Are you looking for true happiness?
The question of how to find true happiness is an age-old one. It’s plagued the minds of philosophers as early as Plato and Aristotle. We all want to be happy in our lives, but sometimes it can be hard to find happiness, even if everything is going right.
Don’t worry, we can help! Keep reading for these 7 tips for finding happiness in this busy, modern world, and help you build towards a happier life.
1. Set Your Boundaries
If you’re asking yourself the question, “why am I unhappy?” it could be because you’re saying “yes” too much. Finding happiness starts with self-care, learning to be good to yourself, and increasing your quality of life. This includes learning to let yourself say “no”.
It’s easy to take on too much until it overwhelms you in both your work and personal life. You may end up feeling taken advantage of, with no energy, levels of happiness dropping, resenting most of the things in your life.
To fix and avoid this happening, set yourself limits and communicate them to others. Be consistent, keep these limits in place. It’ll create a healthier relationship with yourself and others in your life.
Don’t worry about whether turning people down will seem selfish. It helps to give the people in your life clarity. They will learn what they can expect from you, and it can improve the quality of your relationships.
If, at first, you’re not comfortable with saying a flat out no you can ease into this process. Start with deadlines instead, saying you can do something but only at this set time, or this set day. And you will only spend a set amount of time doing it. Others learn to respect your time and you don’t need to fear any damage to your relationships.
2. Use Aromatherapy
One of the best happiness tips is to start using aromatherapy. There are some essential oils like Lavender and Peppermint that help calm your mind and body. They are also stress-relievers, helping to clear your mind when it’s in overdrive.
When you’ve hit a rut that you’re stuck in, essential oils can give you the boost you need. Citrus helps to wake you up, while ylang ylang and lavender soothe you. Using scents like clove and vanilla will help you feel safe and warm in turbulent times in your life.
It’s a good idea to keep some essential oils of choice in your purse or your work desk. To start with, put a couple of drops onto your palm and rub your hands together. Then, raise your hands to your face to waft the scent.
You can also begin using incense around your home to allow the aromatherapy experience to fill your space. The Buddalife Lavender Incense cones are a great way to create a relaxing atmosphere in your home. Using incense can be a very easy way to achieve peace as they require very little effort and can even add to your home as you can purchase incense burners that are not only effective, but also a lovely decoration in your home. Incense burning is also very satisfactory and a sensual experience.
Aromatherapy can become a ritual, which in itself is a calming and clarifying experience. It also gives you a small moment to take a pause and savour a moment of peace for yourself. Taking stock and appreciating the present moment is the key to achieving a happy life.
3. Meditate
When it comes to how to be happy, meditation could be the key due to the quiet peace it allows you. Many studies suggest focusing in a quiet, intense way for set amounts of time can make you happier. It will lower any feelings of depression or anxiety that you might suffer at that moment.
Studies into people who meditate for the long term (e.g. Buddhist monks) show differences in the brain. Areas that could link to emotional control and heightened awareness are more well-developed.
It could be that people who have brains like this are more likely to become long term meditators. But other studies show that it could indeed change the way a person’s brain works. People who did a meditation program show changes linked to memory, perspective and self-awareness.
If you want to make the most out of meditation though, you need to have the right equipment. Part of that is having a comfortable meditation cushion. The Buddalife Zafu meditation cushion takes you to a state of complete, tranquil relaxation.
You’ll maintain a healthy posture, so you can explore inner peace and find happiness. Its buckwheat hull is firm to support your shifting weight as well as flexible. It takes the stress off of your spine and joints, as well as allows air to flow through to keep you cool.
4. Let Nature Into Your Home
While you’re sprucing up your spirit it can help to spruce up your home too. Another top tip for finding happiness is integrating nature into your living space.
You can do this by adding items like indoor plants, wood and candles. Choose a natural colour scheme (browns, creams, greys and green), and use prints with nature on them.
Some of the best natural colours that provide a boost to your mood include:
- Sky blue
- Violet
- Lavender
- Pale yellow
- Sage green
- Blush pink
If you read the above colour list, it’s like thinking about a meadow on a sunny day, filled with vibrant wildflowers. What you surround yourself within your home will have a big impact on your emotions.
Thinking about how you decorate your home and arrange your items, creates a space that works for you. You can start transforming your home into a sanctuary. It should be a place that encourages healthy habits and increases your happiness.
Studies show that bringing nature into your home can reduce your stress levels. It’s a process known as Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing and it can help the flow of positive emotions.
A good place to start is with indoor plants like palms and ferns. These also have the extra benefit of cleaning the air, freeing you from some indoor air pollution. Use sound machines or apps that play natural sounds (birds singing, running rivers, etc.). This will help set the tone for bringing the outdoors in.
Buddalife offers a range of indoor plants that are both beautiful additions to any space, big or small, and have an incredible calming effect, allowing you to feel one with nature.
5. Get More Exercise
Exercise is a proven way to increase the chemicals that your brain releases to make you feel good. So, another one of the best tips on how to be happy is to increase the amount of exercise you’re getting. It can help lower stress and provide relief from anxiety and depression.
Those changes don’t take long to feel either. Studies show that even as little as 20 minutes of exercise can give a boost to your mood. And those boosted emotions can last for up to 12 hours after you’ve stopped your workout. Active people are happier with their lives and report being more satisfied.
6. Do Yoga
There are some amazing benefits of yoga, including how it can boost your mood. It doesn’t take years to feel the benefit, your brain’s GABA levels boost after only 1 hour of yoga. Higher gamma-aminobutyric levels (GABA) provide lower levels of anxiety and depression.
For those willing to stick to it, that immediate boost can lead to long term better health and happiness. This manifests in a reduction of anger, fatigue and anxiety. The biochemical changes help you achieve better physical and mental health.
You’ll feel stronger and more positive and reduce negative emotion levels in no time. Learning how to focus your breathing provides a technique you can use in high-stress situations. It’s another way to ground yourself to a moment, take a pause and relax. Yoga builds up the connection between your body and mind, teaching you how to be more in tune with yourself.
Meditation and yoga can also help with improving life satisfaction and has been considered an important part of positive psychology, which will help you increase your happiness level and improve your daily life while coming with a plethora of health benefits and healthy daily habits.
But like meditation, if you want to make the best of yoga you need the right equipment too. The most important piece of equipment for yoga is your mat, and it’s crucial to have a comfortable one.
The Buddalife Biocrystal Yoga Mat uses calming technology to help regulate your oxygen intake, creating a peaceful, serene state. Combined with 3 fabric layers, 2 cork layers wrapped around a biocrystal layer, our mat offers ultimate comfort during your yoga routine. It will spring back into shape after every use due to the natural cork layers.
The biocrystal layer can help lower your stress level and helps relieve muscle tension. It also can help reduce the impact of EMF energy around you. Made with 100% natural crystal, there are no side effects or additives, you only get the anti-stress benefits.
7. Reduce the Clutter Around You
Are you getting bogged down with books and paper piles everywhere you look? Do you have a bunch of mail sitting on the table, untouched? It’s a good idea to take on a task each day for a month, to start organising and removing that clutter.
What makes us happy is seeing progress, and this is a sure way to see that. Not to mention, when you’re not rushing around for an item you can’t find, it will reduce your stress. You’ll be able to see every surface, and everything will have a space in your home, decluttering having an overall positive affect on your mood.
A tidy home allows for a tidy mind, boosting your happiness for living in that space. Decluttering always makes people happier, and you won’t regret looking at a certain area or opening a certain room. Set yourself up to be in a position where you know what you need to do each day before you leave the house. You know which bills to post, where you stored the lunchboxes and where your car keys sit.
Achieving Happiness is Easy When You Know Where to Start
So, there you have it! Being happy is easy when you know where to start and have the will to do it. No one else can do it for you, happiness comes from within and it’s something you need to achieve for yourself.
Start small and make changes a day at a time. Start increasing your exercise, take a yoga class or practice some meditation. Larger projects like redecorating and decluttering, take them slowly as well. You can also spend more time around happy people, which can fill you up with energy.
There is no rush, so long as you’re taking time to be mindful of yourself and your wellbeing.
For all the tools to start your journey towards happiness, check us out at Buddalife. We’re your health & wellness community for personal, planet & animal health.