So many of us fixate on the wrong things. We chase a pipe dream that if we can manage to get this promotion, that car, or the date that person we’ll be
happy. It doesn’t work like that. Happiness isn’t externally determined. It’s a state of mind and though the outside world can certainly influence your
mind, you are in a much better position to do so than they outside the world will ever be.
Happy and healthy people can be found in all walks of life, in all income categories and in all demographics. They are everywhere. So are the miserable
ones. Which group do you want to be a part of?
So let’s look at some principles that healthy and happy people have.
They monitor their outlook
The first step is to spend enough time being inwardly-focused and paying attention to what’s going on in your own mind. Often, if you’re simply aware of
your own negativity with will-of-mind alone you can shift your perspective.
Now, I’m not saying this will always be enough. The outside world obviously matters. At the same time, if you spend no time making certain you’re inwardly
positive, whatever happens outside on the street, in your house, and in your life will make absolutely no difference.
For that matter, whenever you find yourself descending into negative thoughts, take a moment to realize something that you can be positive about or can be
grateful for. Yes, that’s hard – nobody ever said that being happy was easy – but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
They sleep enough
Sleep is so crazily important. The benefits are just tremendous.
You’ll:
and the list goes on.
This isn’t news either. Most people know it. You’d think people would spend more time sleeping well, wouldn’t you?
And yet report after report tells us that we do not sleep enough as a nation. Forty-five percent of Americans admit they had poor of inefficient sleep
in the last seven days. So if you’re on the wrong side of that statistics, start taking steps to change that. First of all, stop believing that you can get
by on only 6 hours of sleep. Only 5% of us can do that (And I’m certainly not part of that group).
They spend time with loved ones
Loneliness has been compared to smoking
in terms of health effects. That’s right, smoking! It risks your chance of diabetes and a whole host of other factors. And that while hanging out with the
people we love is one of the best ways to feel happy and healthy.
So make certain that you schedule some family time regularly. A great idea is to make certain that you’ve got meals together every day.
Another great idea is to spend time planning your next holiday together. Sometimes simply the anticipation of going somewhere is enough to lift spirits and
make everybody feel better. So, don’t just spend time on the weekend together.
Instead, spend some time during the week (maybe at dinner time?) considering how everybody would like to spend their weekend and how you can all do it
together. If you can actually pull it off, all the better. That doesn’t need to be the goal, however. Simply investing in a group fantasy can already lift
spirits.
They ration their screen time
There need to be moments in your life when devices are nowhere nearby. For example, when you’re spending time with your family.
Yes, they’re wonderful during certain moments, for example when you’re sitting on the train on your way to work. But at other times they’re just
distractions keeping you from paying attention to the things that matter most. You have to remember we’re just animals and we will get distracted by shiny
things. The only way we can prevent that from happening is to not be around shiny things.
So, learn to ration your time with them and you’ll enjoy your time on them and off them all the more.
They take action
You are responsible for your own happiness. If you are unhappy you are the one who can stop it. Don’t look to others to solve your problems. If you wait
for other people to take care of your problems for you then you are a victim. If you solve your own problems, then you get to be the protagonist, the hero,
the driving force in your life.
And so, be certain to look inward, look to yourself and look what you have to change about who you are to be happy.
Because though for many people it’s the last place to look it should always be the first. After all, when you’re happy, the world smiles with you.
Diana Beyer is experienced and self-driven media expert at http://essaywriting.education/ . Her purpose is to share values amid those interested. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth.