4 Big Practices To Foster Happiness

Joy. Delight. Giggles. Laughter. Pleasure. Satisfaction. Fun. Enjoyment. Smiles. So many words describe our desire to be happy. Some of us find happiness naturally. Others have to work at it.

Consider these habits as a prescription to practice self-care that will drive you to the home of happiness.

1. Hold on to these routines no matter what

   • Allow yourself 30-60 minutes of a nightly routine. A ritual for bath, cleansing, skincare, reading, writing or even eating something that brings you comfort.

   • Sleep for at least 8 hours every night. Your body will thank you every day for this. Reach out to professional help for sleeplessness than dealing with it by yourself without success.

   • Eat breakfast of your preference. The idea is to intake food to charge your body and mind for the day. Don’t skip a meal for weight control or other dietary goals.

2. Organize yourself inside-out

   • Operate from a calendar. All events, tasks, and to-do lists should live in a calendar. Many free calendar apps support these functions. Remembering from memory or taking random notes will create unnecessary anxiety and impact your mental health for a long time. Create an event in your calendar app from your phone when you accept an invitation, plan to do groceries and get an idea to shop for vacation.

   • Take notes on your phone online. This habit will change your life. You will be able to access it, edit it and share it promptly. Time is the most valuable pillar of happiness. You should embrace any habit or technique that saves time.

   • Create a permanent space for everything in your home. It helps to maintain a clean and organized environment. Keeping items temporarily in unassigned places creates clutter and mess. A similar strategy applies to organizing your computer or online workstation. A mental visual mapping of your most used items and applications' location relieves your conscience.

3. Accentuate positivity in daily life

   • Promise yourself to step back whenever you feel uncomfortable. Just walk away politely, or take a break. Utter these words firmly, "I am not comfortable with this situation; I want to take a break to reflect." As an adult, you should feel safe taking this step to protect yourself.

   • Surround yourself with genuine people, even if they are different from you. Soon you will learn that honesty is more respectful than mere amicability. If you want to build solid and long-term relationships, build friendships based on respecting each other's purpose in life and sharing true feelings regardless of your similarities.

   • Use daily affirmations that increase your confidence and self-worth. Utter a few sentences to yourself daily that either elevate your self-evaluation or praise one of your strengths. It is like a coach reminding you in your head what you can do and should focus on today to achieve your goals.

4. Set boundaries and guard them right

   • Learn to say no if you do not want to comply. Saying no is not always bad for the counterpart. It is a projection of respect, to be honest with another. Describe your position on the statement if you feel the need, but stick to your true feelings no matter how hard it is. The continuous fake display of agreeability deceives the counterpart and immensely damages your mental health. Let's stay away from something that brings good for nobody.

   • Learn to say yes if you want to and feel like you should. This practice is about respecting and connecting with your inner feelings more than societal or peer pressure. Whatever you agree to act upon should be your choice. Sometimes, it is hard to stick to it without being called out as a selfish person, but remember, self-care is a virtue.

   • Protect your valuable time. Consider time as cash. What's gone is gone, and if not spent wisely, you might feel empty inside, like the feeling of being broke. Remember to create value out of every minute you spend. Your fulfillment and satisfaction should measure the value you get from your time spent as investments.

Happiness is a goal that you will have to work your way up to achieve. Once you have mastered some of the habits discussed above, you will be able to enjoy happiness more often than ever. Some are fortunately born and raised by practicing the above-mentioned behavioural attributes. Others have achieved happiness through the asynchronous inclusion of these behaviours in their lives.