10 Things That Will Make You Feel Happy Now

“I just want to be happy.” Are these words familiar to you? You’ve probably heard it from friends, family and even yourself. Some people try different things in their yearning for happiness, only to find the emptiness in their hearts at the end of the day. Is happiness that elusive? The truth is, we tend to complicate happiness, and we look for it in the wrong places. This only leads to a lot of frustration. Here are some practices worth trying if you wish to feel happy now:

1. Love yourself

This is number one on the list because a lot of people forget to do this. To be happy, we often forget to love and respect ourselves. Stay away from people that do not give this to you. Know your strengths and appreciate them. At the same time, embrace your flaws and learn ways to work around them, if need be. Take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

2. Make other people happy

This is not to say, impress other people. Making other people happy is as simple as greeting a stranger good morning or wishing them a good day. If you want to bring it to the next level, you can volunteer in your community or even help a child from a third world country. After all, nothing compares to the happiness of knowing that another person breathes easier because of you.

3. Be kind to yourself

At a very young age, we were taught to be kind to other people, but we were never taught to be kind to ourselves. Give yourself the understanding that you would be other people. Being imperfect is fine. It is alright to fail and makes mistakes sometimes. What matters most is what we learn from our past experiences.

4. Spend time with yourself

You are the powerhouse of everything that you give to the world; it is just right to nurture this powerhouse. Spend time with yourself. Busy? There is always a way that you can find time for yourself. It does not have to be a full day or a full weekend. A few minutes of a warm, relaxing bath is good enough to recharge yourself.

5. Just do it

This is a tagline of a famous brand, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Do not waste your time debating with yourself whether you should do something that you’ve always wanted to do or not. Just do it! Go on that dream vacation, go skydiving, go to a dance class, just do it! Life is too short, and you might not have tomorrow.

6. Live today

In this fast lifestyle, we often forget to live at the present moment. Our minds are always wandering, thinking, planning, solving, and worrying. The result: stress. How many times have you missed the joy of simple activities, like sipping a cup of coffee, because you worry too much? It is not the bad idea to plan ahead, but overdoing this can kill your happiness. Try to give your brain cells a break once in a while and just savor what is around you. This will help you appreciate the little things that you have overlooked before.

7. Ditch perfection

No one is perfect, and that’s what makes this world more exciting. We all have differences, and that is alright. What matters most is how we work around these differences. If something is not what you expect it to be, try again or only see the beauty beyond the imperfections.

8. Put yourself  in other people’s shoes

Everyone has their battles. You have your battles, that lady serving your coffee has her battles, that other guy on the train has his battles. Before snapping at somebody or silently getting upset, think of this. Getting rid of negativities frees up more room for better things, and perhaps happiness.

9. Get rid of toxic people in your life

You could not save everyone; you can only do your best. If there is someone in your life who consistently makes you feel stressed out for no reasons, maybe it is time to walk away. If you feel like you have already done everything that you could to help this person, but it is still not enough, it is time to turn your back around and wish them well from a distance.

10. Breathe

Lastly, breathe. We got too busy and pressured every day that we forget this simple thing, to breathe. Not a shallow or rapid breathing, but a slow and profound one, feeling the oxygen fill your lungs, nourishing your body. This might sound like what they teach in meditation classes or yoga session. You don’t have to be in one to benefit from this simple technique. Take a minute or two of breathing exercise, especially when feeling overwhelmed. You will immediately notice the difference.