Article in brief: Sometimes it only takes some minor ideas to live a happier life, however, nowadays people are so bombarded with books and blogs for positivity it is very difficult to know what to do.
“Living a happier life” is a cliché that has been used and abused by many over the years. There are hundreds of books, and thousands of blogs and motivational speakers who claim that their message is the key to happiness, however, knowing which of these work is the tricky part.
This article revolves around only 5 ideas that have been extracted from reading many books and research based articles, and also through personal trial and error. Under each idea, the concept and the method of execution will be explained.
- Breathe
- The concept: breathing isn’t anything new, it is the 1st thing humans do and the last, but breathing isn’t necessarily something your body does to stay alive. When shutting out everything from the mind and concentrating on the sound of your breathing, the body starts to relax allowing the person a break from the stresses of life and instantly lightning up ones mood.
- The method:
i. Lay still for a minimum of 2 minutes and maximum of 10 minutes at least once a day and up to 5 times a day.
ii. Shut out all thoughts and ideas from your mind.
iii. Listen to your breathing and nothing else.
- Connect
- The concept: people are so busy all day long thinking about tasks, problems, issues, life, work, friends and so on, they forget to stop and look around them. Everyone has been through cases where they suddenly notice a building has come up or a new shop has opened or that someone walked right past them without them noticing. Connecting with the surroundings offers a great opportunity of living in the moment and not thinking about the million other things that are going on.
- The method:
i. Leave your phone and all other distractions aside.
ii. Look around you and take in your surroundings, think about the colors around you, the temperature, your posture, and the sounds you hear.
iii. Forget about everything else.
- Concentrate
- The concept: when concentrating in doing something, even if it is eating, the awareness and full dedication to what is happening now and in the present allows a person to fully indulge in the task. This allows a person to feel happy if the food is good, helps in reducing stress while working, and eliminates distractions to help the stream of thoughts to continue and hence the task to be accomplished faster.
- The method:
i. Sit in a comfortable place.
ii. Minimize distractions.
iii. Concentrate on the task at hand.
iv. Resist the distractions.
- Practice hobbies
- The concept: a hobby is a skill a person has that doesn’t necessary reflect their professional or educational experience. It is a distraction that also has rewards. Practicing a hobby regularly helps increase one’s morals and feel more satisfied with their accomplishments without the stress of performing tasks related to work or school. Having a variety of hobbies is good, especially if a person gets bored quickly or has hobbies that can’t be practiced at anytime.
- The method:
i. Dedicate a time for the hobby.
ii. Practice it and increase your skill in it.
iii. Don’t make it competitive as competition leads to stress.
- Release
- The concept: letting go is very difficult, but the sooner a person lets go of what is bothering them the happier they will be, although it is one of the more difficult tasks, releasing your grip over anything that might cause you discomfort like a fight with a loved one, a job, or exams.
- The method:
i. Take a deep breath and while exhaling release whatever you are gripping and let it be.
ii. Do not think about it at all.
iii. Live and let live.
By trying these methods and perhaps choosing one or two that suits the person best, an effect in reduction of stress levels and an elevated sense of happiness can be felt within a week. The best results however are only shown by regular practice of these method on a long period of time.
