Tony Robbins is an example of a role model who learned how to feel happy. He came up with the concepts behind 5 to Thrive after he’d been kicked out of his house by his angry mother on Christmas Eve. He was still in high school, had no money and going home was no longer an option. An action plan was born, one that Tony has used in his own life and has expanded on over the years – a plan that you, too, can use to figure out how to feel happy.
How to feel happy comes down to where you direct your thoughts. What are you thinking about most often? To take control of your focus, you have to feed your mind correctly. What you feed your mind is what you become. So to become the best possible you, you need to give your mind the most nutritious content possible. To put it another way, Jim Rohn said, “Every day, you have to stand guard at the door of your mind.” Why? Because the longer you hold things – ideas, thoughts, feelings – in there, the more you start to accept them unconsciously. And then you start to develop meanings that take over your life, likely in ways that won’t serve you. If you’re looking for how to feel happier, you must look internally first.
To feed your mind, read at least 30 minutes a day of something substantive. Scrolling through social media doesn’t count. When looking for how to feel happy, try reading biographies of great people who have achieved amazing things or books about science and history as they’ll put your mind to work generating ideas. Read about concepts you’re curious about or areas you want to improve. You should be challenged and excited by what you’re consuming. Not much of a reader? Try audio books or even podcasts to provide the same level of brain nutrition. This will help immensely as you explore how to make yourself feel happy.
2. STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY DAILY
No matter how much you feed your mind, it’s difficult to make an actual change in your life and find how to feel happy if your body is telling you it’s unhealthy. Your mind and body are one unit. What is happening to one influences the other. Whether you feel uncertain or fantastic, your physiology changes. When you are feeling physically strong and powerful, your mind follows suit.
To strengthen your body, adopt a sustainable, healthy diet that incorporates whole grains and the nutrients you need for energy and clear thinking while cutting out sugars and additives that make you feel sluggish and harm your health. You should also aim for five days a week minimum of exercise. Push yourself so your heart is racing for at least 10 minutes to get the full cardiovascular benefit. You’ll build both physical and mental strength this way. Finally, create a daily ritual to help make you strong. Tony uses a cold plunge. Your daily ritual might be a daybreak run through your neighborhood or a session of yoga before you head into your normal morning routine. Your ritual is one of the ways to feel happy that you can use each and every day.
3. GET A ROLE MODEL
Models give us templates for how to be better people as well as how to feel happy. Even Tony has mentors and role models who have helped him along the way. When we seek success and happiness, it’s best to look at how others have achieved the same thing. As Jim Rohn often said, “Success breeds clues.” If someone is repeatedly successful, it’s not just luck. Watch your role model work, see how they do it and then replicate to achieve the same result. The same rationale can be applied to feeling happy.
Find someone who has overcome obstacles to achieve what you want or think of someone you admire who is wildly happy. What mindsets or empowering beliefs do they have that allow them to be happy? You might also consider getting a results coach who can provide you with tips on ways to feel happy as well as how to increase fulfillment in your personal and professional life.
4. PROXIMITY IS POWER
Many of us stay around people who are at our level of happiness or below it, partly because it makes us feel good about ourselves and partly because they don’t present a challenge. When we stay around people who are comfortable, there’s no impetus to grow. As Tony says, who you spend time with is who you become.
If you hang around people who are consistently negative and only look at the downsides of life, chances are you will, too. Opt to surround yourself with those who have an abundance mindset instead and see how much easier it is to find ways to feel happy. You need to be around people who do what you want to be doing. If you keep putting yourself there, something positive will happen. If you want to know how to feel happy, spend time with others who share your passions or who can teach you something new. You should also work on your ability to make new and meaningful connections. The more people you connect with, the more likely you are to find how to feel happy.
5. GIVE MORE THAN YOU EXPECT TO RECEIVE
Giving will change your state of mind in ways you can only imagine. In fact, Tony says that giving without expecting anything in return and just trying to be a blessing in the lives of everyone you meet will give you the energy to do the previous four things and will inevitably lead to being happy.
No matter how bad things may seem, find someone who’s worse off than you and help them. Even if you can’t give a lot of money, there are plenty of ways you can make a contribution. You can give them food, have a conversation or help them solve a problem. Whether it’s large or small, offer something to others and don’t expect anything in return. Remember: the secret to living is giving. When you’re grateful for what you have and always on the lookout for how you can improve someone else’s life, you’ve truly discovered how to feel happy.
6. SPEND MORE TIME OUTDOORS
Living near green spaces and regular exposure to fresh air is associated with a better mindset and is one of the ways to feel happy. Sunlight produces vitamin D, which is important to fight depression, and nature sparks curiosity and wonder.
Schedule time to spend outdoors. You should enjoy nature with your family and friends as well as spend time alone outdoors to process thoughts and reconnect with yourself. Regular exposure to fresh air, green grass and the sounds of water is a sure path to how to feel happy.
7. GET PLENTY OF SLEEP
We all know how difficult it is to find ways to feel happy when we’re exhausted. Feeling happy is much easier when you’re well-rested and able to face the day with optimism and energy. If you have trouble sleeping or if you’re so overcommitted that you don’t take the time for seven to eight hours of sleep per night, you need to make some changes. Create some healthy habits that help you power down in the evening and prepare your brain and body for sleep. Say no to commitments that keep you from adequate rest.
8. LISTEN TO UPBEAT MUSIC
Music activates the brain’s reward system and is one of the most powerful ways to feel happy. Music can act as medicine, a mood enhancer and a powerful form of self-expression. Slip on your headphones and crank up an upbeat playlist. You can do this while you work out, as you’re making dinner or anytime you’re struggling with your mood or feel like your world is spinning out of control.
9. PRACTICE LETTING GO
One reason so many people struggle with how to feel happy is the inability to let go. Whether you can’t let go of traumatic experiences in the past or can’t let go of an imagined slight from a co-worker, holding on to negativity leads to unhappiness.
Decide how you want to live your life and identify emotional patterns that are preventing you from letting go and feeling happy. You can then examine and change your habits to support letting go of a painful past and embracing a new life of feeling happy and taking everything less personally.
10. PRACTICE SELF-CARE
Those who continually do for others without taking care of their own needs often end up wondering how to feel happy. Practicing self-care on a daily basis is the key to how to feel happier because we cannot live a full life unless we treat ourselves well.
Take some time every day to do nice things for yourself. It can be as little as getting an espresso at your favorite café or taking a 30-minute nap before going out to meet friends. Then, schedule bigger self-care activities like massages or vacations on a weekly or monthly basis. When you start taking care of yourself, you’ll find yourself feeling happy and better able to help others.
11. DISCONNECT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Though it has many positive uses, social media can hurt you and keep you from discovering how to feel happy, especially if you’ve just been through a break-up or divorce. Whether you are constantly checking your ex’s status on Facebook or dwelling on pictures of all the other people who look happier than you, staying away from social media when you feel sad or are looking for ways to feel happy can help you improve your mood.
12. AVOID BLAME
Blame is a recipe of unhappiness and staying stuck in negative feelings. Whether you blame your ex or yourself for the end of your relationship, blame a higher power for letting your loved one die or blame your former boss for firing you, letting go of that blame and finding a way to forgive is the key to how to feel happy.
13. FIND ACTIVITIES THAT KEEP YOU BUSY
Being too idle can lead to overthinking and rumination. When you’re trying to learn how to feel happy, you may find it difficult to get interested in things you used to love. However, the more you isolate yourself and avoid activities, the more you risk falling into a depression. Stay busy with hobbies you used to enjoy and you’ll eventually find they start bringing you happiness again.
14. REALIZE THAT LIFE HAPPENS FOR YOU
It’s easy to fall into a victim mentality when you see life as a series of negative events that happen to you. Change your mindset: Life is happening for you, not to you. Every situation in your life happens for a reason and is a stepping stone to the next level of growth.
15. CONNECT WITH OTHERS
Life takes on more meaning when you connect and share experiences with people. This may be more difficult for introverts or those who experience social anxiety; however, it’s important to put yourself out there and form new connections as well as create deeper connections with loved ones already in your life. Something as simple as a half hour lunch with someone you enjoy talking to is one of the easiest ways to feel happy and enrich your life.
Life takes on more meaning when you connect and share experiences with people. This may be more difficult for introverts or those who experience social anxiety; however, it’s important to put yourself out there and form new connections as well as create deeper connections with loved ones already in your life. Something as simple as a half hour lunch with someone you enjoy talking to is one of the easiest ways to feel happy and enrich your life.
Article Source: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ask-tony/feel-happier/
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