How to Live a Happier Life: Top 10 Happiness Hacks

culled from:by Nichola

As much as we’d all love to be happy permanently, sometimes life can get in the way of that ideal. There are countless things that can shower us in sadness for a time but, in my opinion, we shouldn’t let them stop us. We only get one life so it’s important that we make the most of it and live each moment to the fullest spreading happiness as we go.
That said, here are my top 10 tips on how to live a happier life:

#1 Enjoy the Great Outdoors

In this day and age, the majority of us spend most of our time indoors. We work indoors, we study indoors, we relax indoors, and somehow everything outside gets forgotten about for the most part. Studies suggest that people who get outside for at least 30 minutes each day and enjoy the fresh air are much happier than those who are cooped up indoors. You don’t have to do much either; simply taking a quick stroll, feeding the ducks at the river, or enjoying your local landmarks will do the trick and will leave you feeling happier in no time.

#2 Sleep More

I don’t know about you, but I was overjoyed to hear that sleeping more can actually make us much happier in the long run. If we get between eight and nine hours of deep sleep per night, we’re much less likely to be influenced by other people’s negative emotions and any bad things going on around us. We won’t be blind to these bad things, but we’ll be able to remove ourselves from the situation and see the bigger, happier picture. Fancy a lie-in anyone?

#3 Follow Your Gut Instinct

Recent studies show that people who follow their gut instinct on a daily basis opposed to doing what they feel society wants them to do are much happier in the short- and long-term. By putting ourselves first and doing what our gut tells us, we’re guaranteed to live happier and more fulfilled lives.

#4 Keep Your Body Healthy

Healthy people are happy people – fact. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day and a (mostly) clean diet can turn your attitude and your life around in just a matter of days. If your body is feeling happy on the inside, then this is guaranteed to show on the outside. You need not do much to keep your body healthy either; a quick 30 minute walk and switching chocolate for fruit will almost instantly provide you with astonishing results.

#5 Surround Yourself with Happy People

We’re influenced by the people around us so it stands to reason that if we’re surrounded by negative people, we’re bound to be somewhat unhappy. Take a look at all your close friends and family – could they be the reason you’ve been feeling low lately? If so, perhaps consider keeping them at arms’ length for a while and maybe even see how you can help put a smile on their faces as well as yours.

#6 Treat Yourself

Okay, okay, treating yourself is a material fix and not the way to long term happiness but for those days when you need a quick pick-me-up then indulging in a facial, a new pair of shoes, or a cinema ticket is perfect. Grab a few positive friends and hit the shops, focusing entirely on what you need and want and you’ll be smiling radiantly in no time.

#7 Always Look on the Bright Side

In recent years, studies have been carried out on groups of both optimistic people and pessimistic people and (surprise, surprise!) the optimistic people lead on a whole much happier lives. No matter how bad your situation is, try to look on the bright side and see the good in your life. Think of all the things you’re grateful for and think about just how blessed you truly are. If you start thinking happier thoughts, you’re bound to become happier inside and outside in no time.

#8 Learn to Forgive and Forget

Hatred can destroy a person from the inside out, which is why it’s important that we learn to forgive and forget. Holding onto your past will only serve to bring you down so learn to let go, move forward, and build a happier life for yourself.

#9 Focus on Doing Good Deeds

By doing just one good deed each day for another person, you’ll instantly feel happier and more whole inside. Bringing just a little sunshine to someone else’s life is the perfect way to make yourself feel good while making a difference in the world. Sure, helping someone cross the street or donating to charity might not make a world of difference to you but it may make the world of difference to someone else, and that’s something you should feel awesome about.

#10 Smile Constantly!

Last, but not least, the final trick to finding happiness is smiling. I know, I know, you can only smile when you’re already happy, right? Wrong! It turns out that smiling, even when you’re feeling down, tricks your brain into thinking you’re happy and, low and behold, you become happy! This is a great trick to brighten your day instantly, and seeing your happy smile is guaranteed to brighten the day of everyone you meet, too.