Inside: The daily habits of happy women you need to try
Do you find yourself feeling frustrated with life? Feeling like you never have time to do anything for yourself? If you neglect yourself then your happiness will suffer.
Striving for happiness can feel difficult but it is totally possible with a few tweaks to your mindset and daily habits. You are the only one who can make those changes, so you need to be open to trying in the first place.
Are you ready?
What is happiness?
Happiness is the sense of wellbeing, joy or contentment.
Many people believe that certain things will make them happy, but happiness is not found in material goods or from other people. Happiness is an internal state, where you are content with the life you have and feel as though all of your needs are being met.
The good news is, you can become happier without winning the lottery or meeting your soulmate. You just need to make a few small changes to your mindset and daily routine.
Daily habits of happy women
All of us have a bad day every now and then, but if you find yourself having more bad days than happy days, it will have a significant impact on your mental health. However, we all know that little things can add up to bigger things, so by adding in a few of these daily habits can have a huge impact to your happiness.
Let go of the past
Living in the past and holding onto regrets won’t get you anywhere, it will just hold you back from finding happiness in the future. So acknowledge what happened and learn from any mistakes but then let it go. Move on.
Accept where you are right now and decide that you want to move forwards to a happier future.
Surround yourself with happy people
Who do you have contact with on a daily basis? Negative & toxic people that bring you down? Or positive and joyful people who lift you up?
Spending time with positive people will fill you with positive energy, so if you are the most positive person in the room then perhaps it is time you made new friends.
Take time for you
If you fill your day doing jobs for other people and never take any time for yourself, you won’t be leaving yourself much time to find happiness.
It is important to schedule in alone time for yourself so that you have a window of time dedicated to something that is entirely for your benefit.
Let go of perfectionism
If you are constantly trying to live up to others’ expectations or even to your own unrealistic standards, you will find yourself feeling more negative emotions than positive. Nobody is perfect and nobody expects you to be perfect.
It is time to start telling yourself that you are enough and that you always do the best that you can. Lower your standards to a realistic level and your emotional health will thank you for it.
Listen to your body
Your body will let you know when something is wrong, whether it is the fact that you are tired, run down or feeling miserable. So pay attention to it and then do something about it. Feeling tired? Rest more. Resting isn’t a waste of time, it is crucial for your wellbeing. Feeling low? Message one of your friends that you know will lift you up or watch an uplifting movie.
Don’t ignore the messages your body sends you or you will burn yourself out. And that doesn’t help anyone.
Positive talk
This may be a little bit out of your comfort zone but how often do you speak kindly to yourself? How often do you acknowledge a job well done?
If you can’t quite bring yourself to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are amazing, start off with a smile. Look at yourself in the mirror and smile. It sounds simple and a little peculiar but honestly if you can do this every day you will find your mood lifting more and more.
Meditate
Close your eyes and take a breath in for 1-2-3-4. Now hold it for 1-2-3-4. And exhale for 1-2-3-4. Repeat for as long as you have time available and try to keep your mind empty.
You don’t need to be lying down, you could be sitting in the car before school pickup. You don’t even need to do it for a long time, just 2 minutes of deep breathing can do wonders.
If you find your mind wandering off and starting to think about something, acknowledge it but bring your focus back to your breathing…. 1-2-3-4….
Doing this practice every single day can have a big impact on your everyday life.
Reduce screen time
Social media can have such a negative effect on your mental health and so many people spend the majority of their day looking at their smart phones, scrolling social media.
Looking at perfect homes, gorgeous outfits and happy families can make you feel as though your own life doesn’t match up to the norm. But it is so important to understand that social media is just a snapshot of people’s lives, it isn’t real.
Turn off your phone, log out of apps and see what difference you find.
Move your body
Exercise isn’t about changing your physical appearance, despite what the diet culture will have us believe. Moving your body is good for your mental health and can fill you will happy hormones that lift you up and motivate you to move more.
You don’t have to hit the gym or put on your running shoes, moving your body could be as simple as having a little dance in the living room with the kids or walking them to school instead of driving. So get up, change your physical state to change your mental state with a mood boost.
Gratitude practice
How grateful are you for the life you have? How often do you notice the little things in life that make you smile?
By noticing the good things that happen each day, you will train your mind to live in the present moment and focus on the important things in life. You’ll soon find that you spend less time wishing for this that and the other, and spend more time appreciating what you already have.
Sleep well
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the healthy habits you don’t want to neglect. The amount of sleep needed depends on your age and some other factors, but as a general rule you want to aim for around 8 hours of sleep a night.
Getting enough sleep will mean you have enough energy to move your body, to have the motivation to eat well and the enthusiasm to keep up your positive habits.
Do more of what you love
When was the last time you spent time on a hobby? Do you even have a hobby that you enjoy? Maybe you need to try new things to find that thing you love, or perhaps you long to spend time on that project you started years ago.
Your hobbies and interests are just as valid as the hobbies and interests of your kids. And it is important for them to see you enjoying them too. Even if it is just sitting down to enjoy a good book.
Think positively
It is a real skill to think positively and not everyone is naturally able to do it. If you find yourself dwelling on something that invokes negative emotions, remind yourself of the positive aspects of your life. Focus on the small wins of your day, the small moments of happiness that come your way, and you’ll foster a positive attitude.
It does take practice, especially if you are a naturally negative person. But allow yourself to think the negative thoughts for a brief moment, acknowledge them, and then switch your focus to a positive thought instead.
Get outside
It might seem like a difficult thing to fit into your day, especially if you’ve had a hard day at work. But getting outside daily can do wonders for your mental attitude.
Find out where local green spaces are, either near home or close to where you go to work and see if you can make time to get outside during a lunchbreak or during the day while the kids are at school.
Use the time to embrace nature and recenter yourself in this world.
Journal
Writing out your thoughts, both negative and positive, can help you process them and help you to move forwards.
At the end of the day, find yourself a quiet space and write down all of the thoughts that are filling your mind in that moment. It is also a great way to empty out your mind before bed so that those thoughts don’t swirl around in your mind and keep you awake.
Self care
Self care is more than a bubble bath. Self care is doing things that your future self will thank you for, whether that be buying healthy food to nourish your body, making plans for the week ahead so you can fit in some time outdoors, or making plans to meet up with friends.
Good health comes from looking after your entire health, and if you neglect your mental health you can often end up neglecting your physical health as a result. So take time to look after yourself, making sure you are in a good place to look after everyone else too.
You are in control of your own happiness, so focus on the simple things and build in good habits to your daily routine to become the happy woman you deserve to be.