How can I be truly happy with myself?

Happiness is a place most people long to be in but what is it? Happiness is a state of being content, fulfilled, and at peace with oneself and the world around you.

True happiness comes from within and is not reliant on external factors such as material possessions or other people.

To be truly happy, it is important to cultivate self-love, practice gratitude, live in the present moment, and pursue activities and relationships that bring you joy and fulfilment.

Additionally, setting and achieving meaningful goals, taking care of your physical and mental well-being, and maintaining positive relationships are key components of experiencing lasting happiness in life.

You are in control of your happiness, you can choose to be happy or not by your thoughts and your actions in life.

Psychological tricks to make yourself happy

As happiness is a state of mind, it follows that there are various things you can do to increase your happiness levels.

There are many psychological tricks you can put in place to achieve this. To increase your levels of happiness you can practice gratitude, cultivate mindfulness and develop a practice of daily meditation.

Setting goals and targets in your life can also help you to feel happier, boost self-esteem and raise confidence levels which can all increase your feelings of well-being and happiness.

The support network you have around you of friends and family can also help to increase your sense of well-being and happiness.

15 Simple Tips

1. Teach yourself to smile more often

Training yourself to smile more often can have amazing results on your overall well-being. By consciously deciding to smile regularly, you can raise your mood, reduce anxiety and stress and improve the health of your immune system.

Adopt a practice of smiling more often such as first thing in the morning in front of the mirror. You can set hourly reminders on your phone to smile throughout the day. As you go through the day, make a conscious effort to find moments of joy in your daily routine regardless of what you are doing.

If you continue in this positive way, over time, you will discover you have developed a positive habit of building smiling into your day, which will have a more positive effect on your life and relationships.

2. Study the power of gratitude and implement it in your life

When you are practicing gratitude you will find you are happy. It is impossible to be feeling grateful and unhappy at the same time.

When you look at your life, list everything you have in it. From the big stuff such as health, money and relationships, to the small stuff such as a favourite pair of shoes or a book.

Everything you are grateful for enhances your life and brings you happiness. Therefore start a daily practice of gratitude and increase your happiness levels.

3. Discover your creative side

The creative process and feeling good have long been linked together. When you are feeling down or unhappy, discovering your creative side can unleash waves of happiness. Not only does engaging in your creative side help you to express aspects of your personality, but it also helps to boost your mood and happiness levels.

It doesn’t matter what you do, it could be painting, dancing, writing or singing, any expression of creativity will enhance your mood. Make creativity part of your daily routine and you will see the benefits on your mental and physical well-being.

4. Restart an old hobby you used to love doing

Think back to a time when you were happy. What were you doing differently from what you are doing today? It could be you had a hobby that filled you with inspiration and joy.

Kick-starting an old hobby could be just what you need to raise your happiness levels.

Often hobbies mean mixing and socialising with a network of people which can have a positive impact on self-confidence, boost self-esteem and increase happiness and feelings of well-being.

5. Get back in touch with nature

Many studies have shown the benefits of being in nature to raise feelings of happiness and well-being. There is something about connecting with the natural world that allows you to unplug from the daily stresses and anxieties of life and allows for feelings of contentment and serenity to find their way into your body.

It can be a walk around your local park, a hike through the countryside or simply just sitting outside in the fresh air. Whatever way you find to enjoy nature you will be rewarded with a rejuvenated mind, body and spirit.

So if you are looking to raise your happiness levels take yourself outdoors and spend some quality time in nature.

6. Surround yourself with positive people

The people you surround yourself with will have an impact on you either positively or negatively. Therefore if you want to increase your levels of happiness, make sure you have a network of positive people around you.

Moods are infectious. Happiness spreads through people. If you are with someone who is feeling happy, their mood will rub off on you.

Engage with people who smile, speak positively and have a happy outlook on life and try to remove yourself from negative, toxic personalities who will only bring you down to their level.

7. Have a digital detox

The digital revolution has been positive in some ways and highly negative in others. As a way of connecting people and strengthening relationships, social media has had a positive impact but there is a darker side to it. Social media can make people feel bad about their life. It can make someone feel inadequate and can often be damaging to a person’s mental well-being.

Try and limit the amount of time you spend engaged with social media. If you don’t want to stay away totally, think about having a digital detox and limiting yourself to just twenty minutes a day.

You will find your happiness levels increase when you are no longer comparing your life to everybody else.

8. Try and make the people around you happy

Making other people happy can increase your own levels of happiness. By spreading happiness and positivity to others, you will create a ripple effect in your life which will see happiness coming back to you.

It can be something as simple as a smile, a kind word or a thoughtful act. By increasing the happiness of another person it will uplift your environment.

Make another person smile and it will only ever increase your levels of happiness.

9. Make a study of happy successful people and model their habits and thoughts

A good way to make yourself happier is to mirror people around you who are happy.

What do they do, say, and how do they behave that helps them to live a happy life?

Study them and then start copying their behaviour. Soon being happy will become a way of being for you.

Most of being happy is the habits you adopt and the thinking patterns you have. These can all be learned and incorporated into your life.

10. Take up a physical sport or activity

The benefits of sports or physical activities are well-known for mental and physical well-being. If you want to increase your feelings of happiness and well-being then get moving and enjoy something sporting or physical.

You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to release the feel-good endorphins either. Going for a walk in nature, a spin class, a gentle swim or just some simple gardening will all be beneficial. As long as you are moving around the benefits will be the same.

11. Create your own social support group

If you want to be happy create your own social support group to have around you.

If you are surrounded by like-minded people who manage to encourage you and uplift you, you will cultivate a happy, positive attitude that will be good for your emotional well-being.

It could be family, friends, work colleagues or acquaintances who share your values, by forming a support group they can provide you with the support and motivation you need to stay in your happy space.

12. Take up meditation or just set aside quiet time for yourself

Meditation has long been used as a practice for reducing stress and anxiety and for promoting mental well-being. Spending time alone adopting a meditation practice or just setting aside some quiet time for yourself can raise your spirits and make you feel calmer and happier.

You don’t need to spend hours sitting meditating a simple twenty minutes can be enough to calm an overactive mind to relieve stress and promote positive happy thoughts.

13. Develop an inspiring set of goals for yourself

Having goals or plans that excite or inspire you can be an absolute game changer when it comes to changing a negative mindset to a positive one.

When you have goals you have something to focus on, a reason to get up in the morning and something that drives you forward.

They don’t need to be large goals they just need to be something that excites you and puts you in a positive mindset.

Starting with smaller goals and building them up is the best way as when you have reached a goal you will be far more inclined to move on and push yourself further than starting too large and failing.

14. Focus on doing things you really love in life

If you love doing something, do it. Make it a priority in your life and spend as much time as you can doing it.

Having something you love in life is the fastest way to bring lasting happiness. Make you and it a priority in your life.

Don’t see it as being selfish spending time doing something you love, see it as an essential part of your self-care routine. When you engage in an activity you love it enhances your physical and mental well-being and ultimately this will benefit everyone.

15. Make having fun a big part of every day

Have fun in life. Make sure every day you do something that brings you joy and puts a smile on your face.

It could be dancing to the radio in the morning while getting ready for work.

Listening to a podcast that makes you laugh or spending time with loved ones who fill you with joy.

Have an attitude of living in the moment, enjoying the time you are in. Not worrying or thinking about the past or the future but focusing on the now and having fun in the present moment.

Final Thoughts

To be happy with yourself, you must practice self-love and compassion. You are you, accept that, and stop judging yourself.

You have flaws and imperfections the same as everyone else but there is no one else like you, you are unique and have real value.

Start setting boundaries around you, so you protect your mental and emotional well-being.

Surround yourself with people who love and respect you, lift you and have your best interests as theirs.

Practice gratitude daily to shift your mindset towards positivity.

Focus on your physical well-being by exercising, spending time in nature and nurturing your body with good food, plenty of water and a good sleeping routine. The better your mental and physical health is the happier you will be.

Remember that happiness comes from within and is not dependent on external circumstances.

Stay true to yourself and prioritize your own happiness above all else. And most importantly, remember to smile every day and enjoy your precious life.

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