8 SIMPLE STEPS to being HAPPY!

It’s easy to be sad, difficult to be happy.

Our mind is such, that when something good happens, we feel the elation and pleasure for a short time, but later recalling it does not give the same level of happiness and over time the memory fades into more of a mildly pleasant one than a happy one. Whereas if something goes wrong, the pain and suffering continue for a longer time and our mind can recall the sad memory quite easily and each time the pain seems more. Over time, this too fades, but depression unfortunately lingers longer.

So, if you want to overcome the enticing pull of sad thoughts that more often than not rears its head during trying times and if you want to avoid that feeling of emptiness low down in your stomach that accompanies it, then my suggestion is to follow the below steps-

1.      Tell yourself, “You are Alive”.

Whenever you start to feel sad, just stop and tell yourself that you are alive and nothing is more important than that. You have the opportunity to live, see, feel, smell, hear and touch. The chance to meet people, make friends, love, hate, fight, kiss. The chance to build and create. Most importantly the chance to dream. Repeat this to yourself and think of one nice thing that you can do today for yourself, something that you know you would like and look forward to it.

2.      Stop blaming yourself.

All of us are faced with a situation where we feel the problem we are faced with is one of our making. That is not true. You are not to be blamed. You did whatever you thought was best based on your experience, knowledge and capabilities at the moment. There is no way you can foresee and be certain that if you had done things differently matters would have been better, God knows, it could have been worse. So, stop blaming yourself and just move on.

3.      Set yourself a small goal or task each day.

It could be as simple as a ten minute exercise, reading a few pages of a book, making your bed. Once the task is complete reward yourself with whatever it is you want, a chocolate, a movie, some shopping. If you feel the reward is disproportionate to the task, then make the task a little more difficult the next day.

4.      Keep yourself busy.

Plan your day, do stuff, draw, write, read, go on social sites and write comments on posts, but try to keep doing stuff. I find learning a great way of keeping one self busy while also picking up new traits. Learn cooking, that is one of the best ways of de-stressing and when you or your loved ones taste what you have cooked and share appreciation, that will give you a great sense of accomplishment .

5.      Keep a diary.

Write down your feelings, thoughts, and incidents. Initially it takes a little effort, but with time, writing comes easy, and you will have great many ideas that you would want to pen down. If you pick up and read an old entry you made a while back, I promise you, there will be a nice smile curled up on your face.

6.      Socialize.

I know, with the current pandemic, social distancing is of paramount importance, but everyone has that much more time now to talk and if you call someone on the phone, of through web, you might be surprised at how happy they are to converse with you. However, take care not to discuss any negative thoughts or issues predominantly during such interactions. This is not for you to pour your heart out and cry, you can do that in your diary if needed, this is for you to talk of future, dream together, crack jokes or have fun.

7.      Engage in humor.

Read jokes whenever possible, listen to funny podcasts, and watch humorous videos. If you keep engaging yourself in humor, soon you will start seeing a comic side to everything and suddenly every incident in life will present to you a chuckling experience. Our mind gets attuned over time to the funny side and likes to be fed constant tidbits of humor. Also, because of your constant happy and funny demeanor, others will start finding you more attractive and will try to connect with you more often and for longer periods.

8.      Give.

The act of sacrifice or giving is one that will make you more content and provide you with a sense of inner fulfillment that can rarely be experienced otherwise. Giving does not mean you have to give someone the shirt off your back. It could be as simple as giving someone your time by being a good listener, or presenting someone with a gift. It is never the price that matters, but the thought that goes into buying or making a gift and the feeling of happiness that you see in the receiver’s eyes.

Whenever faced with a problem, I always ask myself, five year or ten years down the line, will this problem matter. Time is the best filter for understanding the severity of an issue, and any matter that might seem like an impossible burden to bear today, might be just a casual memory few years down the line. Think of your past, did you not face such problems then when it seemed everything was over, or that you could not manage, do you still think of that as a problem?

Believe in yourself. You are a wonderful person and good things are about to happen to you.

Be nice to yourself and everyone you meet in this life for who knows if you will ever meet them again.

May you always be blessed!

P.S. Can you guess the animals in this picture. Let's see who can get all of them right.