Has happiness always felt elusive? Do you relinquish control of your happiness to outside sources? Relying on situations out of your control to make you happy is a sure-fire strategy to do just the opposite leaving you disappointed and frustrated that the elusive feeling of happiness has once again slipped through your fingers.
The simple truth is that you are in control of your own happiness and your own thoughts. Most likely, you have heard this solution many times before. And unfortunately, the next thing you probably heard was to “choose to be happy.” It is not that simple.
The state of happiness is not obtained solely by choice and without effort. Instead, you must create happiness in your life. Just like achieving financial wellbeing, you must follow a path of action – one which often relies on making more productive and positive choices in your life. Below, you will find five positive actions you start taking today to create happiness in your life.
Make it a Morning Routine
Don’t just roll out of bed each morning, grab your smartphone and slouch over to your coffee pot. Instead, make it a point to start each day with a heaping spoonful of positivity. Each day when you wake up, you can take a few actions to give yourself a better chance of creating a positive, happy experience. In fact, here are five simple steps to create a morning routine which will help you start each day with the intention of creating happiness in your life.
Happiness Maintenance
Do you have a daily plan which allows time for self-care? To maintain the ability to create happiness, you must focus some time each day for self-maintenance. You need to cut off your smartphone, give yourself permission to put yourself first, and spend distraction-free time alone in your sacred space. Make self-care an integral part of your daily happiness maintenance plan to better your chances of having the healthy energy you’ll need to create your own happiness.
Take Steps to Identify and Manage Stress
Stress will rob you of your energy and right to be happy. Some stress, like financial stress, are easily identifiable. However, there are also many hidden stress signals which are masking hidden causes of stress. You must first learn to identify how stress affects you personally. Then, you need to take positive actions – like the ones in the two steps above to manage stress and keep it from depleting your energy and happiness.
Get Moving!
When was the last time you went for a walk, practiced yoga, or took the time to actually use the gym membership you purchased as part of your New Year’s resolution? A daily exercise routine is a simple daily action which will deliver huge returns on your investment when it comes to creating happiness. Exercise will eliminate stress, release endorphins and deliver a tankful of energy to your body making it easier to tackle your daily challenges and to follow your “create your own happiness” routine.
Offer a Helpful Hand
Start seeking out opportunities to offer a helpful hand (or just a listening ear). Helping others will boost your self-confidence, give you a sense of self-worth and make you feel included. Whether you find a weekly volunteering opportunity, lend an ear to a friend in need or even take the time to offer helpful advice in the FTN Forum, caring for others is an excellent way to create happiness in your own life.
Written By Reeta Wolfsohn, CMSW
Don’t Choose Happiness: Choose to Create Your Happiness was originally published @ Financial Therapy Network and has been syndicated with permission.
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