Feeling happy and joyous all revolves around reducing stress, improving our physical activity, and making better relationships. Make these 5 lifestyle changes and see how better you feel and therefore the happier life you will have. Life still will have its ups and downs. That will never change. How you react to the ups and downs is what makes the difference between being joyous and finding happiness or feeling defeated.
#1 Making Positive Mental Choices when Hearing Bad News
Things will go wrong in life. That is just a fact but it’s how we react to negative situations in our life that can still our joy. When you get bad or negative news during the day, DON’T assume the worst. Many times, we allow our mind to wander and think of the worst outcome. STOP your mind from wandering to worst outcomes immediately. Make a plan to deal with the situation and give yourself time for the plan to work. Many times, we panic and want instant answers. However, it’s best to make a plan and then allow time for that plan to work. You don’t need to make a plan overnight, but you do need a plan. Maintaining a positive attitude is key and give your plan, plenty of time.
#2 Reduce Stress in Your life
Easy said but hard to do, right? The first thing to reduce stress is to slow down. Stop trying to get everything done super quickly. Give yourself more time to get tasks done. Catch yourself during the day doing too much and simply take a break and slow yourself down. It’s better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly. Also, stay organized. Keep your home organized. Keep your desk at work organized. When things in your home and your working environment are organized, it automatically reduces your stress. Also work on making new friends and strengthening the bonds with the friends you have. Good relationships help reduce stress.
#3 Take Time to Figure What Truly Matters in Your Life
When your life does not have priority, you will feel stress and overwhelmed. Having clear priorities in how you spend your time helps battle stress. Everyone must make their own priorities in their lives, and it will be different for each person, but here are five suggested priorities for a happier and fulfilling life:
Priority #1 – Spend Time with God. Start your morning off with prayer and meditation. For Christian, reading bible verses in the morning is a good start to the day
Priority #2 – Spend More Time with Your Spouse. With busy lives, it’s easy to become separated from your spouse. Make time for each other. Spend time eating out or going to the movies. Have a regular date night. Pretend you are still dating where more time is spent on each other.
Priority #3 – Spend More Time with Your Kids. This goes without saying. Your children grow up fast, so it’s important you are a part of your children’s lives as they grow and that they receive top priority in your life.
Priority #4 – Spend time with friends. Making and keeping friends is the key to happiness. As we grow older, we tend to put less importance on establishing and keeping friends, but good friends are important because the healthier relationships we develop, the happier we are.
Priority #5 – Develop a Fun Hobby. Find a hobby you enjoy, whatever it is, as long as it’s positive. Hobbies add fun to your life. The trick is to experiment and find a hobby you really enjoy.
#4 Reduce Clutter
A cluttered house or workspace produces stress and is an indicator of a cluttered mind. When your home is well organized, you feel peaceful being in that environment. When your home is cluttered, it makes you feel unorganized and adds to your stress level. Take time to organize your home and workspace. Get rid of things you don’t need. There are probably many things sitting there that you will never use in your workspace or desk space. Separate items you will never use again and dispose of them. Workspace tends to get cluttered because of papers that no longer serve any purpose but pile because it is not disposed of. The best way of eliminating clutter forever is to never let it happen in the first place. Clean up, pick up and dispose of trash and unwanted things immediately. Don’t give your home or workspace time to build clutter. Reducing clutter is a lifestyle change that will foster joy in your life simply because you can think more clearly in an organized environment.
#5 Regular Exercise
Not only will you be fitter, but you will live longer through regular exercise. Regular exercise increases the release of dopamine which is a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel pleasure. Also, exercise does not have to be strenuous like running or jogging. A walking routine of 1 mile a day is a good start. It will take 25 to 30 minutes to complete the walk and you can create a walking path at your home. A daily walk through your neighborhood is easy and accessible. Also, strength training is another good way to look and feel good. Increase your overall strength through weight training. Join a health club or gym and workout at least 30 minutes, 3 days per week.
CONCLUSION
There you have it. Five simple things you can do to increase your joy and happiness. Remember, it’s not necessarily the things that happen to you but how you react to the things that happen to you that give you joy. Happiness is a momentary feeling due to good situations in your life. A joyful life is lived through all the peaks and valleys of life that are sure to come. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe, and hit the Like button! Thank you for watching.
