Most people probably strive to be happy, but it may not always be easy to find the right feeling. We all face setbacks and sometimes it can just be a case of not giving ourselves time for things that make us happy. Want more joy in your life? Check out these three simple tips that research shows can help you become a happier person.
There’s probably not a single person on earth is happy constantly and it’s probably not even possible. However, most of us strive to be as happy as we possibly can, as often as possible. And now we’ve started a brand new year, do you want to make 2022 the year you become your happiest self? Here we’ve listed three things that research suggests you can try to focus on a little extra.
Smile & laugh
According to a study from the University of Cardiff in Wales, we can amplify our emotions through our body language and facial expressions. So smiling can make you happier, even if you’re pretending. In fact, another study published in Psychological Science shows that it doesn’t matter if the smile is fake, it has the same effect on feelings of happiness anyway. As if that weren’t enough, it also showed that a fake smile can reduce stress. Maybe you can start by smiling at yourself every time you look in the mirror? Or why not try laughter yoga?
Allow sadness
According To Experts, it’s also important to allow yourself to be sad and accept negativity. It is a way for the body to guide us through a situation. So try not to push the sad or negative thoughts away when they come, but accept that they are there. Oliver Burkeman, a Guardian journalist, has interviewed psychologists about excessive positive thinking in his book The Antidote: Happiness for People who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. Through his interviews, he has also concluded that the best thing to do is to accept negative thoughts and allow yourself to feel sadness. The risk is that trying to push away negative thoughts and feelings will instead make you sadder, because your efforts to push them away will make you think about them even more. He also concludes that acceptance can make you happier, both because you learn to deal with the difficulties and because you are honest with yourself.
Plan for joy
it is important to plan for things that make you happy. Above all, it’s important to make sure you actually have time to do it. It’s simply important that you make sure you prioritise yourself in your planning!
