In addition to self-reports, psychologists have developed a number of ways to assess happiness. These include questionnaires, ratings by friends and acquaintances, and implicit measures that don’t ask people about their happiness directly.
Happiness has a lot to do with broader mental health, and it’s important that you take care of yourself. Here are a few tips to help you do just that!
1. Feeling Good About Yourself
Feeling good about yourself is an important step in a happier life. But it can be hard to do on your own.
Try a guided PPI that encourages you to imagine your best self and derive happiness from it. Research shows that this works to reduce negative emotions and promote positivity.
Smile and laugh often, even when it feels fake. It will lift your spirits and make you more attractive to others.
2. Feeling Good About Your Relationships
Even if you’ve found the love of your life, your happiness shouldn’t be dependent on it. A healthy relationship will enhance your happiness, but if you expect it to do more than that, it can lead to toxic pressure, demanding behavior, jealousy, insecurity and more. And if you’re dependent on your relationship for self-esteem, you may never develop as an individual. You can only cultivate your self-esteem within yourself.
3. Feeling Good About Your Health
Feeling good about your health means not only getting enough rest and exercise, but also eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. It also means not ignoring any health problems like high blood pressure or stomach upset.
When you feel good about your health, you’ll have more energy to tackle the things in life that matter to you. You’ll feel better about yourself, your relationships and even your finances.
4. Feeling Good About Your Career
Enjoying your work is a huge factor in creating happiness at work. It’s energizing, gives you a purpose, and makes you want to succeed at it.
If you feel like you are stuck in your career, it may be time to reassess the situation and consider your options. Even jobs that you love can lose their luster over time. Try to make a plan for your future and take steps towards the career you want.
5. Feeling Good About Your Money
If money is a source of stress for you, it’s time to create a holistic relationship with it. You don’t have to let it rule you, but rather, learn to let it take care of you.
As you de-mystify your money, shift old stories and become more empowered around it, it starts to naturally attract more of it into your life. And that feels pretty good! It’s called financial wellness.
6. Feeling Good About Your Environment
Studies show that people feel good about environmental action when they see it as part of their identity, a process known as self-image. However, this feeling does not necessarily translate into a greater desire to take action.
Multiple factors in your environment play into how you feel, including air quality, noise levels, access to green space and natural light. It’s important to focus on those that are under your voluntary control and work towards making positive changes to your surroundings.
7. Feeling Good About Your Community
Some worry that happiness research focuses too much on life satisfaction, and ignores other important sources of well-being. They also object that claiming that happy people are simply lucky or successful may amount to paternalism and undermine the autonomy of individuals.
Other researchers disagree with this concern. They suggest that a distinction between pleasure and happiness is important, because the two share some characteristics, but they differ in their scope.
8. Feeling Good About Your Spirituality
Spirituality can be as simple as praying, meditating, and connecting with nature. It may also mean pursuing religious rituals or participating in a community of like-minded people. Studies show that people who participate regularly in religious activities are healthier, happier, and more resilient against life’s stresses, lowering their risk of illness.
Some skeptics argue that happiness is just a psychological concept, and that other factors, such as achievement or knowledge, matter more for human well-being. But those arguments are flawed.