![]() Personal growth and maintaining healthy habits take work-and it’s perfectly fine to fall short sometimes. Whenever you feel you are up against two decisions, ask yourself which choice honors your values (like the ones you identified above) more. “Values-based decision making” can help, Ho says. If you have trouble making decisions, you may feel unsettled or unclear on your life path or day-to-day routine. These are not things you can check off like goals, but ideas that you believe in and contribute to your character, like integrity and spirituality. Identifying your top values and evaluating if you are honoring them helps provide clarity to your day-to-day and allows you to connect with yourself. One of the best ways to ensure personal growth is to check in with your values. Doing so “will make the task feel more meaningful and give you more motivation to pursue your daily goals,” in turn creating a sense of pride and accomplishment. Making a plan each day will help you in terms of “understanding what you are doing and why you are doing,” Hicks says. ![]() Think: a challenging yoga pose or learning to knit. The activity should be fun and interesting, as opposed to something where you may seek external validation or reward. Ho suggests challenging yourself by doing what she calls “getting into flow.” When time allows, do an activity that you are both capable of but also challenges you. These goals can be big or small-if it’s something that speaks to you, that’s what matters most. By setting out to do something important to you and accomplishing it, you create a sense of pride that Chait says has been shown to increase happiness. “Having goals and feeling a sense of accomplishment” is one of the “main factors that have been shown to contribute to happiness,” Chait says. Feel free to switch things up with lemon water, seltzer, or tea. So while drinking enough water might not seem like a top priority, if you’re looking to be happier…it definitely should be. Stay hydratedĭehydration can negatively impact your mood and cognitive processes, research finds. “Exercise leads to a release of endorphins which affect mood, and regular exercise can lead to a sense of success and to an improved self-confidence.” Try going for a long walk, dancing in your bedroom, or a yoga flow. We know that exercise is good for our bodies, but did you know it’s also good for our mind? “Research has consistently shown that exercise helps improve mental health,” Chait explains. By having a dedicated list of things that make you happy (like going for a walk or visiting your favorite coffee shop), you will always have something to fall back on as a pick-me-up on a bad day or something to begin each day with a more positive outlook. Ho suggests making a “joy list,” or creating a list of activities that bring you joy and committing yourself to doing one of those activities every day. Some morning routine ideas include a stretching routine, reading an inspirational quote, and setting your intentions for the day. Starting a “mind-body morning routine” can go a long way toward setting you up for success each day and crafting an overall more positive mindset, Ho explains. Chait suggests maintaining a gratitude journal where you can jot down things both big and small that you feel grateful for. Practicing gratitude “can lead to people feeling more positive emotions and feeling an increase in motivation to engage in their life and make healthy choices,” explains Sari Chait, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in MA. While it might seem like happiness feeds gratitude, it actually works the other way too. Who knows, you just might find out more about yourself in the process. That’s why we’ve crafted a list of simple habits that will increase your levels of joy and fulfillment.Īhead, find expert-backed tips to help you lead a fuller, more content life. So while happiness may look different to everybody, there are a number of changes and habits (big and small) that can lead you to a more joyful path.Ĭreating new habits and routines can be difficult, “But often simple lifestyle changes can have a profound influence on our mental health,” explains Joshua Hicks, Ph.D., professor, department of psychological and brain sciences, Texas A&M University. “When you do this, you will inevitably come across both highs and lows emotionally, but all lead to a deeper sense of joy.” “Happiness is not about the absence of negative emotion and the abundance of positive ones it is about pursuing a life of meaning and purpose and living in accordance with your values,” explains Judy Ho, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist in Manhattan Beach, CA. In these moments, and in life in general, you might find yourself wondering how to be happy. It’s perfectly normal to feel down, or as though you’re not the most joyful version of yourself.
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