5 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Happiness

As the colder months approach and we all succumb to the winter blues, I’ve been thinking about the intentional behaviors I’ve been implementing to keep a positive attitude. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in stress and forget to appreciate the little moments in life. 

Below are a few things you can start doing to feel happier:

1. Spend time with positive people

You are who you hang out with. If spending time with someone feels forced, or you never feel good after, ditch them. Life is so much better when you surround yourself with people who make you laugh and cheer you on! I constantly say no to things I don’t want to do – to the point where I’m teased about it. But at the end of the day, one of the most beautiful things about being an adult is you answer to yourself. It’s not worth it to go somewhere you don’t care about.

2. Wear Clothes That Make You Feel Good

This sounds superficial, but it’s true! This is coming from a girl who went through what must’ve been a 2 year phase of not wearing clothes that I cared about. I told myself that wearing random old T-Shirts all the time meant I was too confident to care. It results in the exact opposite. If you look blah, you’re going to feel blah. I’ve started putting more of an effort into the way I look. Sometimes wearing an extra cute shirt, taking the time to curl my hair, or throwing on a vibrant lip color really boosts my mood! You can’t help but have an extra pep in your step that day when you’re wearing something you feel amazing in.

3. Eating & Exercise 

Just like you are who you hang with, you are what you eat. I know it sounds preachy, but a lot of our well-being has to do with what we’re putting into our bodies. Just like your diet affects your physical health, it impacts mental health too. This year I’ve made it a point to eat healthier and I have noticed it pay off significantly! I have mental clarity, and more energy to get up and do more with my day. I’ll be going into more detail in a future blog post about what I’ve been doing with my diet and the results I’ve seen. Let me know if you’d be interested!

Additionally, going to the gym on a consistent basis this year has really helped clear my head and channel my stress in a way that’s positive for my body. I notice on days when I work out, I sleep better too! I’m sure we can ALL agree we’re in a much better mood when we’re not cranky from being so tired! As we all know, exercise releases happy chemicals in the brain so obviously if you need a true happy pill this is it! Let’s not forget the wise words of Elle Woods!

via GIPHY

4. Travel

If you can, TRAVEL. People say it’s something you won’t regret spending your money on, and they’re right. Whenever I feel stuck in a rut in my life, taking a trip really has a way of putting things going on back home into perspective. You don’t have to go on some fancy trip overseas, even going on a small trip a few hours out of town, or visiting family or friends who live in another state will do the trick. I know I always feel refreshed when I do this.

A lot of times after a trip, you end up realizing how much you love the life you live! Maybe you learned the taxes were higher in that state you visited – or they have a lot of traffic. Suddenly you’re grateful that you don’t have to deal with that where you live – like I said, it’s the little things! On the flip side, it can also open you up to living somewhere new, and you can start to set plans in motion to make a change. If you can’t get out of town, maybe try a new restaurant in a different neighborhood so you can get out of your routine of hitting up the same spots.

5. Be Okay With Being Alone

You have to learn to be okay with spending time with yourself once in awhile. If you don’t enjoy being with you, then who will? Really get to know yourself and take the time to do things for YOU. I’m not talking about locking yourself up and binge watching TV.  We all do this enough! (Obvi! see my post on TV reccos here) 

Instead of a TV Series, is there a new movie that you’ve been wanting to see but no one else wants to? Go see it alone at the movie theatre! You’re also forced to put your phone away so you’re not distracted by social media or texts, allowing you to truly be present and mindfully watch the film. Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read? Take a few hours once a week to head to a cafe or curl up on the couch and dive in! 

My personal favorite thing to do alone right now is going for walks. This sounds silly and simple – but it works for me as a reflection technique! I used to avoid walking like the plague, but then I realized, I live in a beautiful city and I’m taking it for granted! To be honest, I still don’t LOVE to walk (Hiii Uber!) – but on Saturday mornings one of my favorite things to do is to make the short walk to my neighborhood Starbucks to grab a coffee instead of making it at home. On my way there, I like to people watch, and just observe everything around me. There’s so much LIFE. It makes me feel in tune with my ‘hood and it’s really just alone time for me to connect with myself and reflect on my week.

What do you do to keep happiness at the forefront? I could always use some new tips!