How to Receive Happiness

What Is Happiness?

Most of us probably don’t believe we need a formal definition of happiness; we know it when we feel it, and we often use the term to describe a range of positive emotions, including joy, pride, contentment, and gratitude.

But to understand the causes and effects of happiness, researchers first need to define it. Many of them use the term interchangeably with “subjective well-being,” which they measure by simply asking people to report how satisfied they feel with their own lives and how much positive and negative emotion they’re experiencing. In her 2007 book The How of Happiness, positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky elaborates, describing happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”
​
That definition resonates with us here at Greater Good: It captures the fleeting positive emotions that come with happiness, along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life—and suggests how these emotions and sense of meaning reinforce one another.

---

---

---

​What is Happiness?   By Umesh Bhargava, Ph. D.
​
Happiness is a state of mind where you keep your mind balanced with all the problems we have at the present moment.  If you keep your mind with positive experiences, you will be happy. But if you keep in mind your current and past negatives events, then you will be unhappy. Happiness bring good health but unhappiness brings disease, unproductiveness, and anger. To get success in life your primary responsibility is to be healthy. Eat good food, do daily exercise, and keep socially involved with people who support you.  Remember nothing is given free in life, you have to earned it anything you like.  Through determination, passion and focus in life, anyone can overcome any circumstances and achieve extraordinary success in any field.

When pleasure is absent, our vulnerability to stress tends to increase, and some unfortunate consequences ensue. As we experience more pain and stress, sleeplessness, our bodies release a variety of pro-inflammatory chemicals, like glucocorticoids, that contribute to irritation and disease. Moreover, as we become more chronically stressed or distressed, we tend to have even more difficulty fully experiencing pleasure.  

You can't make someone suffering from depression truly happy (until they're out of the depression), as depression is a deep and serious problem. But there are things you can do to help them out, make their days better, and help them recover faster. This require completely different approach and will be discussed elsewhere.

A true happy man or woman is a person who is compassionate, has good character with spiritual knowledge grounded with intelligence, understands the universal order as how the humans are living interdepend on each other, always tries to make correct decisions, is a teacher and a leader and works to further enhance happiness in the world.

To become a true happy person is to remain in a state of learning, in the pursuit of knowledge and in seeking truth to benefit others. It requires a life of seeking truth and upholding firm ethical principles like non-violence, non-attachment, humility, and truthfulness in making decisions.

A happy person searching for truth and following a path of righteousness, has training to judge issues without any emotions or attachment, and bases conclusions or decisions on his/her experiences. This person can lead others as a teacher or leader to get ultimate happiness in everyone’s life who need it.

Happiness is state of mind where real source of happiness coming from inner voice. By speaking through inner voice, you make righteous decisions without any attachment, humility, and untruthfulness. Inner voice is actually born from the day one when the child is born when it is in the purest form. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall be happy, regardless of our external conditions, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we shall never find happiness, no matter how much we try to change our external circumstances.

Wherever you fall on the scale, professor of positivity Martin Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, says that optimism is a learned skill and that people can train themselves to be happier by changing the way they think and perceive the world. He cites recent studies that have shown how optimistic people are happier, have more social support, and feel less stressed and less depressed. Like the Dali Llama, Seligman says optimists react to problems with a sense of confidence rather than with a sense of defeat (e.g., “This will work out” versus “Everything bad always happens to me.”)
 
Ordinarily one’s mind may go in many directions in search for happiness and satisfaction depending on the situations, such as 1) Wellbeing affecting one’s mood, 2) Environment that controls external factors i.e. looking good or is house well decorated, 3) Temporary Pleasures or Joys ,4) Relationships with others, 5) Outlook as how one approaches the world, 6) Having a Purpose or Meaning in life for living, 7) Actively Involving in an endeavor, 8) Getting Successful in life, and 9) Recovering from negative events. To be success person you have to recover from negative events as quickly as possible to balance your mind into positive direction. If the mind goes to right direction then it is positive for you, but if it goes to wrong direction it may cause problem in your life.

According to Socrates’s original teachings and Plato’s own ideas. All human beings Naturally desire happiness to prevent undesirable effects of unpleasant living style. Happiness is obtainable and teachable through effort. Happiness does not depend on material things. Happiness depends on learning to harmonize our desires. These principles still apply now. According to above paragraph one’s mind may go in many directions to search for happiness. But our mind still has to make choice from the many available opportunities which is the best decision to proceed for his/her case.

There is a huge difference between happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is a momentary feeling that comes from something external — a good meal, our stocks going up, making love and so on. Pleasure has to do with the positive experiences of our senses, and with good things happening. Pleasurable experiences can give us momentary feelings of happiness, but this happiness does not last long because it is dependent upon external events and experiences. We have to keep on having the good experiences — more food, more drugs or alcohol, more money, more sex, more things — in order to feel pleasure. As a result, many people become addicted to these external experiences, needing more and more to feel a short-lived feeling of happiness. 

Consciously or unconsciously one makes many decisions. Happiness is built around many good small decisions you made in daily life which make you happy and pleasurable experiences you have with it contribute to overall happiness.

---

Happiness Verses Happy Person    by Umesh Bhargava, Ph. D.

Happiness is like a seed, that has to be taken care and cultivated in mind from the very beginning, to get its full benefits. If one understands the true meaning of happiness one can change his/her life in right direction to get ultimate success. But, if one gets happiness by using drugs or spending excessive money or believe in unnecessary showing off, one can ruin his/her life because it produces only temporary pleasure. Happiness is a state of mind. Good habits, good morals, taking responsibility, right focus in life and meditation can help to cultivate happiness. Sometimes our mind is entangled with so many things it is difficult to think straight. Meditation can untangle mind so that one can think straight to make right decision and be happy.
 
A happy person can be successful in life, has better relationship with other human beings and be healthy. Happiness can

1) Protect heart, 2) Strengthen immune system, 3) Reduce stress leading to fewer aches and pain, 4) Reduce diseases and disabilities, 5) Lengthens lives and thus 6) Makes one feel and look young regardless to chronological age.
 
Happiness is a state of mind when one’s needs and dreams are fulfilled. In other words, happiness comes when one is satisfied from his/her achievement and has a good feeling in his/her heart that he/she is correct. Happiness is a feeling of contentment that life is just as it should be. Perfect happiness and enlightenment come when most of the needs are satisfied and fulfilled.
 
One’s mind may go in many directions in search for happiness and satisfaction depending on the situations, such as 1) Wellbeing affecting one’s mood, 2) Environment that controls external factors i.e. looking good or is house well decorated, 3) Temporary Pleasures or Joys ,4) Relationships with others, 5) Outlook as how one approaches the world, 6) Having a Purpose or Meaning in life for living, 7) Actively Involving in an endeavor, 8) Getting Successful in life, and 9) Recovering from negative events.
 
We all have different explanations and definitions of what happiness is and what it means to each of us. No matter what challenges, crossroads, and lifestyle changes may come across in one’s life. At the end of the day, one’s happiness is what truly matters most.
 
Whether one is in a relationship, has children, has a busy work life or whatever the circumstances are, it is important to know how to be happy yourself. When you know what makes you truly happy, practice self-love, take care of yourself and step out of your comfort zone, you will be able to see how powerful being happy can be.
 
Socrates’s original teachings and Plato’s own ideas, but the following are their deepest thoughts about pleasure and happiness: https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/philosophy-of-happiness-finding-pleasure-in-life/
 
+ All human beings naturally desire happiness 
+ Happiness is obtainable and teachable through effort.
 
+ Happiness does not depend on material things but on how we use material goods (wisely or unwisely).
+ Happiness depends on learning to harmonize our desires. We do this by giving more weight to our desire for knowledge and virtue than to our desire for physical pleasures.
+ Virtue and happiness are inextricably linked; it is impossible to have one without the other.
+ The pleasures one gets from pursuing virtue and knowledge are on a higher plane than the pleasures we get from satisfying our baser desires. Pleasure is not the goal of existence, but it is an integral part of being virtuous.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-addiction-connection/201506/whats-your-definition-happiness
Research in the field of positive psychology and happiness often define a happy person as someone who experiences frequent positive emotions, such as joy, interest, and pride, and infrequent (though not absent) negative emotions, such as sadness, anxiety and anger (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Happiness has also been said to relate to life satisfaction, appreciation of life, moments of pleasure, but overall, it has to do with the positive experience of emotions.

The key to these definitions is that positive emotions do not indicate the absence of negative emotions. A "happy person" experiences the spectrum of emotions just like anybody else, but the frequency by which they experience the negative ones may differ. It could be that "happy people" don't experience as much negative emotion because they process it
differently or they may find meaning in a way others have not. In fact, using the phrase "happy person" is probably incorrect because it assumes that they are naturally happy or that positive things happen to them more often. Nobody is immune to life's stressors, but the question is whether you see those stressors as moments of opposition or moments of opportunity.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness: In philosophy, happiness translates the Greek concept of eudaimonia, and refers to the good life, or flourishing, rather than simply an emotion. In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happy mental states may reflect judgements by a person about their overall well-being. Since the 1960s, happiness research has been conducted in a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including gerontology, social psychology, clinical and medical research and happiness economics. The United Nations declared 20 March the International Day of Happiness to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals.
 
According to my own definition, the goal of a true happy person is to follow some lifelong disciplines to be happy and should have the following qualities:

A true happy man or woman is a person who is compassionate, has good character with spiritual knowledge grounded with intelligence, understands the universal order as how the humans are living interdepend on each other, always tries to make correct decisions, is a teacher and a leader and works to further enhance happiness in the world.

To become a true happy person is to remain in a state of learning, in the pursuit of knowledge and in seeking truth to benefit others. It requires a life of seeking truth and upholding firm ethical principles like non-violence, non-attachment, humility, and truthfulness in making decisions.

A happy person searching for truth and following a path of righteousness, has training to judge issues without any emotions or attachment, and bases conclusions or decisions on his/her experiences. This person can lead others as a teacher or leader to get ultimate happiness in everyone’s life who need it.
 
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/01/happiness-index-only-1-in_n_3354524.html
The U.S. economy may be recovering, but Americans aren’t getting any happier: Only one in three Americans say they’revery happy, according to a recent Harris Poll.

The online poll of 2,345 U.S. adults, conducted last month, used a series of questions to determine Americans’ levels of contentment and life satisfaction. Overall, just 33 percent of Americans said that they were very happy, remaining consistent with happiness levels in 2011 but dropping from the 35 percent who reported being very happy in 2008 and 2009.
 
Wealth tends to create more wealth, but a rich background is not the only way to the top. All from humble beginnings, some of the poorest people not only climbed to the top of their industries but also became some of the richest people in the world.
 
Although the rich do get richer, these rags-to-riches stories remind us that through determination, passion and focus on life, and a bit of luck anyone can overcome any circumstances and achieve extraordinary success in any field including happiness.

---

How to Be Calm and Happy

Author Info Last Updated: February 29, 2020 


This article has been viewed 64,072 times.

Learn more... Nowadays, life has become difficult and finding peace can be even more difficult! Nevertheless, there are some steps you can use to help find happiness and calm in your life.

Click each photo below to enlarge and see the caption.

---

---

How to Receive Happiness
Co-authored by Tasha Rube, LMSW
Last Updated: September 3, 2020 

How you can enjoy more contentment, purpose, and meaning in life? Happiness comes from many things, from individual life choices and the people around us to a sense of belonging to a greater community. You can increase your own happiness by leading a healthier lifestyle, drawing strength from relationships, and seeking a higher vocation.
​Method1
Living a Happier and Healthier Life

1
Eat a healthier diet. Studies show that people who eat a “normal” American diet of refined and junk food suffer from more depression, anxiety, mood swings, and hyperactivity. Try to eat healthier if you want to boost your mood and live a happier life.

• Eat more unprocessed foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Things like leafy greens, nuts, and beans and nuts will help to level your blood sugar and your mood. Try to cut down on refined foods, and foods that contain added sugars.
• Don’t fear fats, as well. Eating healthy fats from foods like fish, seafood, or olive oil may help to protect you from mood disorders.

​2
Get plenty of sleep. We’ve all heard about the importance of sleep in helping our bodies rest and regenerate. Getting enough ZZZs – 7 to 9 hours for most adults – will make you more alert and aware and boost your mood. Make sleep a priority.

• One study shows that sleep loss interferes with the part of the brain that processes positive stimuli. This means that we’re less likely to recall pleasant memories when we don’t sleep.
• Getting enough sleep is may also be linked to healthy libido, better work performance and patience, and less depression and anxiety.

​3
Exercise. Like sleep, we’ve all heard how exercise is important for our physical health. But did you know that exercising can make you happier? Even a little exercise will give you energy, a mood boost, and even reduce feelings of physical pain. It can be a powerful tool in combating depression, for example.

• Apart from health benefits, regular exercise has been shown to reduce stress, ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and improve sleep.
• Most doctors say you should get about 2 ½ hours of moderate exercise per week. This includes swimming, walks, bicycling, or aerobics.
• You may be able to get mental benefits with even a small amount of exercise. Try working short, ten minute workouts into your schedule if you are short on time.

​4
Stop and smell the roses. People talk about “living in the moment.” Notice the world. It can actually increase your level of happiness throughout the day. According to one study, people who felt engaged in the task at hand reported high levels of happiness. Whether or not their minds were focused was a better predictor of happiness than what they were doing.

• You might try to reduce distractions to keep focused. Turn off electronics devices and your smart phone, for example. Don’t try to multitask.
• Pay attention to surroundings. Stop to notice things like birdsong, the sound of tree leaves in the wind, the smell of coffee, or snippets of conversation on the street.
• Try to catch yourself when your mind wanders. Bring your attention back to your body and its physical location. Remind yourself that what you are doing – work, a conversation, sex, or reading – deserves your full attention.

5
Be grateful for blessings. Count your blessings – it just might make you a happier person. Being mindful of what we have in life, whether our family, friends, job, or home, can increase mental mood. This may be because gratitude spikes a part of the brain that control stress and feelings of reward.

• Try writing down all of the things you consider blessings in a “gratitude journal,” the things that you are grateful for. Be thoughtful and think hard about what they are and why you are grateful for them.
• Just saying thank you to people can also boost your mental health and leave you feeling happier.
• 
  

Method2
Finding Strength in Relationships

​1
Spend time with family and friends. There are many ways to find happiness outside of ourselves, as well, and one the big ones is through relationships. We’re social creatures and need a sense of belonging, understanding, and love to feel totally fulfilled. Researchers have not only found that people are happier when they are with others than when alone, but that happiness can be “contagious.”

• Take time to visit your family members, your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins. If they live out of town, talk to them over the phone.
• Make time for friends. Some people are introverts rather than extroverts, but both types benefit from social interaction.  Go out for lunch, coffee, drinks, or do an activity together.

2
Do random acts of kindness. Studies show that doing good for its own sake can bring happiness to the do-gooder. We feel more compassion, more empathy, and a sense of connection to others, all of which can increase our happiness.

• A good deed can be as easy as taking over your spouse’s chores to help them. Or, it might be helping an elderly neighbor carry his groceries inside.
• Offer to help friends, neighbors, and strangers. Pay someone a random compliment, offer to pick up a stranger’s tab at dinner, or call a friend who is having a hard time.
• Be generous without giving too much. Don’t over-extend yourself. Trying to help too many people or too often can leave you feeling overwhelmed.  Balance is key.

​3
Forgive and forget. Don’t hold on to grudges or anger. These sorts of negative thoughts seriously affect your ability to be happy in life. Unforgiving people tend to be more angry and hostile. They are more likely to develop serious problems with depression or anxiety. Try instead to let go and forgive others.

• Forgiving does not mean that you have to forget or even tell the person that they are forgiven. It also doesn’t mean you are excusing them. Rather, think of it as choosing to be positive rather than negative.
• Try to focus on how you have grown as a result of a hurt, and what it taught you about yourself.
• Think too about the person who hurt you and accept that they are flawed. Why do you think that he acted as he did?  Practice empathy, in other words.
• You might write a letter to the person who hurt you, as well. You don’t need to send it, but it will allow you to release your emotions and get some sense of closure.

​4
Make yourself understood. Learn to communicate wants and needs and to set boundaries. Often we get frustrated when it seems like other people don’t listen to us or walk all over us. Developing clear and assertive communication will help you be understood.

• Try to think and talk about yourself positively. Don’t hedge with phrases like, “I guess...,” “maybe this is crazy but...” or “but that’s just my opinion.” These communicate uncertainty.
• No one can read your mind and tell how you feel. Use “I” statements to get your point across. Starting sentences with “I think/feel/believe/want...” puts your wants and needs upfront, while using it in place of “you” statement also stops you from seeming defensive.
• Remember that you do not always have to explain yourself. You have a right to your opinion and to say no.
• Persistence! Use the “broken record” method to get your point across and repeat statements of fact, i.e., “No, I can’t pick up your shift this weekend. I’ll be busy with a prior engagement.”

5
Find happiness at work. Adults spend most of their waking hours at work. It’s no suprise that being happy with what you do there will have big impact on your overall happiness. How can you increase your happiness at work?

• Seek a job that challenges you and that fits your values, for one thing. Would you do your job even if you didn’t get paid? Does it suit your passions? Does it excite you? These will all increase your sense of happiness.
• Look for meaning in your work, too. People are happier when they see a purpose in their job. You don’t have to love your job, just see how doing it makes a difference. That might mean finding meaning in the job itself, in work friendships, or in providing for a family.
• Try to find balance. Even if you have a great job, it shouldn’t be your entire life. Separate what you do for a living with who you are as a person. For instance, take your allotted holidays. Take breaks, as well, instead of skipping them to please your boss or to get more done for the “team.”

---

Method3
Serving a Greater Good

​

1. 
   Get involved in meaningful activities. Getting involved will give you a greater sense of purpose and motivation and make you feel more in control. People who have a sense of purpose, a vocation, often report less depression, stress, and anxiety and a greater sense of control in life.[24]
   • Consider joining a bigger community of people. It could be a reading group, a bridge or supper club, or a religious community.
   • Meaning might also come from a job, for example, by teaching, mentoring, working in health care, or running a non-profit organization.

​2
Be curious and learn about the world. You might be surprised, but education is directly tied to how happy people are and how long they live. Learning and doing new things seems to stimulate the brain and to produce contentment, especially when we face challenging new tasks.

• Doing something new can raise your self-confidence and sense of accomplishment. Learn to sing or play an instrument, take up a new hobby, play a new sport, or read about something new.[25]
• Be curious and experiment. Have you ever tried Indian cuisine? Go for it. What about rock climbing? Give it a try and test your boundaries.

​3
Give to charity and volunteer. Giving time and money to others is a great way to feel connected to a greater cause. One study shows that giving to charity and helping others gives the greatest happiness when it builds social connections. People who gave also reported feeling more healthy and less stress.[26]

• Try giving to charity. Give money to a local homeless shelter or to worldwide charities like Amnesty International or UNICEF.
• Spur of the moment giving counts, too, whether you give your change to a counter-top donation bin or treat someone in need to lunch or coffee.
• Volunteering your time might be even better because of the personal connections that you will make. Working in a soup kitchen, going on a mission trip, or volunteering at a women’s shelter will give you an increased sense of purpose and empathy for others.

​4
Take up meditation. Meditation can improve focus and make you happier, more compassionate, and more self-aware by physically changing the brain. In fact, it is so effective in promoting well-being that some 6 million Americans have been “prescribed” meditation by their doctor in recent years.

• Meditation can be a personal exercise or part of a bigger, more structured faith tradition. Simple meditation is really about clearing the mind, calming yourself, and relaxing.
• You can meditate in as little as ten minutes per day. Find a quiet place and time, sit down, and breathe regularly through the nose and out the mouth. Focus your mind on your breathing.
• What should you expect while meditating? This is actually the wrong question. You should not expect anything. Meditation is more about being in the moment. Don’t put pressure on yourself to meet goals or perform.

​5
Learn more about forms of higher belief. If you feel the need to find a greater purpose, consider learning more about the world’s great faith traditions or getting in touch with your spirituality. Many people (Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or those with no formal ties to a faith) find meaning and purpose through religion. In fact, studies show that belief correlates to happiness and that spiritual people are generally more content. This is probably because they feel a clearer sense of meaning in life.

• Spiritual communities offer many benefits of service, relationships, and vocation at the same time. Try reading books about faiths or even leafing through a copy of a scripture like the Quran, Bible, or the Hindu Vedas.
• For some people, being outside can be a spiritual experience. Consider camping, walks through the woods, or silent contemplation of nature.
• Be curious and ask questions. Many spiritual people are open and are happy to explain why they believe. Some may try to convert you, but others will only be glad to answer your questions.
• If you are seriously interested, talking with a religious figure – a priest, rabbi, guru, or other spiritual authority – may give you better direction in your search for spirituality.

---

How to Be Happy

Co-authored by Adam Dorsay, PsyD
​Last Updated: October 5, 2020 

Happiness is a great goal to have, and it’s something you’ll need to work toward every day. Being happy isn’t something you achieve and then hold onto — it’s a series of decisions that you make every day. Start by cultivating positivity in your life and living your life in a way that feels right to you. Additionally, spend time with positive people, connect with others, and support a healthy body and mind. However, keep in mind that mental illnesses like depression can make it hard to be happy without treatment from a mental health provider.

Method1
Creating a Positive Mindset

​1
Express gratitude for the good things in your life. Being grateful for the things you have can change your life. It helps you focus on what’s going well so you’re less likely to feel depressed about your life. Take 1-2 minutes to savor positive moments. Additionally, thank people when they do nice things for you.

• Keep a gratitude journal or list 3-5 things you’re grateful for each day.
• Your gratitude list might include, “my cat,” “a job I love,” “a best friend I can call anytime,” “a cozy bed,” and “good food to eat.”
• When you're feeling down, look back over your gratitude list to help you feel better.

​2
Replace negative thoughts with positive self-talk. Negative thoughts can make it hard to feel happy, but you can change them. When you notice negative thoughts, challenge their accuracy. Then, replace the thought with a positive or neutral thought. Additionally, make positive statements to yourself throughout your day.

• Let's say you catch yourself thinking, “I’m so ugly.” You might replace this thought with, “I can’t be ugly because everyone is beautiful in their own way,” or “I’m unique, and that makes me beautiful.”
• Use positive affirmations like, “I can do this,” “I’m enough,” or “If I try, I’m already successful.”

​3
Compliment yourself at least once a day. Focus on what you’re doing well by giving yourself regular compliments. Point out your best features, celebrate your talents, and recognize your accomplishments. This will help you think positively about yourself.

• Say, “This outfit looks great on me,” “I did an amazing job in that presentation,” “I’m such a great writer,” or “I love that I’m so compassionate.”
• 
  

​4
Stop comparing yourself to other people. Everyone is on their own journey, so it’s unfair to you to measure your progress by looking at what others have accomplished. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. Instead, compare yourself to where you were in the past. This will help you see how you’re progressing.

• For instance, don’t worry if all your friends seem to be further along in their careers. Your time will come. Instead, compare your progress to where you were last year.

​5
Look for something positive when you’re facing an obstacle. Hardships and setbacks are part of life, and no one is immune from them. When you’re facing a problem, do your best to find a silver lining. This can help you feel better in the moment and may help you grow from your experiences.

• For instance, let’s say you’ve lost your job. This is a really difficult experience, but you might focus on it as an opportunity to switch careers.

​6
Use mindfulness to help you focus on the present. Dwelling on your past and stressing about the future can negatively affect your mood. Being mindful can help you stay focused on the present so you avoid unnecessary overthinking. Here are some ways to be more mindful:

• Meditate for 10 minutes.
• Engage your 5 senses.
• Do just one thing at a time.
• Focus on how your feet move against the ground.

Method2
Being Your Best Self

​1
Live according to your personal values. Ignoring your core beliefs can make you feel distressed or conflicted. Discover your personal values by listing the things that are important to you, identifying times you’ve felt truly happy, and deciding what you really want in life. Then, align your lifestyle with your values so that you can be the person you want to be.

• For instance, you might value helping others and being creative. To align with these values, you might choose a career in nursing and paint as a hobby. Additionally, you might make conscientious decisions so that you don’t hurt others.

3
Identify your strengths to help you have self confidence. It’s easier to feel happy if you’re proud of who you are, and recognizing your strengths can help. Make a list of your talents, skills, and knowledge. Then, review it often to help you remember how awesome you are.

• Your strengths might include things like solving math problems, writing, singing, or competing in athletics. Additionally, you might have people skills, analytical skills, or critical thinking skills. Similarly, you might be very creative or able to work collaboratively with people.

​4
Work on improving your weaknesses so you can overcome them. Everyone has weaknesses, so don’t feel bad about yours. If your weaknesses bother you, try to improve them by learning new skills or trying something different. In time, you might be able to improve yourself.

• For instance, let’s say you have trouble with public speaking. You might join Toastmasters or take an improv class to get better at it.
• Similarly, you might be unhappy with your fitness level. To improve yourself, you might start a workout program.

5
Express your emotions so they don’t get bottled up. Your feelings are super important, so don’t try to hide them. Ignoring your emotions can actually make them become more intense. Instead, choose a healthy way to release your emotions. Here are some options:

• Talk to someone.
• Write in a journal.
• Do something creative.
• Exercise.

6
Spend your money on experiences rather than things. Buying something you really want is fun, but it won’t lead to lasting happiness. Experiences bring you more joy than items, so use your spending money to pay for fun activities or trips. For more enjoyment, do things with people you care about.

• For instance, you might choose a game of mini golf over a new shirt.
• You should still buy items you need, like a computer for school or face wash to keep your skin clean. Don’t feel guilty for buying these types of items.

---

​Method3
Building a Support System

​1
Surround yourself with positive people. Hanging out with positive people can boost your mood. Identify the people in your life who make you feel uplifted, then spend more time with them. Invite them to hang out one-on-one, text them, and organize group outings with them.

• Don’t feel like you have to cut out friends or family who are negative. Instead, simply spend more time with your positive friends and family.

​2
Connect with others so you feel like part of your community. Humans need community, so being around others helps you feel happier. Focus on connecting with the people around you. You can do this by relating to them, finding common ground, or empathizing with what they’re going through.

• For instance, look for things you have in common with people, even if you seem like very different people. You might both enjoy books, nature, or the same TV show.

​3
Join a club or meetup that’s related to your interests to make friends. If you want more people in your life, go to club or meetup events to spend time around others. Look for a club that focuses on your interests. Then, get to know the people you meet so that you can become friends.

• For example, you might look for a club that reads science fiction books or a meetup group for people who like drawing.

---

Method4
Caring for Your Mind and Body

1
Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night so you’re well-rested. Feeling tired can have a negative effect on your mood. Plus, it makes it hard for you to live your best life. To make sure you feel your best, follow a sleep schedule to help you fall asleep easily. Additionally, use a sleep routine to help you go to sleep faster.

• A good sleep routine might include taking a warm shower, changing into your pajamas, and reading a chapter of a book in bed.

2
Eat a healthy, balanced diet so your body is nourished. Nutrients give you energy, so eating well helps you feel your best. Eat fresh produce, lean proteins, and complex carbs to help you stay healthy. Additionally, cut out processed foods and sugary snacks because they’re empty calories.

• Lean proteins include chicken, fish, turkey, tofu, nuts, and meat replacement products.
• Complex carbs include foods like starchy vegetables and whole grains.

3
Exercise 30 minutes daily for a positive mood and healthy body. Exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel happy. Additionally, exercise gives you energy and helps you feel your best. Choose an exercise that you enjoy so that it’s easy to do it every day.

• For instance, walk, run, dance, go to the gym, join a recreational sports team, or go swimming.

​4
Incorporate stress relievers into your day to prevent burnout. Stress is a normal part of life, but it can be harmful if you have too much stress. To help you manage your stress levels, try different stress relievers to see what works for you. Then, incorporate your stress relievers into your daily schedule.

• You might vent to a friend, do something creative, color in an adult coloring book, engage in a hobby, journal, take a bath, or play with your pet.

​5
Take breaks from social media to avoid feeling like you're missing out. Social media can cause fear of missing out, also called "fomo," because it makes it seem like everyone else is doing better than you are. Keep in mind that what you see on social media is often exaggerated, and you’re only seeing people’s best moments. Additionally, stay off social media when you’re feeling down.

• It might help to use an app that blocks social media for a period of time every day

6
Work with a therapist if you need additional support. You might need additional help to feel happy, and that’s okay. A therapist can help you change your thoughts and behaviors to improve your mood. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist or search for one online.

• Your therapy appointments may be covered by insurance, so check your benefits.