Sunday, November 7, 2010

7 Ways to Get Happy Fast


How to Make Yourself Feel Happy In a Few Minutes!

Wouldn't it be amazing if you had the power to make yourself feel happy at any time no matter what may be going wrong in your life?

The truth is you have this capacity right now. All you have to do is use it. Just like anything, practice makes perfect and training is everything. The more you train your mind to be able to make yourself feel happy, the easier it will be for you to turn this switch on.

The thing is that what we focus on is what creates the feeling we have. If you are always thinking about the job you don't have or the talent you don't possess, then you will probably feel a little unhappy. Now, if you think of the one thing you do really well or the one thing good about your job (if you have one, you're lucky!) and you may begin to feel more happy. It really is about what you focus on.
So that being said, what are some ways we can assert control and take our happiness into our own hands on a daily basis.
Here is my list of ways to make yourself feel more happy.


1) Exercise. You may not want to hear this, but exercise is one of the best ways to raise your spirits. You feel great, your muscles are given some good use, and you breathe better. Your physical well-being contributes directly to your feelings of happiness. And I'm not talking about intense gym workouts or five mile runs. Take a twenty minute walk on your lunch break. Walk with a little bit of speed and you'll be amazed how this really unstrenuous activity will put you in a better mood and make you better able to deal with the situations that come your way.

2) Finish one Task you haven't gotten to yet. Everyone has one thing they've been meaning to complete, but never get to it. I say "meaning" because I know they haven't been "wanting" to complete the task. And this is the real trick. Notice how the things we want to do--the fun things, the things that reward us immediately--are the things that get done. And the things that are no fun never seem to get finished.
If you make a quick shift in your mind and look at how good you will feel when the annoying task or job is done, then you will derive happiness from its completion. Shift your mind to see finishing the thing as being a reward.
And only make it one or two tasks that you have to do. Our natural instinct is to make a long list of things we have to do. If your list is only two items long, you will be able to finish your list and feel good about it.


3) Talk to a Co-Worker of person you haven't talked to. We as humans need social interaction to feel good about ourselves. As much as we may try to avoid it in this crowded and me-centered world, we need to talk to people and relate to them. Try talking to a co-worker you haven't talked to before. You may make a friend. It releases tension in yourself when you relate to a new person, and there really is no feeling like having a cool interaction with someone you just met. There's a high you get when you make new people.


4) Control your anger. It's easy to have a little outburst about something, and it may be necessary at times to blow off steam. Instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to a little fight with your boss or friend and getting upset or angry, take a deep breath (how many times have you heard this?) and realize that you are in control of the situation and don't have to get angry. When you get angry, it is like allowing the other person to have control over you. Seriously, think about it--the person you are mad at all of a sudden has this magic power over your body and mind and makes you feel really bad (I'm talking about that anger that courses through your body and makes you feel just terrible).
Don't let this happen next time--why put yourself through that roller coaster emotional ride. Just stay centered and in control. Try it.


5) Smile. I have read that the act of smiling will make you feel happier. When you make yourself smile you are sending behavioral cues to your brain, body, and the rest of the world. You will actually start to feel a little happier. Try it. Actually try this: put a big smile on and try to feel unhappy. I don't think it's possible.

6) Concentrate on the moment. You don't always have to be worrying about the problems in your life or feeling anxious about the things you have to do. You are allowed to just sit and enjoy your life in this moment. Appreciate the rays of the sun hitting your face, fully enjoy your lunch, indulge yourself in fun conversation with a friend. If you allow yourself some "free time" you will recharge your batteries and feel good.


7) Try Something New. I know how corny these things can sound. But this will work. Try something new. Eat at a new restaurant. Read a few pages in a magazine or book about a subject matter you have never thought about. This opens your mind and creates new neural pathways, creating new thoughts and connections in your mind. Feel happy about the new knowledge or the new point of view.
Don't worry, be happy folks. The point of this article isn't that it is not good to feel bad or that you should feel happy all the time. I don't see this as the case. But I really believe that there are many instance in daily life where you don't have to feel bad--instances where, in fact, you can make yourself happy with a small amount of effort.

Let's be honest. It feels a lot better to be happy than it does to feel sad or angry.

Happiness is a State of Mind

It sounds cliche to say that happiness is a state of mind, but it's completely true.  The amazing thing is that you have the ability to change what you think about, thus changing what your mind focuses on.
Once you realize you have the ability to control how you feel, happiness happens.  It's pretty amazing.  If you have the strength to tell yourself that you don't need to be concentrating on the negative all the time, you open yourself up to thinking positively.
It's so much better to think about the things that are possible and the things you want to do, rather than thinking about all the things you've missed out on or all the things you don't think you can do.

No comments:

Post a Comment