Happiness is one of the most popular goals to work towards in life, but it sometimes can be a bit elusive. You start convince yourself into thinking ‘When I have the better job, a nicer house, or even a just a new car’… However, in reality, happiness is readily available to everyone right now. The material things will not actually make you happier; it’s the simple joys in life that really bring you true happiness.
Here are 6 simple rules you can live your life that will help you to manifest a happier life:
1. Live With And Practise Gratitude
To improve your life and the life of others, it is important to show true gratitude. Practising gratitude is much more than a thank you without further thought. Life can fly by so quickly and it can be easy to forget to be thankful for all the positive things that we are given.
Successful studies have shown that consistently keeping track of what you are grateful for and acting on these feelings of appreciation can actually boost your immune system, making you healthier as well as happier. Setting up a gratitude journal and regularly journaling can also be an effective form of self-care.
Some powerful ways you can show gratitude are:
- Start a gratitude journal
- Surprise loved ones with gifts and kind gestures
- Donate or volunteer for a charity
- Be fully present with family and friends
- Provide support, skills and encouragement
2. Practising Forgiveness
Life can throw you certain situations where a person could do you wrong and it can swarm your thoughts and emotions; it lets them walk away free with your happiness. By forgiving them, you regain your happiness and you will be the ultimate winner. It is not about forgetting what has happened, but it is about letting go and choosing positivity over negativity.
Practising forgiveness can lead to feelings of empathy, compassion and understanding. You are not excusing the harm that was done to you, but brings you peace to get on with your life. Research has suggested that practising and showing forgiveness can strengthen relationships. It also can reduce toxic feelings of anger and stress. You will then have increased optimism and happiness. It is not just about forgiving others for their behaviours towards you, but about forgiving yourself.
You may feel guilty, or harbour unresolved feelings about yourself. You should always forgive yourself for:
- Your past
- Your failed relationships
- Your weaknesses
- Your lost hopes and dreams
- Your significant mistakes
- Times of selfishness
- Moments of laziness
Forgiving yourself helps to give inner peace. You stop holding on to any grudges or resentment that you may have and you are able to focus on other things. Fully letting go can help you to embrace peace.
3. Make Peace With Your Past
Our past experiences play a large role in who we are and what we want. You go through learning experiences that help you develop a happier and more fulfilling life. However, you can be left hurt, with a feeling of loss or even regrets. These feelings can monopolise your time, you may not live in the present and miss out on the joy of life.
It is easier said than done sometimes and you may even find your mind wondering to the past even when you have a strong will to move forwards. When these feelings crop are, you are completely aware of how you are being held back.
You need to alter your mindset to help you let go of the past. You cannot change the past, but you can learn how you can deal with it and how you let you affect you. There are certain practices and habits that can help you to overcome your past:
- Express your pain and feelings
- Focus on the present e.g. mindfulness and meditation
- Get extra support if needed e.g. family members, supporting groups or even counselling
You can also choose to make use of a spiritual religion to help you learn how to handle your mentality better, and visit a site like the Wicca Academy to get started with a new method of bringing yourself inner peace. Regardless of how you choose to do it, in order to make new positive relationships and experiences you have to heal from past traumas. When you do this, your mental health will improve; boost your self-confidence and self-worth.
4. Practise Self-Care And Manage Stress
Self-care is the practice of caring for yourself through regular activities. Practising self-care is something you need to choose to do, setting the intentions each week to look after yourself and making yourself a priority.
Showing yourself love means that you are likely to feel refreshed ad well rested, which can instantly life our mood. When you are working on yourself, you will feel happier.
When you have a regular self-care routine, it can help you find activities that can help to reduce stress and anxiety. Stress is a huge problem that can cause unhappiness. So, you want to be able to learn how best to manage these symptoms. Here are 8 tips to help you to reduce stress:
- Write in your journal
- Tale a long shower or bath
- Read a book
- Talk to loved ones about the situation
- Have a nap
- Do an activity that promotes creativity
- Watch your favourite T.V. show or movie
- Listen to music
5. Celebrate Your Little Victories
Little victories or small wins are small achievements you have made that are working towards much larger goals. Celebrating small wins is important because you are getting closer to you big goals. You will be rewarding yourself for your success.
It is often the biggest factor that leads to large victories is persistence and motivation. Winning fuels motivation. So, by highlighting and celebrating your smaller wins will motivate you further to achieve your bigger goals.
Celebrating your small victories helps with confidence, thinking positive and your self-esteem. These are 6 creative ways to celebrate your small wins:
- Share it with people you love
- Write it down in your journal
- Take a rest self-care day
- Schedule a fun evening
- Text or tell a friend
- Reward yourself with a gift
6. Do Not Compare Yourself To Others
It is only natural to look at others in similar situations and compare. However, they could be comparing themselves to you! Comparison can create a negative mindset which can then affect your thought processes.
Research has found that comparing breeds feelings of envy, low self-confidence and self-esteem and can make you devalue yourself. Whenever you feel the urge to make comparisons, you should reflect on what you have achieved. The other way to deal with this is to use that energy to motivate you and be inspired by that person instead.
Other practical ways to stop you comparing yourself to others:
- Focus on your strengths
- Learn to compete with yourself instead of others
- Practise gratitude
- Don’t compare your life to everyone else’s
What habits do you practise to live a happier life? I’d love to hear in the comments.
AD. We all want to meet new bloggers, discover new articles to read and collaborate with other bloggers. There is now a blog directory that is run by a blogger for bloggers. Click the link and add your blog to the ever growing list of amazing bloggers.
Jordanne | Ofaglasgowgirl says
Really great tips here! I’ve been trying more manifestation techniques latley and opening myself up to the universe and at first I was like nah, it can’t work like that but since starting my life has just gotten more, fun? Making peace with the past is so valuable, holding onto resentment does nothing for us.
bournemouthgirl says
That’s amazing. I am working hard on it too. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I was surprised to find that I do most of these already, some great tips here, forgiving yourself over the past is one I have found particularly helpful x
That is great you are practising most of these. Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog so I can read? X
You’re welcome
Stay as present as you can, Practise universal compassion (that includes oneself) and Practise gratitude. Great advice 🙏
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Self care is so important especially after the loss of Len. I have scheduled a massage every 3 weeks, which is 17-18 a year instead of 12 💔
So sorry for the loss of Len. That is a great self care activity to help look after yourself.
It’s something I enjoy, and is good for me.
Amazing tips Lauren!! Gratitude was an absolute game changer for me. It is amazing how much happier you are when you stop focusing on what’s going wrong and appreciate what’s going right. Thanks so much for sharing these rules for happiness!
Definitely! I am working on gratitude to get through painful days. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Manifestation is a powerful practice to engage in every day. I love your reminder that forgiving ourselves is one of the most helpful ways we can move forward, open to gratitude, and get to know ourselves better.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting Jaya!
Love what you say about practising forgiveness have written this down as it’s definitely something I need to work on. Thank you for sharing your advice on this
I hope it helps. It helps me! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Wise beyond your years! I stay physical with walking, running and yoga. Grateful for everyone and everything! Cheers!
Thank you Mark! That is great you have all of those things in your routine. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great post! Gratitude really is a great way to change your perspective on life, and to help you get through tough times. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are really good manifestation techniques here Lauren, these I need to try! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I hope they help! Thank you for reading and commenting x
Yasss these are all SUCH important points and things to do. Expressing gratitude daily has seriously helped improve my life and mindset and be happier. And self care can really go a long, long way! x
That’s great it has been working for you! Have to always be grateful for what we have. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
This was so lovely to read — I feel encouraged and motivated to practice more purposeful happiness. Thank you for sharing this fab reminder!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great advice! I’ve been wanting to start a gratitude journal. Thanks for all the great tips.
These are all beautifull messages. Thank you for sharing them, I am definetely trying to Make Peace With The Past to live a fuller life.
I am definetely trying to Make Peace With The Past to live a fuller life. Great advice
I’m not always great at maintaining most of these but I will say I stumbled into the power of forgiveness a couple of years ago and it totally changed my life. I’d always confused forgiveness with reconciliation but I believe the former can happen without the latter and once I started doing it, it helped me forgive myself and make peace with my past. I advocate it strongly
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips – these are all so important for increasing happiness! I think I personally need to work on practicing self care more as well as not comparing myself to others. Thanks for sharing x
These are fabulous tips, Lauren! I’m trying to practice gratitude more and, on days when I’m feeling a bit low, it makes a MASSIVE difference to my mood to consciously focus on things I’m grateful for x
It definitely is a powerful emotion. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Making peace with your past is so hard sometimes, especially if you have regret or you’ve made mistakes. But I love these ideas, and there’s so many little things you can do to manifest a happier life x
It is hard but a good thing to work on. Even small steps can really help. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Thank you so much for these tips and giving examples. Love that you mention forgiving our past mistakes. We aren’t perfect and we learn everyday. Forgiveness makes it easier to move ahead for greater things to come. Also celebrating little wins is important in self care.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Comparison really is the thief of joy – I used to be a really jealous person in my early teens but worked so hard to grow out of it! Great tips as always Lauren x
That’s great you managed to work on it. I have found myself getting jealous of people not in pain after my work accident. But I am working on it. Thank you for reading and commenting Kayleigh xx
Yes to all of these points! It’s so important to stop comparing yourself and celebrating the little wins xx
Great Post, Lauren! What I do to manifest a happier life is practice gratitude, journal and treat myself reward once in a while. 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog, if you have? So I can have a read.
This is such a wonderful post! I need to start a gratitude journal again! I’ve always had a hard time with forgiving people because I thought it would make what they did okay, but I have since realized that by forgiving them I’m helping myself by not holding onto the negativity. I’ve also found it difficult to not compare myself to others, but I’ve shifted my mindset & now I see that we’re all on our own journeys & what we online, isn’t a true reflection of someone’s life because we don’t know what goes on behind the camera.
I’m also all for practicing self-care & celebrating the little wins!
It is great you have identified those and changed them, it can be hard and we are human at the end of the day. I am still working on the forgiving stuff. X
Hi there !!.😊 I like .❤️”enjoy little victories ” part I think that’s the biggest one that can make us feel happy in every little 💓small Moments in life.🥰🥰.
love all of these suggestions! i’m happy to say i practice a lot of these already in my life. i especially love how you mentioned celebrating your small victories. i think we tend to focus on the big accomplishments too often when really those small moments are what matter as well.
Definitely the small wins really add up to your bigger goals. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips, appreciating the little steps we take forward to our goals it does matter and help to feel happy with our progress and effort.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I love the steps that focus on letting go. Like practising gratitude, I know when I started I began to realise how good things often were that I just didn’t see. And forgiveness, stops you holding a grudge. I think when we forgive we literally feel lighter for it. Self care will always be a key practise of mine. And learning to let go when I’m trying to control everything
They are things that can make a huge difference to your life. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I don’t practice manifestation for personal reasons, but I do think these are great tips for living a happier life regardless of whether you are spiritual in that way or not!😊
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Practicing forgiveness is still something that I am working on, but it is such an important step!
It is what I am working on too. But I have made good progress. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Mindfulness works like magic for me. Gratitude journal sounds amazing too.
Great tips and very helpful post!
I’d also like to think that #1 is the most impactful when first starting off, as that’s been my experience when writing a gratitude section in the diary.
And also I think #6 can be okay in some circumstances, when you need to evaluate progress.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are such great tips, some of them are easier said than done but the idea of making peace with your past is such a good one. You don’t need your previous negativity dragging you down. Not comparing is so essential too, although I definitely struggle with that one x
Sophie
Definitely not over night things, but these are the areas I have been working on and they have made such a difference. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Exactly! Everything is spot on! It’s a lifetime challenge. It takes hard work and intention. But the easiest thing to accomplish now is just to be present and mindful of what you have now, as you said. Very important message. Among all, I want to achieve a happy life. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are all amazing tips! I am someone that tends to hold grudges, so letting go and forgiving is sometimes difficult but can give you such peace of mind! Also letting go of the past, it takes a lot, but as well can bring so much more happiness x
I used to be and still working on it. Bu I definitely feel better for letting certain things go already. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Great post! Thank you for sharing! These rules are so helpful and important! I make sure to practice self care often which is very useful for me!
Good list, nice job! Currently focusing on Celebrating, all things big and little! Such a great habit to get into.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
These are great tips! Letting go of grudges is sometimes difficult, but it’s so important. And celebrating small wins is what I want to focus more on. Loved your tips x
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog if you have one, so I can have a read?
For the past few years, I’m working hard to not compare myself and make a peace with my past 🙂 I’m learning to manage my stress over little things and celebrate my little victories with self-care. I love this post so much! Thanks for sharing, Lauren x
That’s great you have been making progress. I am still practising on all of these on my list.
Great tips! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing it on your blog.
I love this post – all of these tips are such good advice! I need to get better at forgiveness and letting go of the past, as I know those things can make a huge difference! I love your ideas for celebrating small victories xx
I used to be really unhappy and the only way I got through it was through these tips maybe a couple years ago. What I am saying is that your tips are nothing but the truth, nice job!
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog if you have one so that I can read?
Sure, best to you with your journey!
https://truthfulsociety.com/recent-posts/
Hello, I love this post!! I totally agree with accepting your past. It’s important to remember that when moving forward. Also, practicing forgiveness can be really difficult but it’s worth it. Thanks for sharing! Alicia
Thank you for sharing such good advice! Loved reading this post and I will definitely be bookmarking it to come back to the tips daily. I think for sure I will be starting to celebrate small victories and a gratitude journal, such a good idea!
Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog so I can have a read?
The most difficult thing is to not compare yourself to others. Great article!
Gratitude is really important!! I have The 5-minute journal and I try and write in it every day. It really makes you focus on the good things in life. Number 6 is very problematic for me, I have to make a conscious effort not to compare myself.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Good luck on your self care journey!
An interesting blog post. A lot of the points, forgiveness etc are hard to do but once I started I let go of my bitterness and anger for certain situations and started to look more towards the future.
That’s good you have found things that work for you. If you have a blog. Can you link your blog?
Awesome tips! I am very much a big picture person, so I’m working on celebrating the smaller victories in life.
That’s great! Thank you for reading and commenting.