“This is America,” we so often hear, “the land where everyone has the right to engage in the pursuit of happiness.” How is it then that so many millions in this country are chronically depressed or utterly unsatisfied with life?
We cannot pretend that everyone will find that elusive happiness in the same exact way or that “the American Dream” will mean the same thing to each and every person. But it is, nonetheless, true that there are tried and true principles of living that tend to lead to a happier life.
Here are seven of those “happiness tips:”
- Be a principled person. The first principle, oddly enough, is simply to have and live by a set of principles you truly believe in. People who can’t be honest about who and what they are and feel satisfied that they have at least tried their best to do their best at every endeavor, are not likely to be very happy.
- Eat healthy and exercise. Ensure your body regularly gets all of the vitamins and nutrients it needs to thrive through healthy eating.. Learn what foods will provide those nutrients naturally instead of always seeking them in a vitamin pill. And stick to a regular exercise program that keeps your blood circulating and delivering all those wonderful vitamins to every inch of your body.
- Get in tune with your circadian rhythms. Healthy sleep habits, ultimately regulated by your internal clock known as “circadian rhythms,” are key to both physical and mental alertness. Few things are more unpleasant than insomnia and fighting through a busy day after a restless night’s non-sleep.
- Don’t shy away from the occasional treat. Eating right keeping up the workout stamina are beneficial as regular rules, but being too stringent and never making any exceptions can be counterproductive. Order some gourmet candies from a store online, take a day off your regular exercise routine to explore a state or national park, or pick out a special night to watch your favorite TV show till the break of dawn. Mix things up to avoid boredom, but then get right back to your healthy living routine.
- Learn about brain health. Check out online sources like Corpina to learn about new breakthroughs in neuroscience and brain health and how you can help your brain to “be all it can be.” Supplements and natural foods combined can keep your brain fit and strong, ready to lead your whole body in a positive direction in life, and less prone to destructive negativity.
- Balance focus and perspective. It’s easy to say, “I’m an optimist” or “I’m a realist.” But that old back-and-forth argument misses the point. While it is good to focus on the good things in life, neither should you live in denial of the facts. But nothing is positive or negative in itself. Everything has reference to a “bigger picture” into which it fits and contributes. If life were a Van Gogh dot painting, seeing just dots and labeling them good or bad dots is simply missing the meaning of the whole work of art.
- Be logical but not obsessive. If life is like a rubix cube, none of us truly ever fully solve the puzzle. There will always be loose ends, things we can’t figure out the reason for. And those of us who think we have 100% solved the rubix cube of life, quite honestly, are probably color blind. Use reason to plan and to sort out what you can in life, but expect there will always be a few “unsolved mysteries” that continue to elude your grasp. Additional readings.
