Self-Help

There are many ways to create a greater sense of happiness in your life, but one of the simplest and most powerful is by giving to others.  Why does giving to others make you feel happier?

• You Minimize Your Own Troubles

Focusing on what you can do for people in need is a great way to put your own problems into perspective.  By nature we tend to magnify our own problems and think they’re much worse than they really are – but encountering someone who is experiencing even greater challenges sure changes that outlook quickly!  It’s not that your own problems vanish just because you see someone who’s worse off than you are, but rather you gain a bit more perspective and realize that your struggles could be much worse than they are.

• You Focus More On Abundance

When you give to others, you automatically switch your focus from lack to abundance – even if you’re not giving financially!  Focusing more on your problems and difficulties can’t help but result in a keen awareness of lack, but by giving of yourself to those in need you are essentially affirming that you have “more than enough” – which will translate into all areas of your life as a focus on abundance.

• Blessing Others Just Feels Good!

It doesn’t matter if you’re making a financial donation or sharing your time or other resources – it just feels good to help others.  That feeling also grows when you make giving a regular habit, regardless of the size of the contributions.  The more you do for others, the better you’ll feel about yourself.  If you want to enhance that good feeling even further, give anonymously.  You’ll be blessing others without expecting to receive anything in return; and instead allow giving to be its own reward – which makes the reward that much sweeter!

You may feel that you don’t have anything to give to others right now – and this is especially true if you’re experiencing serious financial troubles or other lack.  However, giving in ANY way can immediately make you feel happier and more abundant!

Become a mentor for children or young adults.  Do you have specialized skills or training?  Donate your expertise to a non-profit organization for a few hours a week.  Are you good at making others laugh and feel good?  Volunteer at a hospital or elderly care facility.  There are endless ways to reach out to others, and only a few of them involve money.

If you truly have nothing else to give, become a “goodwill ambassador” and make it your mission to go around spreading kind words and support to the people you meet each day.  When you notice that a public servant is having a bad day, say something to make them smile.  Compliment your co-workers.  Express your appreciation to a police officer, firefighter or soldier.  Tip your waiter, hair stylist and cab driver generously, or leave a handwritten note thanking them for the excellent service. 

These are all such small gestures – but they have a huge impact, both on the one who receives and the one who gives…

Welcome back!

When you’re striving to create a greater sense of happiness in your life, paying attention to your spiritual practice may be beneficial because it’s often been purported that spiritual people are generally happier than people without a defined spiritual practice. 

You may find that hard to believe if you don’t consider yourself to be a spiritual person, but take a peek at some of the benefits of a spiritual practice below and then consider whether they might contribute to a greater sense of happiness in your own life too:

1) Universal Guidance And Support 

Let’s face it; life’s trials and challenges can often leave you feeling battered and alone.  A strong belief that you’re being guided and supported by universal forces can help you feel stronger and better able to cope with difficulties and disappointments.

2) Purpose And Meaning 

Belief in an afterlife may make you feel happier and more secure because you’ll know that your trials and tribulations aren’t without meaning or purpose.  Knowing that you’ll go on from here to a better place may provide a measure of comfort and hope to sustain you through difficult times.

3) Deeper Connection To Others 

It’s easy to perceive yourself as being separate and distinct from other people, which can result in a sense of isolation and disconnection.  However, with a spiritual foundation comes a greater awareness of your interconnectedness with everyone and everything around you.  This awareness can help you feel more connected even if it doesn’t show up in obvious ways in your outer circumstances. 

4) Seeing The Bigger Picture 

Spiritual beliefs can give you an expanded view of life that you wouldn’t otherwise have.  Rather than seeing only the physical characteristics of people and the world itself, you realize that there is more to life than just the physical things you can see and touch.

5) Deeper Inner Connection 

Lack of spiritual beliefs can often make you feel like your life is empty and meaningless, while a strong spiritual foundation can help you see that there is a deeper part of you.  You might call this your soul, spirit, essence or divinity, but the name doesn’t matter as much as the realization that this part of you is timeless, infinite and wise – which helps you feel like “more” than you would as a limited physical person.

There are many more benefits to be gained from a spiritual practice, but only you can say whether such a practice would help you to feel happier in your everyday life.

It’s important to note that spirituality and religion are two distinct practices.  You may feel resistant to spiritual practices because of negative religious experiences when you were younger, but a spiritual practice can be quite different and pleasing. 

For example, taking walks in nature could be considered a spiritual practice.  Sitting quietly and journaling your deepest thoughts and feelings could be considered a spiritual practice too.

If you like the idea of a deeper life experience that contributes to greater overall happiness, choose a spiritual practice that interests and inspires you – whether it involves religion or not. 

Simply follow your heart to the right type of spiritual expression for you, and you won’t be able to help feeling more centered, fulfilled – and happy!

A daily practice of gratitude can help keep you feeling happy more often, simply because gratitude smoothes the rough edges in your life and keeps you focused on the good stuff, rather than obsessing about things that might detract from your sense of happiness.

Below you’ll find three simple ways to use gratitude to be happier every day:

1) Be Grateful For The Blessings You Have Now 

Obviously, focusing on the positive aspects of your circumstances helps you feel happy and content but it’s very easy to slip into a negative focus and see only problems and obstacles.  Make it a habit to consciously focus on the good stuff as often as possible. 

You can keep a written gratitude journal, or simply recite a mental list of things to be grateful for each night before you go to sleep.  If you’re dealing with a lot of problems or upsets in your life right now, you may not think you have much to be grateful for, but even the small things can make you feel more fortunate.  Give thanks for the people in your life, beloved pets, your health, freedom and more.  Take nothing for granted, and you’ll soon realize just how blessed you are.

2) Be Grateful And Optimistic About The Good Things On Their Way To You 

One reason you may feel dissatisfied with your life is because you believe it will always be this way.  However, just because you can’t see any way to improve your circumstances now doesn’t mean that miracles can’t show up later. 

Instead of getting mired in pessimism and doubt, affirm and know that the things you want are on the way.  Give thanks for these things as if you know with absolute certainty that they will be yours.  The more you do this, the happier you’ll feel – and that happiness will continue to grow as your circumstances improve.

3) Make Mountains Out of Molehills

Have you ever made a big deal over a minor problem and blown it all out of proportion?  Most of us have.  While that’s typically a bad thing to do, you can turn it around and make it a GOOD thing.  Make a huge deal out of every tiny blessing and good thing that happens to you. 

Did you win $5.00 on an instant scratch ticket?  Whoop and holler about it (even if only mentally)!  Allow yourself to be overcome with the same amount of gratitude you’d feel if you won $50,000.00.  When someone pays you a compliment, allow yourself to feel wonderful about it.  When anything good happens, mentally turn it into a GREAT experience.

You may notice that these gratitude exercises have one common theme:  they are all about PERCEPTION.  In every situation there are positives and negatives, and your mood and mind-set are very much the result of what you choose to focus on the most.  Choose pessimism and lack, and you’ll feel miserable. 

Choose gratitude and joy, and you’ll feel happy!

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by worry, you know how difficult it is to feel happy at the same time.  Worry and happiness are by nature complete opposites; they cannot co-exist. 

When you worry, you’re focusing more on the negative side of a situation – wondering what might happen that will challenge your ability to cope, or otherwise dreading negative events.  When you’re happy, you’re not focusing on the negative side but rather affirming all that’s good in your life.

The problem that many people face is figuring out how to minimize worry and spend more time feeling happy.  Below you’ll find five easy ways to transform worry into a genuine state of happiness:

1) Find Something To Laugh About

Laughter automatically relaxes you and makes you feel less anxious.  Turn on the television and watch a funny sitcom for a half hour, or pop a comedy film into the DVD player and have yourself a good belly laugh.  If you’re not at home or the television isn’t available, simply play a funny movie in your mind!  Think about a memory from the past that made you laugh and relive it again.  Or buy some good joke books and keep them handy for the next time you need some lighthearted fun.

2) Dance

It’s hard to feel uptight and anxious when you’re boogieing to the beat of some great music!  If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try out some new dance moves and allow yourself to get silly.  Grab a hairbrush and sing into the handle.  Put a lampshade on your head.  Don’t worry about what other people think; if it makes you feel good you’re on the right track!

3) Clean House

There are two ways that cleaning can ease worry and anxiety:  First, the physical activity itself can provide an excellent outlet for tension.  As you scrub, mop, vacuum, dust and neaten your surroundings, you purge the tension from your mind and body and focus your full attention on the tasks at hand – which helps you disconnect from worrisome thoughts.  Secondly, when you’re finished cleaning you can sit back and enjoy a much calmer, cleaner and harmonious environment, which automatically helps you feel more relaxed and happy.

4) Make An Investment In Cheer

Gazing at something cheerful and uplifting can ease anxiety and worry too!  Buy a bouquet of flowers for your home or workspace, or purchase some soothing artwork to hang on the walls.  Even a wall calendar with soothing or cheerful pictures can provide a positive focus and help ease worry.

5) Stimulate Your Senses

Besides looking at cheerful or soothing surroundings, you may want to stimulate your other senses too.  Try baking something delicious and allowing the scents of vanilla, cinnamon, or nutmeg to fill your home with warmth and comfort.  Put on your favorite comfy clothes and curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  Enjoy a warm, scented bubble bath or buy a set of soft flannel sheets for your bed.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter what you do to ease worry, as long as you’re doing something that comforts or uplifts you and helps you to focus on happier thoughts.  When you do this, you automatically blot out worry and shift immediately into a happier state of mind.