8 Ways To Be Truly Happy

Many of us have aspirations of making money, amassing wealth, building a strong career, family, kids and much more. But the question we fail to ask ourselves is “Does this make us happy?”

Can we be happy without reaching our ambitions? Do we need to be highly ambitious to be happy?

A 75-year old Harvard study on adult development, the longest ever study on happiness, revealed that money does not necessarily co-relate to happiness after a certain point. People with an income above $75,000 saw lesser co-relation between money and happiness. But people with income levels below this number experienced a higher co-relation between money and happiness. Close relationships kept people happy more than money, fame, social class, or I.Q. Another startling finding was that marital satisfaction had a calming effect on a person’s mental health. People who were most satisfied in their relationships tend to live longer and healthier lives. Majority of health problems develop when people get lonely. According to Robert Waldinger, “Loneliness kills. It’s as powerful as smoking and alcoholism.” Loners tend to die earlier.

What can you do to be happy? Asking yourself this question is a start. Here are some ways to stay happy and lead a fulfilled life.

SEE ALSO: 6 Tips To Strengthen Your Relationships

1) Spend more time with your close, funny friends

As the Harvard study revealed, close, warm relationships are an important factor in happiness. Focus on improving your interpersonal skills; they are more important than you think. Most of us have those few close friends and family who we’ve lost touch because we were busy working. Spend time with them by going out for lunch or schedule an activity like hiking.

2) Manage your money well

Finances can cause a lot of worries if they are not managed well. Stay away from debt as much as possible. As Warren Buffet says, “If we spend money on things we don’t need, we will soon have no money for the things we need.” Keep your expenses low and stay away from unnecessary material expenditures that don’t add value to your life. Remember, people are more important than things.

3) Beware of negative emotions

Emotions like jealousy, hatred, envy, self-pity, and ego can be dangerous. They have destroyed more relationships than anything else. Check out this article by Will Chou on overcoming jealousy.

4) Work out

Gyms are not only for physical fitness but are wonderful places to socialize and meet people. Working out also releases endorphins which are happy hormones. It relaxes your mind and helps you with a good night’s sleep.

5) Don’t be scared to cry and express your emotions

Crying is one of the scientifically-proven ways to relieve stress. When upset or sad, let the tears come out, and after that, the feeling should go away. Women mostly use this method. Holding your tears inside can make you sadder.

6) Meditate

Meditation has a lot of benefits, and one of them is helping you find harmony in life. Spending time with yourself helps you reduce stress, practice self-awareness, reduce anxiety, increases mental strength and acceptance. Comfort yourself by believing that the universe will show you the path as you focus on your positives.

7) Listen to music

Music is a proven medicine to stress, consider listening to soft, inspiring music to enhance your mood. Alternatively, you may also consider going to jam sessions.

8) Get enough sleep

Our mind and body need sleep to recover from our day to day activities. Not getting enough sleep can make us tired, cranky, and even cause loss of memory. It’s important to get a good night’s sleep and wake up fresh to enjoy this beautiful gift called life. Being happy is not as difficult as we think. As they say, what you focus on expands on you. If your focus is not happiness, then it’s hard to be happy. But if you make happiness a priority, then being happy is much easier.