Happy looks like that party you missed last weekend. Happy looks like the dates friends are on while you’re home snuggling with your Pillow Pet. Happy seems like it’s all around you, knocking on every door except your own. Not all of that is happy, though. Most likely, none of it is. The truth is, the happiest of people are the ones who have wept. Struggled. Fought their hardest to get out of bed, do as everyone else, and tell themselves they deserve better and actually believe it. The happy people choose happy instead of doubt, unease and angst and have strengthened their will to do so. Here are a few key mementos to try it yourself.
Try New
The old reminds you of the unhappy. Where you and your ex used to sit and dream together, maybe. Or where you and that coworker you no longer can see used to share lunch breaks. The best remedy is to try something new, something small each day, so you can claim it now as your own, making the rewarding feeling all your own, and no one else’s.
Reassurance
Avoid hating on flaws and try reinforcing what you know you are doing well.
Self-Care
This is basic, but so important. Take time out of each day to do something that makes you feel good, whether it be a gym session, face mask or something as simple as a good meal. Practice mindfulness as well, taking moments to really sort out your thoughts.
Meditate
Well, maybe not on the, “hot-yoga meditation,” scale, but thoughts, if not sorted through, get very jumbled and cause anxiety and stress. Think of your mind as a road, and your thoughts, just passing cars. Watching the cars, you can handle, but jumping in the middle of the road and chasing a car will only lead to something detrimental. Learn to simply watch the cars, or instead, allow thoughts to run freely without chasing after them and heading down a sour road.
Enjoy What You Have
…not what you don’t. This was a huge, huge lesson for me to learn. I would ignore the many instances of love I had and instead wished for one that I didn’t. Practicing gratitude and being thankful for the everyday parts of your life that you do enjoy will make it much easier to choose happy.
Let Yourself Break
Releasing is healthy. If you need to cry, sleep, breathe, do so. You’ll feel much better afterwards. Just remember to pull yourself back up to Earth, always recounting the good over the bad.