If there’s one thing that everyone would surely want for themselves, that is to stay happy all the time. Imagine having a happy mood every day; you’ll feel like you could do and get through anything. That’s because a happy mood leads to a positive mindset, and a positive mindset leads to better results in anything you might want to do. But the thing is, achieving happiness isn’t always easy, especially if you’re constantly bombarded with bad days and mishaps.
Thankfully, happiness is attainable. If you’ve noticed, some of your habits are actually one of the reasons that can cause stress in your life and hinder you from achieving happiness. But as long as you’re willing to do a few tweaks in your habits and lifestyle changes, there’s a better chance you’ll have happy moods every day or most of the time.
For your guide, here are six easy ways you can achieve a happy mood.
- Eat For Your Mind
You probably already know how your food can directly affect your overall physical health. But did you know that your food choices can also impact your state of mind? For example, eating foods with magnesium, carbohydrates, and protein can help improve your mood and boost your ‘happy’ hormones. Meanwhile, eating too many sugary foods can cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, leading to sudden mood swings. Aside from that, frequently skipping meals is also known to affect your moods.
To improve your mood, you need to practice mindful eating and ensure your food choices are good for your mind. Including carbohydrates in your diet will boost your body’s production of serotonin or also known as the feel-good hormones. Moreover, protein can increase your body’s norepinephrine and dopamine, which are both responsible for boosting your energy and concentration.
Lastly, magnesium could have antidepressant properties, which may reduce your likeliness of experiencing anxiety and depression. Therefore, it may lead you to have happier moods. However, changing your diet shouldn’t be done overnight. You can start by switching to one healthier food choice every day. You may also consult a dietician to help you change your eating habits safely.
- Make Time For Exercise
If you think you don’t have time for exercise, you might need to think again. Regular exercise is advantageous not only for your physical wellness but also for your mind and your disposition. Exercise can help ease stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. At the same time, it can also boost your self-esteem, and eventually, your happy moods.
Don’t worry, as you don’t need to perform extensive exercises to reap the benefits. Even simple activities like walking your dog, jogging, dedicating five to ten minutes for stretching and yoga can already boost your moods for the day.
- Sleep Earlier
Have you ever had one of those nights wherein you slept late and then woke up in the morning feeling cranky and irritable? That’s because the quality of your sleep is also linked to your mood and happiness. It’s during your sleep that your body repairs, recovers, and rejuvenates itself to prepare it for the next day. But besides that, good sleep quality may also reduce your sensitivity to negative emotions. Therefore, it can leave you in better and happier moods for the next day.
- Spend Time With Friends And Loved Ones
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be alone sometimes, too much alone time and isolation can also affect your mood. So, make time to visit your loved ones and hang out with your friends as often as you can. Maintaining meaningful relationships with your family, friends, and loved ones can help you attain happiness and contentment compared to isolating yourself all the time.
Spending time with the people of your life can be as simple as meeting them at the park, going over to their house, or taking them out for dinner. You can ensure that every minute you spend with the people you care for can make you feel much better.
- Smile Everyday
This may sound cliché, but taking the time to smile every day can positively affect your moods and bring more happiness to your day. Smiling frequently produces a chemical reaction that is responsible for lifting your moods. Furthermore, it can also help relieve stress and elevate your immune system. So, despite some struggles and mishaps in your day-to-day life, strive to find the silver lining and smile.
Smiling is contagious too. For instance, smiling at strangers you meet on the way can lead them to smile back at you, and you both get to reap the benefits. You never know what a simple gesture could do wonders for a person’s happiness.
- Go Outdoors
With everything being accessible through technology, more people find it convenient to do everything online such as online shopping, taking selfies indoors, video chatting with friends, or staring at nature pictures on your phone. But to achieve a happy mood, why not put down your phones for a bit and go outdoors? Leave the house for a while and take a walk in the gardens, hike with your friend or pet, have a family picnic, and enjoy the actual scenic view of nature. Spending time outdoors can help boost your mood and put you in a better frame of mind.
Conclusion
A happy mood may be attainable by going through these simple steps. Despite the stress and bad days, there are still ways for you to feel happy. Life is short so ensure you make the most of it and live a happy lifestyle.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
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