Do’s and Don’ts of Being Happy

Last week we talked about how gratitude is a lynchpin for happiness. When you make a practice of being grateful, you can boost your self-esteem, strengthen your relationships, reduce stress and more. People who are happy make it a habit to be grateful.

Here are some more do’s and don’ts that happy people adhere to:

Don’t:

• Watch too much TV. Especially reality TV, which is the equivalent of eating junk food for your brain. Too much of it even seems to foment anger.
• Even if you get a rush of guilty pleasure from gossip, in the end you are being negative and that’s not good for you.
• Let possessions pile up. Look around you. If you have too much stuff, and your house is cluttered, chances are your brain will be cluttered too.
• When chores pile up, it can be overwhelming. And you spend too much time dreading a task. Just do it and get it over with.
• Spend mindlessly. Its one thing to treat yourself to something fun once and awhile. It’s another to spend money frivolously and have nothing to show for it in the end.
• Make comparisons. When you look at someone else’s house, partner, job—or whatever—and you think it’s so much better than yours, stop. What you see on the surface may not be the whole story. Besides, envy is not good for you.
• Wait for perfection. Allow yourself to be happy, even in conditions that are less than perfect. Because there will always be something that could get in the way of your happiness if you let it.

Do:

• Make that decision. Sometimes it doesn’t actually matter too much what you decide. What matters is getting off the fence, making up your mind and moving forward.
• Prioritize what matters. Don’t let yourself be so distracted by TV or social medial or answering e-mails that you fail to do what’s important to you.
• Call it like it is. If you are feeling bad in some way, try to define it. Give it a label. Once you do, you are better able to let go of those negative feelings.
• Make physical contact. A good hug goes a long way to make you feel good. Studies show the longer the hug the better you feel. And the person you hug feels better too.
• Get out in nature. Just being outside is enough to boost your spirits. Getting exercise outside is a double whammy. And taking time to appreciate the flowers and listen to the birds is an extra shot of happiness.
• Live in the present. Pining for the past will do you no good. And putting your happiness on hold until something great happens in the future is no good either. Enjoy yourself now.
• Learn to say no. When you are constantly meeting the demands of others’ you are probably not paying enough attention to you. What makes you happy? Learn to say no to things that don’t.

Nancy Travers is an Orange County Counseling professional. If you need safe, effective counseling services, please get in touch. You can reach her here: https://nancyscounselingcorner.com/contact-us