New Habits That Will Make You Happier

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In the past few months, I have been working really hard to become happier. Let’s say it, it’s not easy to be happy. Life just carries us away and every day starts to look the same.

We wake up, get ready to work, work, go home, have dinner, watch TV and go to bed.

But you can create new habits to help you become happier.

Here are my favorites!

Exercise

I cannot repeat enough the importance of exercising to become happier. Studies have shown that when you work out, your body creates happy chemicals or neurotransmitters (Serotonin and Dopamine), endorphins, and endocannabinoids.

So it’s important to start a workout routine. You can begin with only one class or select a day to go to the gym. Test things out and create your routine slowly so you will be able to stick to your new habits!

Smile

I always try to smile, especially at work. Every time I cross someone in the corridor I smile at them and most of the time they smile back at me

It’s actually a good way to connect with people you don’t know. It usually starts with a smile and then you will say “hi” until one day you take the time to stop and talk to each other.

So smile every time you see someone!

Spend money on others

I love buying things for people. Baby showers, bachelorette parties, birthdays, … I always try to find the perfect gift for my friends.And now I understand why. According to studies directed by Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, and Michael I. Norton, a Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, people are happier when they spend money on others than themselves.

You can read more details and discover 6 extensions that will help you give while shopping online in this article.

Meditate

Meditation will help you focus on the present and let go of stress. Scientific studies have found a lot of benefits in practicing meditation regularly.

Here are just a few benefits:

• It reduces depression
• It helps with learning and memory
• It helps to improve your focus

You can find a complete list of the benefits of meditation on liveanddare.com.

It can be difficult to start practicing mindfulness, I know it was for me, this why I shared my best tips for beginning creating a regular practice.

Check out: 11 Meditation Tips You Need To Know When You Start

Walk during the day

Every day at work I take a walk during lunch with my coworker or go to the lake by myself.

In the afternoon I also need a break from my computer and usually walk around the building to get some fresh air.

Walking will help you take a break from your work, relax, and get new ideas!

You can go by yourself or ask if one of your coworkers or neighbors want to become a walking buddy.

Eat better

When I was listening to the audiobook it starts with food (you can get it for free by clicking here) I discovered that happiness starts with what we put inside our body. I won’t go into details, but eating healthy will help you reduce your depressive symptoms.

You can find more about how eating healthier during 30 days changed my life in this article.

Have a good night sleep

Once again science has linked the effect of your sleep to your physical and mental health. This why it’s important for an adult to get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every night.

To make it easier on you, I create a sleep time calculator so that you know at what time you need to go to bed to start the next day on the right foot. Find out more about it in this article.

Journal every day

Journaling is my go to when I feel stressed out. I write down what good things happened during the day, and I have to admit that sometimes I cannot stop myself from talking about the stress of the day. But what matters is that after writing, I feel good.

You can get a standard diary like a daily Moleskine planner or a more specific journal like our readers favorite: the Dailygreatness journals! They offer different journals, each one adapted to your specific needs:

• Dailygreatness Wellness Journal: A Holistic Guide for Health, Wellness & Vitality
• Dailygreatness Yoga Journal: Your Masterplan for a Beautifully Conscious Life
• Dailygreatness Yoga Journal “Limited Bloom Edition”
• Dailygreatness Training Journal: 12 Weeks to a Rocking Fit Body, Mind & Spirit
• Dailygreatness Journal: A Practical Guide For Consciously Creating Your Days
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Dailygreatness offers 5% discount off any journal!

Sing in your car

When I am alone in the car and I am not listening to a podcast or an audiobook, I have the radio or my favorite Spotify playlist on and I sing.

I can tell you that by the time I get home from work or get to work in the morning I am in a very good mood!

My favorite songs to sing are from my youth like Baby one more time from Britney Spears and current popular songs from the radio like Despacito from Luis Fonsi!

Here they are for you to sing, enjoy:

Hang out with friends

Studies have shown that human need socialization to be happy. Afterall it’s number three in Maslow’ pyramid of need.

So it’s important for you to hang out with people regularly. To be honest I find it more and more difficult when we become older. We all move away from each other because of jobs or the expensive and crazy housing market.

This is why we started to have a weekly brunch on Saturdays at our place and you can easily create your own tradition by following these simple steps.

Unplug

I have to tell you something. My phone is stressing me out. Seriously I always feel the need to check if I have any new notifications and then what they are.

It’s crazy how we live around our phones now.

So sometimes I just turn it off when I am at work or when I am out with friends.

You should try, you’ll see how relieving it feels!

Invest in experiences

Since I started to look into minimalism, there’s a phrase that caught my eyes.

Invest in experiences, not things

It talks to me because I feel that in the past few years I have spent more money on clutter than actually creating memories.

It actually became a real problem with my husband, we never did anything fun and our life became boring.

This is why we started to have date night every Friday. You can find a list of fun things to do in this article.

Be grateful

I don’t know for you, but I have a tendency to focus on the negative. This is why I have worked really hard to train my mind to focus on the positive.

To help you, I created a list of 56 things to write about to focus on the positive. You can download the workbook here.

Further Reading

• 14 Pinterest Boards That Will Inspire You To Change Your Life
• Learn How to Live a Healthy Life and Love Your Body
• The Best Tools To Improve Your Life And Be Happier
• 5 Powerful Summer Reading Books To Make You Happier
• The Best Audiobooks That Will Change Your Life

Over to you

What habits are making you happier?

Share your tips in the comments to inspire others!