A full tank of happiness is important for navigating life. If you’re running on empty, your coping skills and emotional resources will be depleted.
Happiness carries health benefits, promotes career success and enriches our relationships with others – it’s a ripple effect. Happiness differs from hedonism because it’s broader in scope.
1. Take care of yourself
Being an adult comes with many responsibilities, including work, home life, and social activities. All these responsibilities can sometimes seem overwhelming and can deplete our energy reserves.
Taking time for yourself is a vital part of overall wellness and happiness. Taking care of yourself includes eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep. It also means setting boundaries and recognizing your own needs.
Self-care is not something you earn; it is a right that every person deserves to enjoy. Learn to set a schedule for yourself and consciously choose to spend your free time doing things you love. This can include things like reading, going for a jog, or even just spending some time with friends. It can also mean learning about and practicing mindfulness.
2. Spend time with friends and family
Research shows that spending time with friends and family can dramatically increase happiness. Even introverts benefit from this. Spending quality time with people you love reassures you that you’re important to them and it can help reduce stress.
Shrout suggests prioritizing this resolution by setting small goals, such as calling a friend on your way to work or during class. She says that even weak ties, such as the acquaintance you bump into once a week or the pet store employee who remembers your cat’s name, can be surprisingly sustaining.
It’s not just spending time with happy people that boosts your happiness, but also the emotional support they give you. The strong connection you create with those closest to you can even cure minor depression.
3. Practice gratitude
Gratitude can help combat the effects of pessimism and cynicism by reminding us of all the good things in our lives. Whether you start by writing a list of things you appreciate each night before bed or create a gratitude album in your phone, you can make gratitude a part of your daily routine to increase happiness.
In one study, people who reflected on their gratitude experienced less depression and less anxiety than those who wrote about neutral or negative experiences. This is because focusing on gratitude prevents the ruminating and worrying that can lead to these feelings.
Be careful not to allow gratitude to become a form of positive self-talk that minimizes your difficulties. Be sure to also practice mindfulness when you experience challenging emotions like frustration and fear so they don’t turn into guilt.
4. Do something you love
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that doing something you love is key to happiness. The happiest people are often those who play to their strengths, like helping others and engaging in creative activities (e.g., painting, writing).
It’s also helpful to savor the small pleasures in life: a cup of coffee in the morning, a walk outside in nature, or laughing with friends and family. These all boost our moods by increasing the feel-good hormone oxytocin.
Doing what you love can even help you be more productive at work and healthier overall. Those who love their jobs are more engaged at work, have lower stress levels and a stronger immune system, and live longer than those who dislike their job.
5. Take time for yourself
It’s easy to think of self-care as a luxury or something you can put off until later. After all, there’s always someone or something that needs attention right now, and adding another item to the to-do list can seem counterproductive.
But incorporating regular “me time” into your routine can improve mental health and foster personal growth, while cultivating resilience to life’s challenges. This time can be as simple as getting up a little earlier than everyone else, or as involved as journaling each night or exercising regularly.
The most important thing is to make it a priority, and to set boundaries with others so that they know this time belongs to you. It might take some trial and error, but the benefits of this kind of downtime can be substantial.