10 Happiness Hacks to Have a Good Day (Almost) Every Day

Imagine waking up every day and it being fabulous. Sound far-fetched? Well, it doesn’t have to be. You can build up the resources within and create positive habits that help ensure happy days, each and every day. Here are some tips to get started having a fabulous day… starting today.

Start your morning with some inspiration – As soon as you wake up and before you turn on the radio or log onto Facebook, grab an inspirational book you have handy and take a few moments to read a bit. Fill your mind with positive passages, quotes, or something that makes you feel good.

Be grateful – It won’t be long until that voice inside starts to tell you about all the things you have to do, what you lack, or who is annoying you now. As soon as you notice your thoughts heading in the direction of “should have and could have”, find things in your life for which to be grateful. For example, “I am thankful I have a car that gets me everywhere I need to go so I can do what I need to do.”

Create a happy tummy – What we put into our bodies impacts how we feel and affects our energy level. Make it easy to make good decisions by always having healthy choices close at hand. Start each day with a healthy breakfast of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. This will keep your blood sugar and your mood from tanking by mid-morning.

Be present – The chatter in your brain is your ego’s way of trying to manage the emotions that surface throughout the day. It creates scenarios, justifies actions, misleads you and can take up your entire day with babbling chatter. Set an alert on your phone or leave yourself post-it notes that say, “Time to be present.” Throughout the day, stop what you are doing and pay attention to your surroundings. Notice the inhale and exhale of your breath and begin to realize you are not your thoughts and it is okay if they stop, even if just for a moment.

Let it go – We all hold a lifetime of experience. Within these experiences are situations we have not let go, memories that still bring us pain and people we feel have wronged us. If you continue to “think” about negative past experiences, there is space within you being taken up by negativity that has not been relinquished. The past is gone and it might be time to do the work to let go of things that happened. When you do this, it is very freeing. You will feel it immediately and now there is more space for positive experiences to enter your life.

Build your dream future – There’s a chance you are not doing what you love. While it might feel impossible to quit and jump whole-heartedly into your passion, you can spend a little time every day moving in that direction. Do one small thing daily that moves you towards your dreams and passion; one day you might be surprised to find yourself there.

Help someone – Small gestures of kindness add up and help you feel happier throughout the day. Just smiling and offering an authentic compliment to someone improves your mood. Watch a person’s eyes when you help them out in some way, you’ll see the light you offered reflected and it will brighten your day.

Nurture a relationship – It has been proven that having a community of support helps heal when you are down. To ensure you have a lifetime of supportive companions do something frequently to let those in your life know you love and value them. Doing small things now helps guarantee they will show up when you need them most.

Go for a walk – We all know exercise is good for us, but many of us cannot seem to find the time or resolve to commit to a regular regimen. Studies show there is benefit in short, frequent walks. When in doubt about what to do, grab a pet, friend, neighbor, a kid, or head out on your own and go for a walk. If this becomes a habit, you never know… strength training might be next.

A good night’s sleep – Many of us struggle with getting a full night’s rest and there are numerous reasons for disturbances. Working on all the above things will ensure a better night’s sleep. When you move your body, nourish it physically and emotionally, work on things that bring you joy, and surround yourself with like-minded people who support you, then you have less to worry about and more time in which to sleep well.

It is possible to have a great day almost every day. Make the decision to do so and when life goes off kilter, as it always will, you will have the internal reserve of wellbeing to carry you through your days more easily.

 

 

Debra K. is an author; TV host; and co-founder of two companies in the wellness industry; Well World Productions and imassage, Inc. You can find her on Facebook at Journey into Wellbeing with Debra K and on Twitter @Debra’s Journey.