Being happy isn’t always easy, and happiness is different for everyone.

Some people like lots of friends around them to make them happy, and others want peace and quiet at home.

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Maybe career success makes you happy or finding a significant other.

Whatever your dream or vision of happiness is, you can make your life happier and more fulfilling. Happiness is in the palm of your hand.

Thankfully following some simple habits during your daily life and making these habits a part of your routine, you begin an incredible journey of happiness.

Many people have fallen into some bad habits, and bad habits can lead to depression and anxiety. If you want to learn what these bad habits are to avoid them, read my post, 10 Habits of Unhappy People.

I can’t stress enough about this. I’ve also written and talked about being grateful numerous times.  

When you practice being grateful, you think and remember all the good in your life.

Gratitude makes us feel good, and it’s been proven time after time in studies all across the world.

Unfortunately, negative thoughts come into our minds, and we spend most of our time focusing on the negatives and what’s lacking in our lives instead of appreciating all that we have. It’s human nature to look at the bad, and I’m guilty of this too.

Learning self-compassion and being forgiving of yourself will help you to be more grateful.

When I wake up in the morning, I try to practice things I’m grateful for and do this at night before bed too.

Be grateful for the little things, like: 

There are so many things you can be thankful for.

I like to write in this journal at night before bed and find that it’s helping me better visualize the things I’m grateful for.

I try to smile often when I see people I know, like my friends or even people I don’t know.

I strike up a conversation, and while we’re talking, I find things that interest me or find funny, and I try to smile about them or laugh.  

Please don’t put on a fake smile, be sure it’s genuine.

When you smile, a chemical called dopamine is released in your brain and helps you feel good.

Sometimes when I get up in the morning, I’ll look in the mirror and smile at myself. It makes me happy, lol.  

It’ll be weird doing it at first, but try it and let me know if it makes a difference to you and your happiness.

Smiling is an excellent habit to have. People feel more comfortable around you, and you come off as being friendly and warm.

Mindfulness Exercises are a very therapeutic technique that is popular because:

Mindful Exercises are an act of focusing or being aware of what you are feeling, sensing, and experiencing in the present moment.

Anxiety symptoms can be alleviated through cognitive responses and altering both your physical and emotional responses.

10 Exercises You can do are:

Mindfulness Exercises can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being.  Learn more about these mindfulness techniques and increase your happiness for 2022.

Most of us are stuck staring at a screen all day, especially with our reliance on technology, our stress levels are rising.

To calm me, I often go for a walk down the street or take a hike on a trail when I’m stressed, and I’m much happier doing so.

Turning off my phone for an hour, or at least muting it and turning off “the noise” to enjoy the sounds of nature, helps me decompress.

It’s proven that nature helps us relax and unwind, improve our mental health, and sharpen our cognition.

When you spend time in nature, it has emotional and existential benefits. 

Nature increases your happiness; you’ll have more positive social interactions, better well-being, and decreased mental distress.

So go out there and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Most people exercise to increase their muscle mass, lose weight, or physically benefit in some way.

Being physically fit has many benefits for your body, not only in strength, but it can help reduce the risk of several diseases.

Regular exercise is also beneficial for your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, depression and increasing self-esteem and happiness.

I try to take 20 – 25 minutes a day, depending on my schedule to exercise. I find I’m in a much better mood and happier after my workout.

Some exercises I do, and you can too are:

Find what works best for you and get moving. The worst thing you can do is sit around on the couch all evening.

We often consume processed food or “junk food,” alcohol, soda, and sugary drinks, which are bad for us and items we recommend avoiding.

Having a soda or a sugary treat now and then is fine, but moderation is key.

There are many good foods you can eat, and they’re pretty tasty too.  

Seven good foods to eat are:

Increasing your intake of good proteins and carbs and eating healthier foods help boost your mood by increasing serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain, making you happy.

It’s good practice to change your diet and eating habits to a healthier lifestyle but always consult your doctor first.

I love to journal as it helps get my emotions out on paper to visualize better what I’m feeling.

By journaling, you can begin to improve your quality of life in more positive and beneficial ways.

Journaling helps with:

Writing helps us shift our negative mindset to a positive one, but doing so should be done not by just writing everything that’s on your mind but by writing correctly and taking the time to reflect on what you’ve written.

A good guideline to help you journal is the acronym WRITE. Which stands for:

 Sometimes I don’t have time to journal, but I make it a point to write in my journal at least five times a week.  

I wrote an article about “Social Media and Your Teens Mental Health” for Thrive Global a short time ago. 

During my research, I was amazed how many teens had increased depression and antisocial behaviors because of social media use.

People quickly spend 3 hours or more on social media platforms and begin to internalize their problems.

When emotions are internalized, it correlates to higher levels of depression and anxiety.  

Social media has become more than just chatting with friends; it’s become full of ads and links. Just one ad can impact your mental health negatively.

Photos on social media of celebrities or people you know are filtered to look like people have perfect lives and bodies. In reality, this is not true.

Social media isn’t all bad if used appropriately. Some healthier suggestions are:

The key is to balance your real-life friendships and face-to-face interactions with your social media time.

Clutter around your home can stress you out. When clothes, knick-knacks, your mail on the table, whatever it may be, the un-organization can be overwhelming.

I spent the past few weeks going room by room, cleaning and decluttering my “mess.” After finishing each room, I felt happier and more relaxed.

I owe it all to the recent book I read called “The Joy Of Less” and found it inspiring. The author Francine Jay taught me how to look at my possessions differently and realized just how much junk I had.

The book guided and provided me with down-to-earth actionable tips, and it was so easy to understand each step I should take.

It takes work to declutter your home, but with the Joy Of Less, your cleaning journey will be made simple.

It’s true, happiness start with you. What you do, say and especially what you think about yourself, positive or negative, directly correlates to how you feel.

Our course Happiness Starts With You was made for people who find it hard they have anything to be thankful for or have to many problems to worry about right now.

Or maybe you feel you don’t deserve to be happy.

After taking the course you’ll have the step-by-step blueprint to finally living the happy life you’ve always dreamed of!

I want you to have a wonderful and happy 2022. Check out Happiness Starts With You Today.

I’ve provided you with just a few ways that can help you be happier in 2022, and there are so many more ways out there to be happy.

Eat a healthier diet, start a journal, be grateful and smile more.

Make the best of your life and live intentionally. Fill your life with good people, find good friends who care about you.  

Do things you enjoy, have fun, and laugh. Don’t be so uptight. Let loose.

You are a wonderful person and deserve the best life can give. Make your life unique and happy.