Happiness, the innate human need for well-being, is as unique as those who seek it. Feeling healthy, capable, energetic, social, and free of worry, are just a few of the prerequisites for achieving this illusive state of human perfection.
There are many ways to describe happiness. It is a deep internal contentment. Research has shown that happiness is achievable but elusive. To feel more than occasional moments of joy, and positivity, it is necessary to seek and embrace: health, knowledge, friendship, love, a sense of purpose, and a balance between work, worry, wonder, and wisdom.
Craving happiness, without letting negative life experiences truncate those priceless, positive feelings, is achievable once you tap into the deep reservoir of Happiness Hacks.
How Hacking Hastens Happiness
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions” Dalai Lama
Happiness hacks are the little activities which you can choose to make habitual, that can exponentially elevate the amount of happiness quotient in everyday life. Almost 40% of the happiness you feel, and achieve, can be controlled by your own actions.
The following happiness hacks will improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and keep your level of happiness accentuated with constant smiles. These hacks are intentional activities you consciously choose to do.
They include:
- Achieving Restful Sleep – Sleeping well is essential to the attainment of happiness. Research has shown that too little sleep, decreases the ability to cope with frustration, manager negative feeling, and avoid mood swings. Too much sleep decreases productivity, creativity, and joy. Although 8 hours was always the recommended sleep cycle for adults, the sweet spot and hack, backed by scientific survey’s, shows that 7 hours and 6 minutes, is the golden sleep space for happiness. The action here is to strive to achieve that time frame, by getting off the techie equipment, and doing what you need to do, to unwind, and sleep well. A gentle wake up device, can assist with hitting the bullseye on this ideal time requirement.
- Money Manipulation: Several studies now indicate that earned income spent on material possessions, achieves little sustainable happiness. The value gained from the experiences of maximizing economic value for income, leads to far greater happiness. Hacks with money which provide value could include:
- Seeking advice from a financial advisor for gaining value from earned interest savings, and retirement accounts, increases your sense of well-being and security.
- Doing the footwork to find lasting, affordable value, and complete coverage, with an auto insurance provider, like Freeway Auto Insurance, offers numerous plans to stretch dollars, and keep safety as its highest priority.
- Taking a class, learning a language, or traveling, are life experiences which add to a solid foundation of layered and enduring happiness.
- Growing Your Self-Esteem – Giving Back Volunteering, the gift of time and effort, freely given in communities where the need is often great, has a very great reward. Caring and sharing, according to countless studies, has proven to boost self-esteem exponentially, and increase the happiness level and mortality rate of the giver, by 22%.
- Music – Gives Life to All Things – Listen Often Music is powerful in all good ways. Listening is your very own personal response to what is heard. The sounds created, bring your mind and mood to an excited contentment, which wraps the listener in joy.
- Taking a Walk in the Woods or a Greenspace Walking outdoors is not only great exercise, but also cathartic for relieving tensions from over-committed lifestyles, and 21st Century living. Nature is soothing, and when walking a green space, the body responds by releasing happy hormones (endorphins) that promote overall well-being. Repeat often.
- Allocating Time for Personal Passions – Amusement has Value Taking time for doing what is your choice to do, with enthusiasm, and for the pure fun of it, is priceless. Improving a back hand at tennis, learning to sail, preparing for a 10K marathon, or photographing a lava flow, are all fun activities. Do it. The sense of purpose is a form of priceless happiness.
- Meditating – Lengthy or Short, and Guided – Learning to meditate is a stress releaser. Research has shown that this calm, down-time increases metal focus. It can take only 5-7 minutes to accomplish, with online apps. Negativity is reduced, and happiness is increased, through the release of serotonin.
- BE EAZY- Let Go of Daily Stress. Being mindful, and letting go of daily frustrations, has a huge effect on happiness levels. Bad hair days, traffic for miles, non-responses to anticipated e-mail, non-existent parking spaces, all these stressors elevate the cortisol levels in the blood, shortening life span, weakening immunity, and deflating happiness. Let it go! Let happiness grow.
The Human Condition – The Feels
All humans are filled with a plethora of emotions and have the capability to deeply feel every kind of positive and negative, physical, and mental experiences. Embrace them!
These happiness hacks are viable, and backed by scientific research. Being calm, serene, healthy, knowledgeable, loving, compassionate, economically savvy, and committed to a happy life, can lead to the kind of joy and enrichment that every human is capable of achieving and sustaining.
