I believe that being happy is a practice; a way of living that anyone can do. There are exceptions, of course, there always are, but for the most part, being happy takes practise. I was stalking the web, as I do, and I came across this post from over six months ago, and it made a list of 22 things happy people do differently. I loved it, sure I disagreed sometimes, but mostly, I loved it. It was a “practice makes perfect” guide to being a happier person. It got me thinking about what it is I would recommend being a happier person. A person who tends towards the lighter side of life. Someone who can find joy in a messy house and an impossible situation. What would I say are my top tips? So I did what Bloggers do, and I wrote this post so I could decide.
My top 5 tips to being a happier person are;
Let it go.
There are things, people, situations in this life that even if you were to go up against them every single day of the rest of your life they wouldn’t change. Do yourself a favour and accept that’s the way it is. It’s time for you to either move on or enjoy the good bits from the situation. They are the bits that have had you hang around this long.
Laugh with your mouth open.
For a long time, I’m not sure when it started, I would cover my mouth when I laughed. Or do a sort of closed-mouth chuckle. It was weird. Someone asked me about it one day, and I said I didn’t know why I did it, but I assumed it was to stifle my rather loud laugh. Why the hell would you want to do that, they said? Why indeed. Laugh with your head back and your mouth open, it makes the funny things better.
Get MORE sleep.
Lots of it, as much as you can. It is SO much easier to be happy when you’ve had enough sleep to function as a human being does. This could mean going to bed an hour earlier, grabbing an afternoon power nap or enjoying long lazy mornings. Whatever, get more sleep! And I hear you, sometimes that’s not possible. Try the power nap. It works a charm.
Be nice to people.
I find that when I’m out there a nice person, I feel better about myself. And I’m not talking the nice that sees you walked all over and leaves you feeling bad. I mean the nice that has you use your manners, exercise patience and be generous with your opinion of others. Even if the only kick you get deep down is what a wonderful person you are, it’s worth a giggle.
Express yourself.
Sometimes your happy can be tied to a particular situation. There might be something going on, and all you can do is feel bad about it. It sucks the happy right out of you. These times are tricky, and sometimes all it takes to express that blah feeling. It could be having a conversation you’ve been putting off to resolve the situation, or it could be telling a friend about it. Either way, you’ll find communicating and expressing yourself is a great way to restore happiness in your life.
That’s my list! THE things I think will make a difference in your practice of being happy. Or happier as the case may be. By no means a definitive list but it should get you started.
Now I have some questions for you, what do you think makes a happy person happy? Do you think it takes practice? Or is the ‘happy gene’ something people are born with?
Hi! I’m Suger; Chief Blogger at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; love a casual ootd, taking photos + writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet; photos, create content, write copy and devise social media plans for personal brands, small businesses and bloggers. You know, living the sweet life.
Word.
SSG xxx
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Fantastic!
Thank you.
Being really, truly grateful. Not just in an “I’m grateful for a place to live, food on my table (though that’s sometimes a good start!) but about the stuff that matters. And content. And all the things you mentioned! When you break it down, it’s often so much simpler than people thing 🙂
I love that. Absolutely. Great tip!
You know what? I agree that being happy is a practiced thing, especially in the Western world. I decided a few months ago that I was going to try and appreciate the good things in my life, no matter how small, to intentionally take notice of them. And now I find I AM happier, and generally more calm and content….
Such great advice, being grateful makes for a happy life. A contented life. Absolutely.
Oh get more sleep !! Yes yes yes. But in saying that … I think I have only recently found happiness and that is a result of expressing myself … And that has involved later bed times lol!
YES! I’m the worst at this. Sleep eludes me at night! That’s why I nap. Glad to hear you found your happy.
LOVE this! This is the perfect little list. If I was going to get a mindful tattoo, this list is the one I’d get.
Thank you. 🙂
Taking time to work on yourself is important in being a happy person! I enjoy sitting on a quiet bus, looking out the window at the world in all it’s beauty. I could watch it all day. or laying in the dark with some candles burning!
I think so. Taking the time to investigate how you tick does wonders, to a point. Laying in the dark, when I don’t have to sleep, is the best.
I think that trying to find the possitive on every situation is a big part of daily happiness. Sometimes it´s not easy -sometimes something happens and at first all you can feel is sad. But looking for the positive and having a good laugh everytime you can -in my opinion, there´s no way to be happy without it.
I think you’re right. Taking the positives is such a great practice to get a smile on your dial and yourself moving forward.