I sat down to write, as I do, and thought about what I’d been up against this week. What were my challenges? What was I dealing with so could share that experience, and hopefully the win, with you guys? Another gruelling, gripping tale of struggle with myself and triumph. But, I sort of didn’t want to.

Instead, I decided to write about being a happy person.

How I do it, the things that I repeatedly do and all that jazz. Because I believe that being happy is a practice. A way of living that just takes a little practice. Excluding medical and mental health conditions people, don’t go beating yourself up if you’re unwell, that never helped anyone. See your Dr, do what they suggest and get better. I’ve been there.

And if you’re ready, start whenever you like to take on some habits that are going to promote happiness in your life. How to turn yourself into a happy-go-lucky type person who makes other people sick. Because it’s fun and you deserve to be happy.

So, here we go.

My top 5 tips for being a happy person.

1. Let it go.

There are things, thoooose people and 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 just accept that it is the way it is. It’s time for you to either move on or enjoy the good bits from the situation.

Don’t carry the weight of your concerns, worries, or negative bs with you every minute of every day. And sure as heck don’t carry anyone else’s crap! Tackle your worries head on and then leave them behind. Worried about something that may never happen? Let it go. Stop giving your happy over to a bunch of things you can’t control. And if you can control them? Then get on with it already.

2. 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 that I didn’t know why I did it, but I assumed it was to muffle my rather a loud laugh. Why the hell would I want to do that? Laugh with your head back and your mouth open, it makes the funny things better.

Gather your friends and laugh until it hurts. Find a movie you’ve been waiting to see or an old favourite that always makes you laugh. Flick channels until there’s a sitcom type television show you love and have a laugh. Do nothing else, put everything else aside and laugh as loudly and as long as you like. Don’t be afraid to be the loudest laugh at the cinema, those people usually have the most fun. Trust me, that person is always my sister or sister-in-law, and they are always having the time of their lives. Haha.

3. 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. Sleeping more could mean going to bed an hour earlier, grabbing an afternoon power nap (seriously, 20 minutes will change your life!) or enjoying long, lazy mornings. Find a way to make it work for you and get those extra moments in, get MORE sleep.

And I hear you, sometimes that’s not possible. Start small. Start by reading a book instead of your smart phone so you get drowsy earlier. Try trading off the extra 15 minutes sleep in with your partner. Send your kids for a sleepover once a week (fortnight? month?). Try putting your clothes out at night and setting your alarm 10 minutes later. Carve out the time, your body needs the recharge to fuel your mind and spirit. Plus, tired people crave carbs and sugar, cravings like that always make you feel worse in the end.

4. Be nice to people.

I find that when I’m out there being a nice person, I feel better about myself. It’s, a win-win. And no, I’m not talking the nice that sees you walked all over and left you feeling bad. I mean the nice that has you use your manners, exercise patience and be generous with your opinion of others. The nice that makes people’s day or puts a smile on a stranger’s face or makes a hard time better.

Be that person for someone else and you get that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Just try to feel bad when you chat politely with the cashier or pay for someone else’s coffee as a surprise. I challenge you to find a way to feel like crap when, for no reason at all, you are kind to the world.

5. Express yourself.

Sometimes your happiness can be tied to a certain 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 is to express that blah feeling. Expressing yourself means not withholding your feelings, telling people the impacts of their actions or expressing your concerns. You can do that, and when you do, you clear up space to feel better. To ultimately, feel happy!

Expressing yourself could mean having a conversation you’ve been putting off for a while. Maybe you need to resolve a situation that leaves you with an icky feeling every time you think about it. Or it could be about asking a trusted adviser their opinion on how to deal with something. Whatever you do, you’ll find that communicating and expressing yourself is a great way to restore the happy in your life.

Well, that’s my top five team. What do you think about THAT!?

Some are easier to do than others, but all make great habits to get into. When you are taking on these things day after day, piece by piece, you find that happiness happens by default for you. You start happy, and you have to go out of your way to get unhappy. You did it. You made it. Well done you!

Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and 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 over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.