Happiness - it is something we all aim for, along with wellness, money, and achievement among other things. However, finding happiness in everyday life can be challenging.
Happiness can seem momentarily or at least feel like it from time to time.
In life, we all have our defined path to walk. Everyone on this planet is looking for ways to make their life easier. In a way, we all wish to walk the path of happiness. For each of us, the meaning of happiness might be different. However, the emotion or the feeling remains the same.
What is happiness?
Happiness is a state of mind portrayed by sentiments of joy, contentment, and a sense of fulfillment in life. While happiness has diverse definitions, it is a state of well-being.
While Buddha says,
"There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path"
What stops you from being happy?
It is an open secret that your state of happiness can get affected by certain situations. It is always a good idea to keep the environment around you positive and keep the inner calm at all times.
Here are some things that you avoid to keep your vibes positive.
5 Things that hinders your pursuit of happiness
1. Overthinking
Overthinking is the state of thinking about something too much with or without reason. Overthinking can cause problems such as insomnia (lack of sleep), a sense of uneasiness, digestion problems, etc. You can resolve this issue by changing your lifestyle and consulting a health professional. Hypertension is caused by elevated levels of stress. Your reaction to stress may affect your blood pressure. The body produces hormones when you're in a stressful situation. These hormones momentarily increase your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster.
Try mediation or yoga. Consult a professional for help if overthinking causes any form of physical or mental uneasiness.
2. Keeping Expectations:
It might be the most anticipated item on the list. Here is how expectation leads to sadness. Keeping any expectations may lead to disappointments as well as heartbreak.
It will, in turn, affect a person's mood and overall well-being.
It is better not to expect anything in return and keep living your life. Never burden yourself with expectations of any kind. Google X's chief business officer explains the happiness equation.
3. Avoiding problems and Procrastinating
It is the root cause of all worries and stress.
All problems have their solution. Some might be as simple as screwing a light bulb into a socket. Issues shouldn't be left unresolved for long periods.
Instead of facing their problems or fears, some people prefer to ignore them completely. It is sometimes called the Ostrich Effect.
What is the Ostrich Effect?
It is the behavior where the people avoid present issues and put their head in the sand(metaphor) like an Ostriches have this (fictional behavior) habit of sticking their head in beneath the sand when they sense danger. It is an analogy that explains people's general response to fear or uncertainty.
It is a behavior where a person is trying to avoid present problems by ignoring them.
The longer you wait, the longer your misery is going to last.
It is a tendency that most people have when they are under pressure or maybe they are too lazy to act.
Most people suffer because they avoid their present problems and delay acting on them until it is too late to do anything.
Solve Issues at present don't leave anything for the future. In this way, you don't have these issues left that might bother you in the future.
The article discusses this in Length.
4. Toxic relationship
Being in a bad or unhealthy relationship with a friend or significant other has toxic mental health consequences and leads to various physical and mental health issues.
Peace of mind is an essential part of our mental health and, it directly affects our happiness. Some research studies have shown that satisfying relationships are associated with improved health, eternal happiness, among other things.
Why do relationships make you happy?
Relationships provide acceptance, care, and security, and they’re one of the most significant keys to satisfaction and well-being. We serve from friendly and nurturing relations.
5. Bad lifestyle choices
We make life choices that sometimes come back to haunt us. Some directly affect our physical or mental health issues like eating habits and substance abuse. Others are more subtle such as ignoring mental health concerns and lack of physical activity.
So, either directly or indirectly, lifestyle choices can affect your mood or happiness in general.
Here are some example of bad lifestyle choices
Drinking
Smoking
Excess consumption of Fast Food
Lack of physical activity
Living in Stress or Anxiety
Substance Abuse problem
Insufficient Sleep
improper Hygiene
Ignoring Mental Health issues such as Anxiety.
Steps for Happy in Life | Some Attractive ideas
Finding happiness within yourself. One must have some form of peace in their heart if they wish to feel blissful in life.
1. Get a pet
Your furry friend can bring an immense amount of joy that is irreplaceable. It doesn't matter if your a cat person or a dog person. Pets are simply a great way of getting the heart-warming feeling. If you like having this warm and fuzzy feeling then, you should adopt an animal or get a pet for yourself.
Note that it is not easy to have a pet around. It is almost as demanding as raising a child but, it is proven to be fruitful for your well-being.
2. Choose Healthy Habits
It might not be a well-known fact but food habits and affect your mood.
You can improve your health and mood in that case you can try some activities. Generally, people either skip meals or avoid exercising.
Exercise
According to this article by Harvard medical school
Exercise can reduce stress and promote happy hormones in the body.
It can help you reduce all the stress and negativity. You can channel your negative energy into something healthy and productive.
Avoid skipping meals
Don't avoid any meal, especially breakfast. Skipping meals can have negative results on the body. If you have a habit of skipping your meals regularly, then that's an issue. It can exert tremendous physical and mental stress.
Reading
It is an effective way to relax your mind and distract it from the sorrows of life. Most people find reading enlightening. Some find people think of it as a medium to escape reality momentarily. And get lost in the realm of magic, sci-fi, and the world of espionage, etc. Reading is a healthy habit to pursue if wish to pleasure and reenergizes your brain cells.
2. Appreciate Life
Always be grateful for what you have in life. Always be thankful for things you have not the things you lost. Cherish your life over other things. You can only appreciate life completely if you know yourself well. There is a purpose to your life it is essential to know your purpose.
First, Know Yourself and find purpose in your life It may be one of the most challenging things to do in life.
It might be strange to hear but, you know the least about yourself. It is pretty tricky to observe yourself from a distance. Try asking a close friend or significant others to describe you as if they were describing someone else to you.
There is a lot that you can learn once you know yourself such as, vice and virtue. That you may know not know about earlier. It will help you make realistic discussions and assist you in keeping realistic expectations.
Expectations lead to disappointments.
And disappointments lead to unhappiness which is an open secret.
Treat yourself in a way you would treat someone you love
We got the inspiration for this one from Jordan B Peterson's book. Jordan B Peterson is a Canadian professor of psychology and a clinical psychologist. His book called 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos details many such rules for life. You read his book for complete information.
3. Maintain a journal
Keeping a journal helps your write down your goals and dreams. Writing down our objectives allows us to articulate our thoughts clearly.
Make it a habit to update your journal every day.
You can install apps that act as a journal as well as a mood tracker and, these apps can help you keep track of your mood. You can analyze this data later to improve your daily routine as well as enhance your regular mood.
4. Prioritize your Sleep
It is no hidden secret that sleep plays a vital role in physical and mental health. Lack of sleep can cause depression, anxiety disorder, ADHA, etc. There is a strong relationship between sleep and happiness. One must make sure that they are getting enough sleep. Sleeping assists your body to work in its most optimal capacity.
How much sleep is required?
According to CDC's website, here is how many hours of sleep you need to get daily.
Weekly Activities that can help with your mood
Go out in nature(Nature walk)
Work out
Consider therapy
Exercise your Smiling(Try smiling as much as possible except for funerals, try that at your own risk)
Go!! Travel new destinations(Any place new)
Practice Yoga n Mediation(Find your Zen)
Try deep breaths exercise.
5. Join a Hobby Group
Find a group that shares your hobby or interest to keep you engaged over the weekend. Many such groups provide a platform to share a common interest like a book reading club or rock climbing groups etc.
There are various activities and hobbies to try on as a group or individually.
Here are some Recreational Activities: Swimming, Dancing, Golf, Chess, Bowling etc.
Leisure Activities: Picnics, Painting, Dining out, Bicycling etc.
Hobbies: Photography, Playing music, Volunteering, Home decorating, Gardening, Astronomy etc.
Bonus: Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an excellent technique to improve your mood and happiness. It requires concentrating on the immediate moment and observing feelings and emotions without judging them. Simply recognizing these sensations, rather than striving against them, can help release their potency and negativity.
Conclusion
Happiness means feeling blissful or joyful for the most part.
One must never shy away from seeking advice from a medical professional if one faces any issues. These issues can arise from both physical or mental disorders. Things like anxiety and depression are manageable if you reach out to a certified medical professional.
Being healthy is the first step towards a happier life. It is best to create a social and personal ecosystem that helps you grow as an individual. These include subtle everyday things like maintaining a journal, spending time with friends or family, etc.
In the end, it is up to you what you wish to do with your life. You are the writer and actor of your own story. You can shape your own reality if you desire to be happy in life and work towards it. Nothing will stop you from achieving it.