5 Essential Habits For A Happy and Peaceful Life
We often look for happiness outside – in possessions such as cars, clothes, and gadgets.
But few know that happiness is a learned skill and is a by-product of your habits. Happy people have certain habits that keep their spirits high. And everyone can build the same habits to be happy and fulfilled with life.
Here are the five essential habits for a happy and fulfilled life.
1. Express Gratitude
What is gratitude? Gratitude is being thankful for everything in life – coffee, music, family, home and so on. And this is one of the most important habits for a happy life.
Unhappy people are often mired in fear or anger. But if you become grateful by thanking the universe for what you’ve got, you’ll instantly dissolve all negative emotions.
Because you cannot be angry and thankful at the same time. Gratitude fills the void created by fear and worry with comfort and peace.
Three Blessings Exercise
To get started with the gratitude habit, start counting your three blessings every day. This can be done anytime during the day. Just count the three things you are grateful for and move forward with your day with peace in your soul.
2. Actively Chase Goals
In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains how we feel the happiest when our mind is stretched to its limits in pursuit of a worthwhile goal. This is counterintuitive to what most people believe.
Sitting idle and watching T.V. isn’t going to make you as happy as writing a new poem, or learning a new song on the guitar. The key here is to get actively involved in whatever you’re doing instead of being passive.
Therefore, if you want to be happy and at peace with yourself, set worthwhile goals every day. This is one of the most important habits for a happy life. This may include enhancing your work related skills, exercising, meditating, or spending quality time with your loved ones.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to climb Mount Everest or win the Presidential elections to reach a goal. Small goals, such as reading two pages from a book, also count. In fact, small goals build momentum and finishing them gives you the much needed energy boost to keep going till the bitter end.
3. Exercise
Exercise has a plethora of benefits and research has proven that moderate exercise is as effective as antidepressants for the treatment of depression and anxiety. That’s why exercise is one of the most important habits for a happy life.
Here are the extensive benefits of exercising for as little as 3 days a week.
- Improved mood
- High levels of energy
- Stronger immune system
- Improved memory and brain function
- Maintain weight easily
- More productivity at work
- Increased self-control (Reduced inclination to smoking and other indulgences)
Humans were not made to live in a box. Our ancestors had to run through long distances to hunt for food and look for shelter. As Tony Robbins says, you work on a box (computer), live in a box (house), travel in a box (car), go out for fun in a box (bars) and repeat the same cycle every day. And this kills the human spirit. So it is essential to exercise to break this unnatural way of living.
If you think exercise is hard, you’re trying to do too much at once. Start with ten minutes of exercise every day. Once you’ve done it for 15 days, increase the time to twenty minutes and then keep raising the bar as the increased time duration becomes the new normal.
4. Choose Healthy Food For Your Mind
You should be aware of what you’re feeding your mind. If you read content and watch TV shows filled with negativity, that negativity will seep into your mind.
If you feed your mind with uplifting content, you will feel happy and energetic. Choose the right fuel for your mind and it will reward you with happiness and pleasure. Healthy fuel for your mind includes good music, good literature, tasty food, etc.
5. Focus on What You Can Control
When we feel sad, we often attach ourselves to circumstances we can’t control. But if we change our focus and attention to the things we can control, our creative energy is invested in the right direction and helps us move forward.
For example, if your parents are going through a divorce, you may feel that you are doomed. But if you focus your attention on what you can do, you will focus on supporting your parents and comforting them, instead of worrying about the unreal. The key here is to focus your mind on constructive action instead of worrying about what may or may not happen.