A global happiness survey from Ipsos found that two-thirds of adults globally are happy with their lives, and 14% of those are very happy with their life currently. However, other studies have shown that in the US, only half of Americans are satisfied with their lives, and this took a nosedive in 2020, with many people becoming utterly dissatisfied with how their lives were panning out.
But do we really have any real reason to be unhappy? There are multiple factors that are affecting people’s happiness right now, from the state of the economic climate, not having enough money, not being valued or appreciated at work, not enjoying their career, or simply trying to achieve standards that might not be possible.
But just because people are unhappy with their lives now doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t change or that you can’t take things into your own hands and make the changes you need to get from where you are to where you want to be and improve your happiness and satisfaction in life.
This post looks at some ways you can make changes in your life to boost your satisfaction.
Exercise
It’s cliche, but it’s always thrown around because it can be life-changing. Exercise gives your body an outlet for excess energy, and studies have proven that even 30 minutes of exercise per day raises your heart rate and causes you to sweat even a little bit, which can improve your heart health and boost mental health. Exercise releases the “feel good” hormones in your brain, giving you a mental boost as well as an energy boost. On top of this, you can improve your health (not everyone does or wants to exercise for weight loss) and your physical abilities.
If strenuous exercise isn’t for you or isn’t possible, then increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) activity can help you to get moving more. This is basically the energy you use doing everyday things like walking, chores, making dinner, and so on. Up your steps and get active more in your day to see the benefits.
Another good option is to find a more physical hobby, hiking if you are able to, gardening, or dancing, for example, and you don’t even need to leave home for some of these options either.
Nutrition
There are a lot of untruths on social media right now about what foods are good for you and what foods aren’t. But if you listen to the fear-mongering, then chances are you won’t be able to eat anything.
One good rule to live by is that no one food is bad for you in moderation. The issue is in the quantity and frequency with which you consume them.
By including more whole foods into your diet, like whole grain rice, pasta, lentils, beans, etc., along with lean protein sources and fruits and vegetables, you can improve how your body feels and responds to what you need it to do. Reduce your sugar consumption and try to include more healthy fats in your diet for added goodness. Snacking on foods like nuts, seeds, greek yogurt, etc. can help you to feel fuller and boost your nutrition intake.
To go one step further, boost your protein intake, as protein is the most satiating nutrient and can help to keep you fuller for longer to reduce snacking.
Get Therapy
Even if you don’t feel like you need it, going to therapy can be massively beneficial. If you have any type of trauma or mental health issues, therapy can help you make sense of what is going on in your life, what has happened to you, and how you can move forward healthily. There are many different options when it comes to choosing the right type of therapy for you, so if you try one method and it doesn’t work or feel right, try another therapist or style of therapy until you find the right fit.
Even if you don’t feel you need to, engaging with mental health services can help you learn more about yourself and discover who you are and what you want from life to get you started on the right path.
Quit Bad Habits
Bad habits can have a detrimental effect on your mind and your body. Smoking, for example, is particularly harmful to your health and can cause many respiratory conditions and lung cancer, to name a few. Not to mention, cigarette smoke will stick to your hair, skin, clothes, etc., leaving lingering odors.
Consuming too much alcohol or taking illicit drugs can also impact your quality of life, and if you feel you might be addicted, then it can be with seeking treatment to help you become sober. This is a positive step towards changing your life and turning things around.
Identify any bad habits you have and want to rid yourself of and look at what you need to do to break them once and for all.
Learn Something New
There is a great sense of accomplishment in teaching yourself something new or embarking on a new hobby that makes you happy. Learning something new challenges you and helps you to keep your brain active and engaged and forming new neural pathways. Neural pathways are grooves inside your brain, essentially a road map, and the more you perform something, the more ingrained these pathways become and the more significant the ability for them to make you happy.
There is no end to things you can learn. Form a musical instrument, a new language, how to crochet or knit, learn a new style of dance, or go back into education and embark on a new learning journey.
Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is being grateful for the things you do have, not focusing on the things you don’t have or want. The beauty of gratefulness is that it doesn’t have to be the big things you are grateful for; you can be thankful you woke up today.
You can be grateful you got the last muffin in your favorite coffee shop or you landed a big promotion. It can be as small or big as you wish. But the more you focus on the good, the happier you will feel, and this can go a long way to supporting any other changes you want to make.
Get Sleep
The average person gets less than seven hours of sleep per night. While this might sound pretty good in this day and age, less than eight hours of sleep each night on a regular basis can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, which can seriously affect your physical and mental health.
While it’s not always possible to get more sleep, improving the quality of your sleep can help boost your downtime and give you a more restful feeling upon waking. A lack of rest or sleep can lead to weight gain, low energy, mood swings, reduced concentration, and increased irritability, to name a few.
Try to carve out a regular sleeping time and wake-up time and aim to reduce distractions at bedtime to help you get a more restful night’s sleep. At a minimum, aim for seven hours a night, but eight is best if you can.
Journaling
Journaling is a way to get your thoughts out of your head so that you can easily make sense of them. If you have thoughts swimming around in your head that you can’t make sense of, or your worries are spiraling out of control, then chances are this will increase your mental load and affect your mental health.
Get a pen and a piece of paper. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and write down everything you are thinking of when you go to bed or when your thoughts become too intrusive.
Whether or not you do anything with these thoughts is entirely up to you, but journaling is an excellent outlet for thoughts, feelings, and ramblings. They don’t have to make sense or be censored. Just write what you need to get out, and don’t judge yourself.
Get Outdoors
Nature has often been proven to impact people’s mental health positively. There’s nothing quite like taking in the fresh air and views and basking in the sun. If you feel suffocated or you’re struggling to shake your malaise, getting outside can give you a boost, especially if you pair it with exercise.
If you can, get outside of the city and walk in forests, along the coast, or similar scenic areas that take away from your regular lifestyle and environment. But even a walk in the city can be beneficial in decreasing anxiety, fatigue, depression, and feelings of anger. Aim for at least 15 minutes outdoors per day and soak up that vitamin D.
Increasing the happiness in your life might feel like a mammoth task, but over time, by making small changes, you can help yourself feel better about the life you are living and put some good habits and actions in place that set you on the right path to a better life.