7 Simple and Easy Ways to Improve Your Happiness

Have you been feeling down and hopeless? I know I have. It can be incredibly easy to get into this funk where you just want to hide under the covers and avoid the world. We've all been there and it is perfectly okay to have those days. However, it is extremely important that we do not allow ourselves to sulk in this unhappy feeling for too long. This past month has been emotionally and mentally draining for me. I allowed myself to sulk in the stress and worry of many things. I have not been sleeping well, drinking enough water, and ultimately just not taking care of myself. I knew I needed to pull myself out of the sulky funk that I was in. As hard as it may seem to do, it is possible. It is as simple and easy as this; do things that you know make you happy. 

                                                         Photo by Shakira 71 on flickr

1. Wake up early. 
For me, if I do not have at least 30 minutes for myself in the morning before I start my day, my day ends up feeling stressful and chaotic. I just recently started waking up early maybe two months ago and boy has it helped me. I have never been a morning person but I have been trying to wake up an hour or so early before I have to start getting ready for my day. I like to drink my coffee while sitting in bed reading or scrolling through Pinterest. The mornings that I'm feeling really good, I love getting up and doing yoga. I have come to the realization that this helps me tremendously. I feel more calm and relaxed when I begin my day. Having that sense of calm and relaxation throughout my day makes me feel a lot happier. 

2. Get dressed even on your days off. 
Whether you put on yoga pants and a cute top or you put on a cute dress, just get out of your pajamas. Days that I stay in my pajamas all day are the days I end up binge watching a show on Netflix and calling my mom complaining that I just don't feel happy. I have found that I am way more productive when I clean myself up and get dressed on my days off which in turn makes me feel happy. I'm not saying you have to shower and do full make up and hair. Just get up, wash your face, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and get dressed. It will help start your day and help you become more productive instead of sitting on the couch all day feeling down. 

3. Light your favorite candle. 
It is as simple and easy as that. Light your favorite candle. On days that I am off work and I am at home, I love lighting candles all over my apartment. Smelling my favorite scents and seeing the flame of the candle flicker, it just makes me smile. 

4. Read something that inspires you. 
For me, as I've mention before, reading Bella Grace magazines truly inspires me. Bella Grace makes me think, it makes me reflect, and it just inspires me all around. I feel truly happy when I sit down to read my favorite magazine. For you, maybe it's an inspiring Youtuber. It can be anything you want! But when you are feeling down and hopeless, reading or watching something that inspires you helps get those happy juices flowing through your veins. 

                                                photographybykellithomas.blogspot.com

5. Get outside. 
Personally, I feel completely filled with joy when I am outside. Even just taking my dogs outside, I feel happy. I love getting that fresh air and feeling the warm sun on my face and the slight breeze blowing through my hair. You can go sit on your porch and enjoy your morning coffee, you can go for a walk on the beach (my dream way of being outside), you could go hiking, or even just go for a drive with your windows down. Getting outside and getting that fresh air helps refocus your mind. You know how you feel when you see your food coming at a restaurant? That is how I feel when I get outside. Maybe it's the same for you! 

6. Have your favorite meal. 
Being a Libra, I struggle making decisions. So it is difficult for me to choose a favorite meal; however, I do have many meals that I absolutely LOVE. A few of them are huevos rancheros, Greek yogurt pancakes, and a Cobb salad which are all found in "The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime" by Ree Drummond. Whenever I am cooking or preparing any of these meals, I am happy and excited. To me, having a meal that I absolutely love is like eating comfort food. It just makes you happy when you genuinely enjoy your food! 

                                                            Photo found on Pinterest

7. Pamper yourself!
This one is exactly what it sounds like. Take an hour or two or even longer to pamper yourself. Take a hot, relaxing bath with good smelling bath salts and bubbles. Those days that I just want to come home and curl up in bed, my mom always tells me to go take a relaxing bath. I don't always listen but when I do, it's awesome. I like to light scented candles in my bathroom and pour in my bath salts and just relax and soak in all the wonderfulness that comes with taking a hot bath. You can also do a face mask or paint your nails. I'm not the best at painting my own nails so on those stressful days, sometimes I enjoy taking the time to actually go get my nails done. I actually enjoy going by myself because it gives me the opportunity to just sit there and relax while someone else is pampering me. Doing any of these things helps me relax and it just melts the stress right away.

I have said this before and I will say it again, you have to take care of yourself; make yourself a priority. This is exceptionally important when you are feeling down. It is totally okay to have bad or "off" days, just don't allow yourself to sulk in that misery. This life is way too short to not do your best to enjoy every minute of it! 

Learning To Say No

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Many people disregard their mental health even though it is almost more important than anything else. If you are in a good state mentally, it makes life easier all around. 

Learning to say no is vital to your mental health. Things like going out with friends, taking an extra shift at work, or even deep cleaning the house are things you can say no to. Are you required by some law that you have to go out with your friends? No. Are you going to get fired if you say no to an extra shift? No. Is the house going to burn down if it isn't deep cleaned right away? Probably not. If your body and mind need a relaxing night at home, do it. For example, I just got a call from my boss asking if I could work tonight. This is after I already covered 4 shifts in the last two weeks. Can you guess what my answer was? "No." I wanted and needed tonight to take care of me. And guess what! That is perfectly okay. 

This world is crazy, hectic, and just plain stressful more times than not. It is wonderful if you take care of your physical body but it is incredibly important to take care of yourself mentally as well. Someone wrote in the Bella Grace magazine that "Saying no to one thing is often disguised as a yes to do all the other things you truly love". This really caught my eye because it made me think. So many times I've said yes to things I did not care to do at all but I felt obligated to do them. This led me to doing something I didn't enjoy when I could have been doing something I loved had I just said no. 

People might get mad at you for saying no but that is their problem, not yours. Your life doesn't revolve around them. You and your happiness are more important than a day or night of saying yes. This life is yours! You get to choose how you live it. Sure, not every little thing is something you necessarily want to do but sometimes you have to. However, the little things that truly are YOUR choice, you can say yes or no to. If you want to say no, do it without shame or guilt. Do not let someone make you feel guilty for saying no to something you don't want to do. Setting those boundaries is, to me, empowering. I have let people walk all over me and when I finally learned to stand up and say no, I felt like the big, beautiful, strong woman that I am. 

Saying no doesn't make you a bad person. It just means that you love yourself enough to choose you sometimes. Putting yourself first time to time is not in any way selfish; it is necessary. Learn to say no to the things you don't want to do and start doing the things that bring you pure joy.