By Lorina Toh Wan Ling
- Smile More Often
Smile. Seriously, just do it. Smiling happens without much thought. Your smile is a powerful tool. Most people think that we smile because we feel happy, but it can go the other way as well: we feel happy because we smile. Try it; it is not hard at all. Now hold it for a count of ten and deepen it. Telling yourself, “I am happy, totally blissfully happy”. Notice how your mood change begins to shift. Use your smile to begin your day and be grateful on every little goodness. Smile at everyone, everywhere. People are hardwired to respond to the facial expressions they encounter. If you glower at someone, that person will return a frown, but your smile will evoke a smile. You will feel happier too because a smile is contagious! You could make the world smile. So, do it often. 🙂
2. Praise Yourself
Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit. You praise your children, friends and colleagues whenever they accomplish something praiseworthy. So why not give yourself a one-minute praising for your own achievements? Most of us are taught that it is not good to praise yourself, because it leads to arrogance. Quietly praising yourself is not arrogant. In fact, it is a healthy way to love yourself and keep yourself motivated. Just like any other praise, self-praise must be earned. You must have done something awesome before you praise yourself, otherwise it is completely meaningless. Telling yourself, “Wow! I did it! I accomplished the goal. I am proud of myself for doing that!” Praise yourself everyday! You deserve to give yourself a big hand. 🙂
3. Do Not Harbor a Grudge
We all have people in our lives we dislike and many of those people we just can not avoid. Holding on to anger, resentment, and hostility hurts you. Even if the inciting incident happened only yesterday, the person you are mad at may not even remember the incident, so what is the point? Do not give over your power to harbor a grudge. Find some ways to let them go. Take some times to read books offering specific strategies for dealing with anger issues. Take extremely good care of yourself, loving and respecting yourself enough to ensure that you do not flounder but rather flourish. 🙂
4. Get at Least Eight Hours of Sleep Each Night
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. If you want to wake up happy with a hopeful, positive outlook, get adequate sleep. Your body needs it. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. Without sufficient sleep, sleep researchers say, your mental function becomes impaired. Inadequate sleep has serious consequences. For example, it can negatively impact your daytime performance, causing lower levels of energy and duller thinking. So make sure you get adequate sleep everyday to enable you to wake up refreshed, energized, and in a good mood. 🙂
5. Change One of Your Faults
Everyone has faults, but that does not mean you are stuck with yours. Pick one you would like to change or eliminate. Take time to do a little self-examination with complete honesty. Do you frequently gossip? Do you have a quick temper and a short fuse? Do you procrastinate and avoid facing problems until they snowball out of control? Or, are you still blaming others for the things that are wrong with your life? Choose to fix what you do not like about yourself. See goodness in yourself and others. Allow your inner strength and joy to be at the heart of who you are. 🙂
6. Quiet Your Mind before Starting Your day
A positive mind is very important to start your day. Are your thoughts already racing through your to-do-list? If you do, spend ten minutes before you even get out of bed dong a mental check-in. Take deep breaths and feel anchored and centered in it. Quite your mind. Think positive thoughts, for example, how wonderful is the day and how wonderful are the people you would probably meet today. It is a healthy way to reduce your stress levels and will definitely increase your happiness. Dial out the negative emotions of bad dreams and the anxieties associated with the day ahead. Be grateful that you are still alive and relax into peace. The world can wait for ten minutes. 🙂
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