How To Learn To Be Happy?

"Man was created for happiness, like a bird for flight..."

Happiness is the aspiration for people. We live our lives hoping for it to come, and sometimes it does come to us for a short moment. But is there any way for us to keep it longer? To have it following us throughout our lives? To have it become the default setting of our brain?

As it turns out - there is.

Happiness is something anyone can learn. There are some steps that we can take to teach our brain to stay positive and make feeling happy our new normal.

Limit Exposure to Stress

Think of what it is that makes you feel stressed. Is it your work that is extremely challenging and overwhelming? Is it social networks making you feel bad about yourself? Old conflict?

Define those sides of your life that are causing you to experience unhealthy levels of stress try to eliminate or at least limit them in your life. In some cases, a small tweak could be enough to improve your stress level significantly. In other cases, some more aggressive actions are needed. It is important to remember that you have the power to change things in your life even if they have taken place for years. Remember that chronic high levels of stress can lead to depression, so if you feel that you are experiencing an abnormal level of stress, especially chronic stress, you should start working to fix this as soon as possible.

Take Good Care of Yourself

Watch Your Health. It is extremely difficult to feel happy if you are unwell. Prioritize your health above anything else. This will build a great foundation for you to live a long and happy life. Rest. Because rest and pleasure are important components of happy people's lives. Try to organize regular vacations with a rich program, do not forget about daily rest, which includes not only sleep and leisure, but also some time for "doing nothing".

Celebrate. It is very common to forget how important it is to celebrate not only big, but also little wins we have. Or focusing only on one side of life and getting excited only about success in that one side. Life is multidimensional, let yourself feel happy for many things and not just those that you have trained yourself to focus on. Your work, your family, your health, your hobby, your friends and your self-development are all important for your wellbeing and happiness.

Love yourself. The ability to love yourself is crucial, as it gives you the right to feel happy and confidence that you can achieve happiness in your life, as well as ability to define what truly does make you happy.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

Smile. Even if there is no one to smile. Physiologists call a smile the button of a good mood, joyful facial expressions remove muscle clamps and stimulate the parts of the brain responsible for a good mood.

Positive People. "Happiness is contagious": fill your life with happy people and you will see how quickly you will start feeling much more optimistic and happy.

Positive Things. It could be anything that can bring you in a good mood, like positive books, movies, beautiful things like flowers, photos, listening to good fun music, eating good food.

Stay in Charge of Your Life

No one but you knows what's best for you. Listen to your inner voice and check in with it before taking actions. Of course, advice is sometimes worth listening to, but try on your life only on yourself.

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the ways to see all good that you have gained throughout your life. Create a habit of reflecting on the best things that have happened to you throughout the day and you will see how many good things you have in your life. It could be as simple as seeing a nice sunny day or having a delicious food for dinner. Pleasant thoughts will send the impact to your brain and it will start producing serotonin, the hormone responsible for our mood, feelings of well-being and happiness. The more pleasant thoughts we have, the higher serotonin levels we have.