How to be Happy
Happiness is an inside job
Gratitude
It’s really important to realise how much you actually have and how much you are capable of. Conscious gratitude should start from the moment you successfully wake up in the morning and should include family, friends, pets, the gadgets that make your life so much easier such as your phone, kettle, computer and toaster and the fact you can laugh and live. Use our FREE Gratitude Diary to get you started.
Friends
Studies show that we become like the five people we spend the most time with, therefore it is imperative to surround yourself with kind, positive people. Do the mobile phone test! Look through your phone and consider if that person was to ring me right now, would I be excited or dread taking the call? The ‘dreaders’ are the draggers that zap your positive energy and need to be avoided. Read more …
Love yourself
The person you believe yourself to be, good or bad, is the person you tell the world, family, friends and work colleagues you are. Love and respect yourself so that you can be loved and respected in return. No one is born with high or low self-esteem so if have a low opinion of yourself, ask yourself who made you feel that way? Challenge those memories and the person that made you feel that way. Were they right? Are they always right? Are they still a part of your life today? What qualifications did they have to give you the opinion? What did they have to gain?
Allow yourself to see what other people who love and adore you see in you. See yourself through their eyes. Write a list of the people who love/loved you and consider why they feel/felt this way. Allow yourself to see what other people who love and adore you see, see yourself through their eyes. Write a list of the people who love/have loved you and consider their point of view. Also write a list of all the kind things you have done, the people you made smile or were there to give a hug to. Also write a list of all the kind things you have done, the people you made smile or were there to give a hug to. Keep these lists handy and read them often.
Terminology
Your life and everything you experience are based entirely upon the words you use to describe it, therefore look at upgrading your words and you will upgrade your life. For example, if you feel depressed, consider what word you could use to describe yourself if the word ‘depression’ didn’t exist? What about if the words panic attack didn’t exist, would you just be feeling anxious? Or how about instead of using the word hate, try using the word dislike as this extinguishes the intense negative feelings associated with that word. You should notice that using better words significantly reduces the negative emotions you create when you use them.
Look at upgrading other aspects of your terminology: Instead of being furious, try being cross and instead of being okay, be fantastic. You can also empower your positive words in the same way. Try changing good to excellent and how about happy to ecstatic? Another great trick is to add the two words ‘BUT LUCKILY’ to anything negative you say or think. For example, “It’s pouring with rain, BUT LUCKILY, I have an umbrella and a coat to keep me dry” or “I feel really poorly and can’t get to work, BUT LUCKILY, I have lots of films I want to catch up on”.
Goals
If you don’t set your goals, statistically you are destined to become a part of someone else’s. Just start with 2 or 3 daily goals no matter how small, then progress to goals for the year ahead and then goals for your future. Having goals will give you direction, purpose and a sense of achievement. Read more …
Declutter
A cluttered environment creates a cluttered mind leaving a feeling of disorganisation and overwhelm. If your home or workspace is in order, this gives you a feeling of power, focus and achievement. It is proven that lights lift your mood, so remove any light-absorbing clutter from window sills. Use lights, lamps and mirrors to brighten your home and brighten your mood. Use our Declutter Decider to help get you started.
WOW list
Why take the chance on how you wake up each morning? Direct your dreams and the day ahead by writing a WOW list to keep at the side of your bed. Your WOW list should comprise of 6 to 8 things that are WOW about you or your life, which can include an amazing experience, passing an exam, someone who loves you unconditionally or a special memory of a time you laughed uncontrollably. Read it morning and night, and change or add things to the WOW list every now and then.
Good news jar
A good news jar is a fantastic way to capture, appreciate and relive happy memories, achievements, fun times and amazing experiences. Write the date and a brief description of what you did and how it felt on bright squares of paper. Find a large jar to keep all of your ‘happy moments’ safe. Keep your jar until the end of the year and enjoy a year full of memories
It isn't happiness that brings us gratitude, it's gratitude that brings us happiness
Frequently Asked Questions
The most effective way to overcome a phobia is by gradually and repeatedly exposing yourself to what you fear in a safe and controlled way. This is not always easy alone, but one hundred percent possible. FIND OUT MORE
Panic attacks can seem to emerge from nowhere and be extremely frightening, but they can be overcome. FIND OUT MORE
Absolutely. Social anxiety is usually a learned behaviour, often formed in childhood. Locating the origin of your belief is key. FIND OUT MORE
