50 Small Ways to Increase Your Happiness

Would you love to get happier but you’re feeling busy or overwhelmed?
Making a few small changes to your daily routine and attitude can add up to positive results for your life and happiness. Here are 50 small ways to increase your happiness.

1. Choose a simple force-idea for the day to keep your thoughts positive and empowering (for example: “Today I choose happiness.”, “I am thankful for the good in my life.”)
2. Meditate for at least 20 minutes each day.
3. Switch your jarring morning alarm tone for an inspiring song.
4. Start a gratitude practice by writing down 3 things you are grateful for.
5. Take a few moments each morning to notice the sun has risen and feel appreciation for the new day ahead.

6. Have compassion for yourself – when you are feeling down, treat yourself with unconditional love and kindness, not judgment.
7. Nourish your body with whole foods, water and sufficient sleep.
8. Start a journaling practice to get your swirling thoughts on paper and out of your head.
9. Pause for a deep belly breath and surrender all of your worries momentarily.
10. Put up post-it notes reminding you of your favorite positive truths or quotes.

11. Spend time in nature as it has a naturally calming and restorative effect.
12. Decide how you most want to feel (e.g. free, inspired, abundant, relaxed) and consciously cultivate these feelings in your being as you go about your day.
13. Read a few pages of an inspiring book to feed your mind.
14. Have a short dance break to get you out of your head and back in your body.
15. Write down a list of your current goals and desires and what they mean to you.

16. Perform acts of kindness and see how amazing it feels to help others.
17. Take a new route or try a new tea shop or hobby – mixing up your routine can shake you out of autopilot mode and get you back in the present moment where beauty and joy exist.
18. Replace worry with wondering what the best case scenario could be – ask yourself often: what is the best thing that could happen?
19. Let go of a habit or relationship that no longer serves your highest good.
20. Look at the stars, ocean or forest and marvel at the mystery and beauty of life.

21. Praise and compliment yourself – rather than solely relying on other people to fill your emotional cup.
22. Create a morning ritual to help you ground in the right energy before the day begins.
23. Move your body with a form of exercise you enjoy — it releases natural feel-good chemicals.
24. Make time in your schedule to do the simple things you love – like walking in the park, reading or having dinner with friends.
25. Place your hand on your heart and wish yourself well.

26. End the day by reflecting on everything good that happened.
27. Let your creativity flow through writing, painting or making art.
28. Do something beneficial that scares you – tapping into courage is hugely satisfying.
29. Write a list of people and memories you are willing to forgive and let your past pain go.
30. Cultivate an abundance mindset by noticing everything you have in your life – you might have an abundance of freedom, fresh air, food, friends or inspiring ideas.

31. Take small steps towards an important or meaningful goal you have.
32. Ask your soul and the Universe for more miracles and magic in your life.
33. Soak up and savour the simple pleasures – like your morning fresh juice, sunshine on your back or the comfort of fresh sheets in your bed.
34. Spend a few moments thinking about what a privilege it is to be alive and having an adventure on planet Earth — the odds of you being born at this time to your parents are about one in four hundred trillion. You and your life are a miracle.
35. Write a list of your gifts, passions and interests – having clarity on these things can help you bring more meaning into your life.

36. Practice accepting the things you cannot change and spending your energy on the things you can.
37. Believe in yourself a little more by telling yourself often: “I can do this. I’ve got this.”
38. Feel your feelings instead of numbing them – if you sit and feel what’s going on in your emotional body without adding a mental story, your pain will soon dissolve and you will feel whole because you are reconnecting with yourself.
39. Mentally sending blessings to the people you encounter during your day.
40. Feel gratitude and excitement for your dreams – your appreciation will call them into your life faster.

41. Think of a way to use your gifts today – you have been given them for a reason.
42. Be led by love, not fear. As you make daily decisions, ask yourself: “What would love do here?”
43. Drop comparison and competing with others for a new goal: being the best you.
44. Decide to be a light of love and inspiration for others. As the poet Rumi wrote: “Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.”
45. Quiet your mind for a moment and listen to what your soul or intuition is guiding you to do.

46. Surround yourself with people who are positive, loving and bring out your best.
47. Know your values (e.g. connection, creativity, adventure) and incorporate them into your life.
48. Remember your inherent worth and remind yourself often that you are enough.
49. Celebrate the light in others instead of judging them for their human imperfections.
50. Energy flows where attention goes so make a daily commitment to focus on the things you like about yourself and your life – and watch how you flourish as a result.

yogaesoteric
April 26, 2019

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