Living A Happy Life
Can you really live a happy life? Is happiness something that's just an occasional accident or is it something that can be planned and nurtured each day? It turns out, research has shown that we can train our minds to be happier. There are dozens of activities you can do every day to help make happiness a habit. From things like taking care of the little things, to exercising your mind and body, here are some ways we can all live a more happy life.
**The article does not talk about the research on whether or not people with depression should take medication for it - no mention of medications at all.
Don't take medication for depression without your doctor's advice - it won't always help.
You don't need to do anything special or perform any activities that you might not want to do just because someone told you to do so.
Most of the same tips work for being happy as they do being more productive or having more fun!
If you're in a bad mood, some of the things we could all try are:
- Drinking a cup of coffee (but not caffeine-free), listening to music, taking a bath, walking around the block, going outside and getting some sun, playing with pets or kids, exercising and changing your perspective (if this makes sense) - Being grateful: everyday count your blessings. There are always more things to be grateful for - even your breath! If you need a reminder, make affirmations out of them.
- Be patient: feel what you're feeling. If it feels bad, it probably is. None of us like to feel stressed or overwhelmed, but it's for our own good. It helps us focus on happier things.
I wish I could say that I was aware of this list of things before. And I do believe my doctor would agree with most of it, but it's still not enough.
Most people who decide to go on medication, don't know if it will help them or not - they just give it a try. But if they're only trying, and nothing is helping them, they're not really doing much to help themselves feel better.
I've had a lot of sugar (literally) highs in my time - going out with friends and family and just having a lot of fun doing random stuff without thinking of the future. I get bored easily - which is one of the reasons why I've found it difficult to start exercising and being a relatively healthy adult (I tend to eat whatever I want and not feel bad about it).
Living a happy life is not just about trying to do things - it's also about enjoying doing them.
Most of the time, we don't think of what we're going to do when we wake up, especially mornings. We're rushing around getting ready for work, then taking our kids to school or soccer practice or whatever else they have going on that day. Once we get off early enough for us, there are always chores and errands to run around at home before having dinner and going out with friends.
My point is, we don't really think about it when we get up in the morning. We just do it, because we have to.
We can all put a little extra thought into our days and reap the benefits:
- Take some time to remember what you really like doing so that you're not totally unproductive.
- Get enough sleep - a good night's sleep will give you some energy and help clear your mind so that you can being productive and happy during the day.
- If your current job is leaving you stressed out, take the time to look for something different - be honest with yourself (if your boss seems unreasonable or downright cruel, talk to someone who has more seniority at work).
- If you can't find work, see if you can get some volunteer work going - it helps to keep your mind off of things and turns your free time into something that's more productive.
When it comes to being happy though, every person's mind works differently. What works for one person might not work for someone else and that's totally fine! I'm not suggesting that everyone will have the same list of things below.
What works for one person might not work for you.
- Meditate - this is a very simple way to clear your mind and focus on exactly what you want in life: think about what makes you happy and visualize yourself achieving those goals.
- Maintain a positive attitude - not only does this help you see the glass half full, it also takes away the stress of worrying about things that might not happen and stresses you out.
- Use affirmations - these are statements that we make over and over again in our minds that will eventually help us believe them (in other words: these are claims we make in our minds, same as they'd be if they were actual statements). For example, if you wanted to be more patient and happy: "Today I will be loving the future I have today." Or "I am willing to try new things even if they don't work out right off the bat." Or "I meditate everyday so my mind is clear.
Conclusion: I want to thank my doctor for taking his time to discuss my mental health with me. I hope this helps others who are looking for something like this.
I'll be getting my mind clear, but maybe that's just the beginning of the rest of my life...
Some links might not work until you try them again later or go to the page itself: http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/how-to-be-happy?page=2 - WebMD Article: How To Be Happy - This article is geared towards children and teenagers, but some of it can apply to adults too (for example: being grateful, setting goals and sticking to them). http://www.foxnews.