It’s oftentimes the simplest pleasures in life that bring us the most happiness: eating a delicious meal, talking on the phone with a friend, playing with a pet… the list goes on. But when it comes to repeatable actions we can make part of our routines, or at least a part of the day-to-day multiple times per week, it tends to get more difficult to think of what things we can do consistently to find happiness.
Luckily, there are 3 easy ways to find happiness on a consistent basis doing activities that almost anyone can do. Read on to see what they are:
Go for a Walk/Get Outside
There’s really nothing like going from inside your home to feeling that first breath of fresh air when you step outside. Instantly, you feel like you can (literally) take a deep breath and relax.
Being out in nature feeling the sunlight (or even the rain) and hearing the sounds of birds and nature brings about a sense of peace that cannot be achieved when just sitting inside. Getting your body moving even just for a short 10-15 minutes can make you feel happier and less stressed almost instantly while providing you with health benefits, too.
Next time you’re looking for a relaxing and quick way to get your good vibes flowing, consider going outside and walking or doing another outdoor activity that you enjoy.
Sleep
Ever feel like The Grinch after a bad night’s sleep? Or worse, only sleeping for 4-6 hours? It’s not a coincidence—sleep is an often-overlooked component when it comes to happiness.
Think of it this way: you wake up at 6 am, meditate, make yourself a smoothie, go for a 20-30 minute morning walk, and get started on your work for the day. What if I then told you that you did all of that after getting 4 hours of sleep? Do you think you’d feel very good despite all those other great things you did once the day started? Probably not.
The point is, sleep is an essential component of happiness. If you feel well-rested regularly, your brain is going to function better (yay science!) which in turn will help you hop on the highway to happiness.
Read
In this HuffPost article, the author cites research that found people who read are happier with both themselves and their life in general. Apparently, books can encourage us to make life-changing decisions and inspire us to go after things in life we otherwise might not have, such as traveling to the places we’ve always wanted to go or taking up a new hobby. Not to mention, reading is another form of relaxation, and being relaxed breeds happiness.
So next time instead of sitting mindlessly in front of the TV, try picking up a book and reading for an hour. You’ll find that time will move slower, you’ll feel more relaxed, and in turn can experience a sense of peace and happiness.
Conclusion
You may have noticed a theme in all 3 of the easiest ways to find happiness: being relaxed. Our lives continue to get more and more hectic as time goes by, and with technology, it becomes even more difficult to take a step back and actually relax. When you’re stressed out, it’s near impossible to be happy. But take a moment to think about when you feel happiest. For me, I feel happiest when I’m relaxed; I could be doing anything, but as long as I’m relaxed, I feel happy and content.
These 3 ways are how I’m slowly but surely getting back to basics with finding happiness in life, but there are so many other things you can do, too. I really do believe the biggest key is to chase after things that help relax you, and to remember the importance of slowing down.
I’d love to learn some “easy” ways you find happiness in life, let me know in the comments! And as always, until next time, xoxo.