Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. Don’t allow the negative things in life spoil all the good. Sometimes we get lost in this crazy thing called life, so here’s a little help to get you back on track to a happy life.
1. Stop overthinking.
Over thinking can make any issue seem bigger and scarier than it actually is. It can hold you back in life and from taking action. Overthinking ruins your day. Ruins the situation, twists things around, makes you worry and just makes everything much worse than it actually is.
What to do instead:
- Take action now. If you’re over thinking an idea you can actually do something about, the best thing you can do is take action now. This doesn’t mean you have to suddenly run off to make something happen, it just means you are taking a step forward.
- Direct your attention elsewhere. Sometimes, you can’t take action, and the only thing you can do to get past overthinking is to distract your mind. Find a hobby, task, or activity that engages your mind. While doing this, you allow yourself to put off overthinking and eventually those thoughts start to disappear.
- Stop talking about it. When faced with situations that cause most of us to overthink, it’s natural to seek out advice from others. Too many cooks in the kitchen can lead to poor decision-making. As you talk with more people and get more ideas into your mind, you get more confused, which leads to more overthinking. You are the only one in your situation, people can help, but it’s not their life they are making these choices for.
2. Stop surrounding yourself with negative voices.
Our happiness is greatly influenced by the people around us. Sometimes you deserve to be selfish and guarded about how you let others affect you. The way I see it, if someone or something takes away from your ability to feel happy and peaceful, they need to be either dealt with or removed from your life. Negative conversations, attitudes and activities will only push you away from being happy.
What to do instead:
- Stop listening to complainers. When you find yourself getting sucked into a conversation that is revolving around complaints and negativity, you need to tune those complaints out. Whether it’s changing the topic, or physically leaving the conversation. Nothing good can come of listening to continuous complaining or negative remarks.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Fill your life with people who radiate good energy and encourage you to be the best “you” that you can be. These are the people that build you up and have confidence in your ability to do whatever you set your mind to. They don’t judge you for being who you are, and they are supportive and happy for you when you succeed.
- Don’t take things personally. Negative people are generally toxic to everyone around them, not just you. Their behavior has everything to do with them and nothing to do with you.
3. Stop comparing yourself to other people.
Comparing yourself to other people can easily become a destructive habit. You compare relationships, cars, careers, bodies and houses and at the end of the day, your self-esteem is low and you feel like a failure with negativity buzzing around in your head like a swarm of bees.
What to do instead:
- Compare yourself to yourself. Just look at how much you have grown. How far you have come. The progress you have made towards your goals and dreams. And don’t forget to celebrate the small successes and steps forward, too. This habit will help you to see yourself from a more helpful perspective where you appreciate the steps you have taken on your journey.
4. Stop waiting for someone to make you happy.
Don’t make the all too common mistake of waiting for someone else to create the week, month and year you want to have. That usually leads to waiting and frustrations.
What to do instead:
- Be proactive. Stay in control. Take the wheel. Get the ball rolling yourself. Take action and take the first small step forward with making the changes you want to make to create the life you want to live. If you let others make decisions for you, you give up control. When you control the decisions, you control the actions. It’s your life. You decide what you’re going to do with it.
5. Stop living in the past/future.
Spending too much time in the past usually leads to going over old mistakes or failures over and over again and to wishing you could go back and do something about them. Spending too much time thinking about the future usually leads to worries and disappointments when realities don’t match scenarios in your mind.
What to do instead:
- Spend more of your time in the present moment. You’ll feel lighter, things will feel easier and you’ll be more alert to appreciate the small surprises of everyday life. Reconnect with what’s happening right now. It’s amazing how much more productive we can be when we just focus on what’s in front of us. Try it today. Whatever you are doing, be all there.
- Leave the past in photos. Photos are usually only captured during positive and happy moments. So reminisce all you want, but don’t revisit because there is nothing new to see.
- Stop worrying. Worry won’t stop bad stuff from happening; it just stops you from enjoying the good. You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, let go, and see what happens because things change and change is good.
You prescribe your own happiness. It’s really all about the mindset. Yes, there is a lot of negativity in the world, but to be happy you have to learn to see past that and focus on everything positive in your life and love yourself. You are the only one in the way of your own happiness.