How to be Happy and Positive Everyday?

How to be Happy and Positive Everyday?: Ah, the biggest questions of life, how to be happy and positive. And probably the toughest question too. But we got you covered. Read this whole thing, we covered some really important stuff here today.

So, let me start off with a quote.

Happiness is a direction, not a place. – Sydney J. Harris

The pursuit of happiness is perpetual. There can never be a point in your life, where you might stop desiring to be happy. We all want to be happy. It makes our lives fuller, healthier, and successful.

Lets highlight the answers to some important questions here like, How to be happy and positive every day? How to be positive when life is hard? What are the things you need to do to be happy? (And what to do when you feel defeated?)

Craving for happiness and joy in life is but natural for all human beings.

We all want to live a happy and prosperous life.

But with so many negativities and pessimism around us, we cannot avoid getting influenced by them.

Rather sometimes it becomes difficult to resist this temptation of being negative.

A person’s attitude is a controllable attribute. All you need is the right tools and ways to inculcate positive thinking and mindset.

Once you’ve taken charge over your attitude towards life, you will be surprised to see how easily and quickly you can change your own mood for the better.

Understand the Power of Positive Thinking

We have all heard of this popular concept “The law of attraction” you get from life what you put in.

For some it may feel cliché, but in reality, there are actually many benefits of having a positive attitude towards life.

These benefits include not only psychological benefits but also physiological ones.

And these have been proven through scientific evidence as well.

It has been seen that a positive attitude makes a person more confident, he or she remains in a better mood and it reduces the threats of a number of health issues like depression, hypertension, and much other anxiety and stress-related problems.

We know it is beneficial, but do we know what exactly it is all about?

Well, positive thinking is all about having optimism.

It requires you to have positive imagery of life and its various components, positivity about your own self, and positivity about everything around you.

All of these things may sound a little abstract and ambiguous in words, but you need to adopt such a thought process in life effectively to achieve actual results.

Read these positive life changing sentences every day, they help a lot when it comes to the law of attraction.

But what really is Positive Thinking?

It may sound easy but it may be very difficult to achieve. The process of cultivating optimism in our minds in a conscious and deliberate manner is called positive thinking. It is a mindset that makes you believe that getting through even the toughest of times is not impossible.

Research suggests that people with positive thinking attitude can have significant improvement in their professional lives, they become physically and mentally healthier and they enjoy long lasting relationships in society.

According to a study conducted in Michigan University, positive thinking can significantly influence our experiences of joy, interest, love and contentment.

In fact, it can create a ripple effect on various emotions and feelings in our lives.

According to Professor Barbara Fredrickson of the Michigan University:

“Joy sparks the urge to play, interest sparks the urge to explore, contentment sparks the urge to savor and integrate, and love sparks a recurring cycle of each of these urges within safe, close relationships.”

So, inculcating positivity in our thought process can not only make us confident but it also enhances our capabilities of exploring the world around us and provides us the resilience needed to work hard for our goals and dreams.

In the absence of positive thinking, pessimism kicks in and takes away our self-esteem and skews our overall perspective of life.

Can Positive Thinking Be Physiological As Well?

The answer to this is yes. Our perception about the world around us is a reflection of how we think and feel.

The brain creates experiences as and when various activities and moments occur. Scientifically this is a top to down process. The portion of your brain called the prefrontal cortex is responsible for dealing with your thoughts, it relays every information about your thoughts to the emotional portion of the brain called the mammalian cortex.

As a consequence, the thoughts become a deep and old emotion in your brain and stamp as an unforgettable experience of pain or joy.

So, we see that having a positive attitude can actually help in recreating reality. This should not be taken metaphorically because it is a fact physiologically.

Easier Said Than Done

Stay Positive!! We all must have received this advice from someone at least once in our lives. But staying positive is not all that easy when you are floating in a sea of negativity around you.

Happiness may not be exactly what is defined in our books and definitions. It may have a different definition and meaning for different people.

You can stay positive in life in different ways. Even when you are angry, sad, or facing difficulties, you should not let go of your positive thinking. You should remain confident about your abilities in handling tough situations and keep your spirits high.

One should remain hopeful even in the darkest moments of your life and remember that negativity cannot sustain perpetually.

The human mind and body has been known to have the power of controlling their emotions and thinking. With a long-lasting positivity, you have a chance of changing your emotions even at the cellular levels.

For a happier life, you need to have positive thinking and bring about an improvement in your overall outlook of life.

The attitude you have determines the life you live.

How to Stay Positive and Energetic every day?

Here are a few simple and easy ways you can stay positive and happy in your everyday life.

Some Daily Habits

Developing a positive thinking attitude and staying happy cannot be possible if you are unable to change the way you live your life. Bringing about small changes in your routine and daily lifestyle can help you adopt various habits that can make your approach towards life more optimistic.

So, let us go through some daily routine habits that you can develop and become more positive in life.

Smile – And Keep Smiling

It is human nature to smile in a happy mood. But in reality, a smile can be a two way process. How? Well, when we are happy we smile. This action stimulates the brain to release a hormone called dopamine. In simple words, this is the happiness hormone.

Similarly smiling without a reason can also make your brain do the same action. Even if it is a fake smile, it can make you release dopamine and feel a little happiness without any particular reason.

Therefore it is important that you make smiling a habit. Even if you are feeling low, all you need to do is keep on smiling and you will feel the change eventually..

Smile at yourself in the mirror early in the morning or every time you wake up from sleep. This is sure to bring about positivity within yourself.

Exercise – And Keep Your Body Moving

Many of us may think that we need exercise and workouts only to burn those extra calories and to lose weight. But in reality, exercise is not just a physical activity. It is a proven method of relieving stress, anxiety, and reducing depressive symptoms. Regular workouts can not only boost your self-esteem but also alleviate your mood to become happier.

Therefore, one should adopt a habit of exercising on a daily basis. It does not matter what type of activity you indulge in nor do you need to be an expert in the gym. Even the smallest amount of physical exertion can do the trick. But obviously, the more you do it the more you can feel better physically as well mentally.

However, it is essential to remember, that over-burdening your body with sudden workouts can be hard for your muscles and can leave you fatigued and tired. So, start slow and go steady without being frustrated or sore.

Some simple exercises that you can start with may include:

• Taking a walk around your block every night
• Start taking yoga classes
• Enroll yourself in Tai chi sessions at a health club
• Do some basic stretching on your own
• Take out time for some fun activities and sports like badminton, table tennis, or golf. You can also go for jogging, dancing and bowling.

Sleep – And Get Sufficient of it

It is a known fact that sleep is necessary for a healthy life. It does not matter how busy or hectic a lifestyle you lead, but resting from time to time is what your body needs to perform effectively. Without sufficient sleep your health, body, brain and emotional well-being will be adversely affected.

On a regular daily basis, every individual adult needs approximately 7 – 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, especially at night. If this routine is coupled with one or two small naps in the day time, it can do wonders.

Without sleeping sufficiently, our body remains inactive, lethargic and foggy. It keeps on signaling your brain, that it needs rest.

So, in order to improve your sleeping habits on daily basis, here are few tips.

• Note down your daily sleeping time and how much rest you are taking in terms of hours in a week. Evaluate this with your body performance and check if you are feeling tired even after this sleep cycle.
• Make a sleeping routine. Set specific times for sleeping and waking up every day. Keep following tis routine even on weekends.
• Indulge in some soothing and relaxing activities one hour before you sleep. You can take a warm bath, read a good book or any other thing that can provide relaxation to your mind.
• Avoid eating and drinking one or two hours before bed time.
• Light can be disturbing for your sleep. So, make your bedroom darker, cooler and quieter for a good night sleep.
• Make sure that you have a comfortable sleeping environment including the bed.
• If you take naps during the day time, each one should be not more than 20 minutes.

If you have persistent problems with sleeping, you should consult a doctor.

Eat Right – And With The Right Mood in Mind

Food is another basic necessity of life like sleep. The type of food we eat can have a strong impact on our physical and mental health.

Food is not only important for our body, but it is equally important for our souls. Some foods are known to influence our moods and feelings. Like for instance, taking in carbohydrates makes the bodies release a hormone called serotonin. This is a feel good hormone. So, if we take in high amounts of sugar and starch we are bound to remain hyper active without a reason. But this energy surge will go down as fast as it will rise. Therefore it is advisable to eat complex carbohydrate foods like vegetables and grains that take longer to break down.

Similarly meats of different types including chicken, fish and beef stimulate the body to release dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are energy generating hormones.

If you skip meals or take in high oil content foods, you are sure to remain lethargic and low. Therefore it is vital to choose the food you eat wisely for a happy and healthy life every day.

Be Grateful – Show Some Gratitude

You can keep your mood in a better place, if you are grateful in your life. It has been understood through studies and researches that people who practice gratitude on regular basis have a significant improvement in their emotions and feelings of happiness. They are more hopeful towards various aspects of life.

Some important things to concentrate on may include:

• Each day should be started with an acknowledgment of one or two things in life that you are grateful for. You can follow this routine daily and set a specific time for it like while you brush your teeth or sit on your bed and wait for your alarm to snooze again.
• During the day, you should remain watchful for the good things that happen around you. It does not have to be something big, you can be grateful for the minutest things like reaching the office safely, getting a cup of coffee from your colleague, getting a greeting from your neighbor or the ability to see things across the road clearly and feeling the warmth of the sun.
• Of course, you have to be grateful for bigger things in life as well. These things may include promotions, increments, commissions, love relations, and much more.

If you follow this routine of gratitude and gratefulness daily, after a few days, you will automatically start to feel the positivity in your life. You will be happier for what you have and will be able to actually pinpoint your positive achievements.

“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”– William Morris

Give a compliment – Appreciate Others

It has been proven through studies and researches that small acts of kindness for others can make you feel happy and joyful.

One of the simplest and easiest ways of brightening up someone’s day is by appreciating them.

You can give a compliment for free and not only increase your own happiness but also act as a joy booster for others.

Appreciating someone with a smile on your face can mean a lot.

The results of such small acts can be remarkable. It is important to keep you compliment respectful yet effective.

Exercise Deep Breathing

If you feel stressed and anxious, your muscles contract and you feel constant tension within your shoulders. This is the time to know that negative thoughts might start seeping in and make your morale go down.

So, it is at this point that you should hold on to optimism breathe deeply and relax. Counter your negative feelings and fear courageously with positive thinking.

Taking a deep breath makes your nerves calm down. It gives you a chance to compose your thoughts and think clearly.

As per scientific evidence, breathing exercises are very helpful for stress reduction. So, we must develop a habit of deep breathing on a regular basis. Let us look at some useful steps on how you can perform and learn to breathe deeply.

• Let your eyes be closed and start to think about your happy moments in life. You can also imagine being in a beautiful and scenic place.
• Start by taking a deep but slow inhaling breath through your nostrils.
• Now breathe out the carbon dioxide through your mouth or your nostril.
• Keep repeating this process until you think your nerves have calmed down and relaxed.
• Another deliberate breathing exercise may include counting up to 5 in your thoughts between inhaling and exhaling of the air.

Recognize the Unhappy Moments and Acknowledge the Negativity

Although having a positive approach towards life is awesome, you should not forget the unpleasant things that happen to us on daily basis.

“What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficult, and every difficulty has an opportunity.”– J. Sidlow Baxter

Life is an amalgamation of both ups and downs. You should be able to recognize and acknowledge the not so happy moments. It is not wise to ignore or undermine your failures. Pretending to be happy, even if you have committed a mistake or lost in something is not a good thing. You should be able to feel the unhappiness in order to counter it.

It is important to understand that you cannot be happy all the time.

Keep a Journal – Express your Thoughts on paper

One of the best ways for organizing your thoughts and analyzing your emotions and feelings is by using a pen and paper.

Many people maintain a journal or diary to record their experiences and feelings about various events and activities in their everyday life.

It is also a great way to plan future activities and tasks. You do not need to write long stories or have intellectual capabilities to write a journal.

The key is to keep it simple and precise. Just jot down what you have experienced during the day and express your feeling just before you sleep at night.

If you feel that what you are writing should not be read by anyone else, you should keep it confidential or simply destroy your writing once you have finished writing it.

It is not actually the diary or words that make the difference it is the process of expressing yourself in words that is important.

Be Brave – Face Your Challenges

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”– Roy T. Bennett

Life is not a cup of tea. This phrase might sound a little cliché, but it is very true in reality. Our lives are full of ups and downs, pluses and minuses, and we have to face them no matter what the situation is.

It is not possible to avoid stresses and hardships in life. However, the difference lies in the way you face them and deal with them.

For all types of unavoidable hardships and stresses, you need to remain steadfast and hopeful. It is essential to keep in mind that all of us have to face such problems and you are not alone in this ordeal. Rather such hardships and stressful situations can make you more powerful and strong with repeated experiences.

Read Words of Wisdom

Reading is a great habit. To have a positive approach towards a life you should read good books that motivate you and induce positive thinking in your minds.

These may include autobiographies of successful people of the world or motivational books from which you can learn valuable lessons.

This does not mean you read through lots of pages in one go. Reading only a few lines or quotes can do the magic.

These were some of the habits that you need to adopt on a daily basis in order to change your approach towards life and make it happier.

There are some things that can be done on a weekly basis but will serve the same purpose.  Let us now have a look at those things.

Some Weekly Habits

Declutter the Space around Yourself

It may sound like a humongous task, but in reality, it can be very simple and easy.

All you need to do is set aside half an hour on a weekly basis for this purpose.

If you are thinking about how you can do that, let us find out.

• Use a stopwatch or mobile phone and set a timer for 15-20 minutes.
• Spend this time tidying up one room or corner of the room. This can even be just one drawer or cupboard or just the top of a table.
• Just pick up one thing at a time and place it where it rightly belongs.
• If it is of no use to you, just give it away.
• You can take a carton or a cardboard box and keep all the items to giveaway in that box.

The key is to put away anything that is laying stray around you in the room. You can repeat this process weekly or even daily if you have the time. After you are done you are sure to get a positive feeling about yourself and your surroundings.

Meet with Friends and Family

Being a social animal, all humans like to have social interactions. Without the people around you, you become isolated and depressed.

Friends are mostly like-minded people having the same types of interests and thoughts. Spending time with your friends makes you feel happier and less stressed.

It can be anyone you love and are affectionate about. Your family members are also big support for you when you feel low and depressed. So, meeting the people you like the most at least once a week, makes you feel good.

It does not matter if you have only a few friends or even one special friend, what matters is how well you get along with them.

Some people join groups and classes to mingle with other humans while some keep pets to fulfill their desire for loving others.

Plan Your Days and Set Goals

People who plan their days and weeks are more in control of what is going on in their lives. You should always write down your weekly plan of all the necessary activities and follow them as much as you can.

Even if you are unable to do everything written on it, you can try to be as much on the timeline as possible.

Meeting short term goals can make you feel better about yourself.

It will help enhance your self-esteem and keep you motivated to do more.

Get Closer to Mother Nature

Nature makes you happy and gives you a positive mindset by relaxing your nerves. In the hustling and bustling life of cities and towns, you hardly find any time to relax and unwind near nature.

To keep yourself emotionally relaxed and strong, you need to take out at least half an hour every week to spend time in natural habitats like parks, forests or the countryside.

You can take a long drive, walk around, go trekking or even ride a bicycle but the key is to spend time in the greenery and breathe the fresh air around trees and plants.

Even if you cannot go out, spend time in your own backyard or terrace.

It has been proven scientifically as well, that spending time in greenery lets your blood pressure stabilize.

Try Meditation for Relaxation

There are a number of different meditation techniques that you can use to calm down your nerves and relax.

Exploring one or more of these, once a week can be very beneficial for uplifting your mood and making you feel less anxious.

Develop a Habit of Self Care

We all need some me time to spend on ourselves. With our busy lifestyles and work routines, we often end up neglecting the self-care that we need. The world is rushing ahead at a fast pace and most people fail to find time to care for themselves.

To maintain a positive thought process and remain happy in our lives, we need to take out specific time especially for ourselves. Our body needs tender love and care so that it can carry our passion, thoughts and spirits in the long run.

“Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.”– Ayn Rand

So, the key is to dedicate a specific time once a week or fortnightly and go to a spa or beauty salon to give your body a treat.

Even if you are unable to go out, you can simply light some aroma candles, add in some essential oils and take a warm soothing bath in your own house.

Listening to your favorite music and following a simple yet relaxing skin care routine can make you feel better and uplift your mood tremendously. Watching a good movie can also do the trick.

Some Monthly Habits

Give back and Do Charity

This is a great way to feel satisfied and happy about the world. You can volunteer for some community service, do some charity, spend a few hours in a food bank or just help around your family and friends.

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.”– Chinese proverb

Helping others can provide one of the greatest joys in the world. It can make you feel important and valuable. You feel you have accomplished something big not just financially but also socially.

Get Out and Have Fun

As most of us remain busy in our lives, finding time out for recreation can be difficult. Following the same mundane routine day in and day makes you feel bored and less enthusiastic about life.

This is where you need a break. Find out some time on the weekend to go out and enjoy yourself. You can plan a small weekend getaway or a road trip with family or friends or you can simply have dinner in your favorite restaurant in town.

Even if you do not have anyone to go out with, you can go alone. This is a much-needed break at least once a month to keep you charged up for the next day.

Forgive and Forget

Although this is not an easy task to accomplish, but it is important to forgive and forget not just for others but also for your own self. It is a kind of self-care when you are clear your conscience from hatred and anger for others and building a personality full of love and compassion.

Having a positive attitude towards life requires a person to remain positive on the inside. Holding grudges and nurturing the thirst for revenge, can actually harm you not just mentally but also physically.

You need to cherish your relationship with others and should not harbor feelings of ill will and resentment. Even if someone wronged you or done something that you dislike or something that brings discomfort to you, a positive mindset will make you reconcile and bury the hatchet as soon as possible.

The key here is to move on without building up or piling a heap of hatred inside you.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

To have a positive mindset, you need to have positive people around you.

It is important to have a circle of friends and colleagues that you like and you will support you through thick and thin You should avoid the company of people who would drag you down and fill your life with sorrows and miseries.

Stay away from toxic people.

Some Yearly Habits

New Year Resolutions and Reflection on the Past Year

Every time you start a new year, you should look back and have a thoughtful analysis of the year that has gone by. It is important to take an inventory of your life and think of the things that you may have done wrong.

Look out for the failures and losses, and think about where you went wrong. Find out about alternative ways you could have dealt with certain problems. You should also take account of your accomplishments and achievements to keep you motivated for the next year.

During this process, it should be ensured, that you should not be too hard on yourself. You should avoid falling in the pitfall of harsh judgment.

It is essential to be wise, precise, and humble.

Once you have taken a strong reflection on your past year, set new targets and resolutions for the next one. Plan ahead and make achievable goals for yourself.

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”– Oprah Winfrey

Reevaluation of your Goals

Human nature does not remain the same forever. People change and so do their personalities and perspectives.

What may have seemed like a great goal in the past may not be very important for you today. So, you need to reevaluate your goals and targets and see what does not click anymore for you.

Set new goals and work on them to gain the happiness you are looking for.

Tips to Remember for Maintaining a Positive and Happy Lifestyle

Learn to Treasure Your Experiences Rather than Possessions

Experts suggest that the human brain develops memories of experiences more than it does for material things.

Pleasant experiences make us happier than possessing material objects. So, for long-lasting happiness and satisfaction, you should give priority to experiences.

Nurture Spontaneity

Being spontaneous gives you heightened pleasure and happiness. Sometimes you become so tired of the same old routine and mundane lifestyle, that breaking the status quo becomes necessary to bring some excitement in your life.

For this purpose, letting some spontaneity invade your life can do wonders.

Sometimes you need to let your heart do what it wants.

You cannot always plan to do everything. Living in the moment can give you the thrill and excitement that may be lacking in your boring life.

Be creative and let your heart live its dreams to the fullest.

Don’t Expect, Only Accept

In order to live a contented life, we need to accept people as they are.

You cannot control all the circumstances and situations around yourself. Nothing in this life is perfect.

Everything and every one has its weaknesses and problems.

You must accept people with their weaknesses and love them as they are. Expecting a lot from others can make you sad if your expectations are not met.

When there are no expectations, there can be no sadness or regret.

Count Your Blessings and Remain Thankful

 

Always cherish what you have rather than longing for what you do not have.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

This is a very famous proverb. It is human nature to desire anything that you do not possess.

Once you have achieved it, you will start desiring for more. Human desire have no end and no limits.

So, to remain happy and contended you must start feeling satisfied with what you have.

Unconditional Love and Support

Loving someone unconditionally can have a very powerful impact in life. It is a way of achieving unconditional support.

Someone who loves you in this way can actually help you withstand any type of hardship and face the challenges with an open heart.

This should also include loving your own self without being judgmental about your weaknesses

Happiness depends upon ourselves. – Aristotle

The essence of living a positive and happy life is embodied in this powerful saying by Aristotle.

There are many ways by which you can become happy and contended and remain positive every day, but some of the top habits that you should adopt in the long run have been highlighted for you in this article.

How to be happy and positive every day, should no longer be an impossible task for you. It is not difficult to achieve this goal.

Everyone in this world has some level of positivity and optimism in their personalities. You just need to focus on the right things at the right time to use these habits for becoming happy and joyful forever.