just keep in mind, you are happy with who you are and what you have, however, you are excited for more and better. That’s personal development and it’s ongoing. The good life is a journey, not a destination.  

Below are a few ways you can learn to be happier with who you are while still developing yourself and your potential.

Eat Some Good Food:

This might seem completely ridiculous, but it’s not. When you eat good quality energetic whole foods, you can start to feel better. When you feel better, you feel happier. 

Get Your Body Moving:

Movement has a similar effect on your well-being as does eating good food. Just get up and move, whatever that looks like for you. You can try walking around the block, dancing to upbeat music, or doing simple stretches. The activity matters less than the fact that you are moving. The body is designed to move. When you don’t move regularly, it will begin to show up in very interesting ways. Simple movent will cause your blood to flow throughout your body. You will feel better, more alive, and again, you will feel happier.

Develop Your Own Positive Affirmations:

Grab a stack of sticky notes and write down all the things you love about yourself. Then place these sticky notes in places where you will find them later. These places could be on your mirror, in your wallet, or even around your desk at work. Then every time you see them, you can be reminded of what an amazing person you are.

You are an amazing human being and you have a wonderful life!

Take a Vacation from Social Media:

Social media creates unrealistic expectations of the human mind, body, and soul, not to mention living spaces. If you feel uncomfortable in your life because of social media, it’s time to take a mental and emotional break. Instead, find more present activities to engage in, such as books, music, and TV shows that make you feel great about who you are and what you have.

Tweak Your Body Language:

Believe it or not, your body language can play a huge role in how you’re feeling about yourself. When you find yourself hunched over with your arms folded, how does this make you feel? Not very good, right? Exactly. It’s time to walk with your shoulders pulled back, and your head held high—you’ll be surprised by how much this small change affects your mood. You may even find that you’ll feel happier and more optimistic.

Love The Clothes You Wear:

If you are wearing clothes that don’t make you feel comfortable in your own skin, then it’s time to get clothes that do! Aim to find clothes that fit well and are flattering for your body. This will help you feel great about yourself. It can help if, while you are shopping, you resolve not to look at the sizes and rather try on things that look like they will fit and look good on you and decide from there. Dressing in clothes that you love can help increase your body image. Increased body image leads to increased happiness.

Be Your Own Best Friend:

Many books have been written on this subject and for good reason. Becoming your own best friend, otherwise known as self-compassion is a powerful tool to increase your happiness. Self-compassion is a prescription for inviting more acceptance and joy into your life. Don’t overcomplicate this process. You can start small, especially if you feel guilty about taking time for yourself. 

Start by practicing kindness towards yourself. Have you ever overheard someone scolding themselves, using their own name? For example, Oh my gosh Judy what’s wrong with you, I can’t believe you overslept again! People do this all time. It’s almost as if the world isn’t harsh enough, that you have to rebuke yourself. #scary!.

To offset this degrading behavior, practice speaking more kindly and gentler to yourself. Think about how you would encourage your best friend! 

Treat Yourself Well:

The art of treating yourself well is also an expression of self-compassion. This goes beyond buying a new pair of shoes for the world to see. Treating yourself well is a type of self-care. 

Appreciate Yourself and How Far You’ve Come:

Let’s face it life is a journey. When we constantly live in the past or worry incessantly about the future, we miss the gift of the present moment. One way to create balance, without living in the past, is to appreciate how far you’ve come in your journey. Acknowledge your work and life accomplishments and the great times you’ve been blessed to experience. Being doggedly focused on plans can steal away the gift of your past accomplishments that need to be acknowledged and honored, not necessarily worshipped. Just make a little space to think about those times so that you don’t forget how well you have done in the past. Not only will it make you happier, but it will also increase the self-belief you need to help you to conquer your future. 

Finding happiness within yourself is a lifelong journey that we have an opportunity on this earth to take. You can make this process easier on yourself by exploring the tip above.  Always keep in mind that being positive about your authentic self ultimately must come from within. 

Be well + prosper,

Elaine xx