If you ask anyone what they would like more of in their life, happiness is definitely on the list. In fact, everything that a person is looking for is to increase their happiness in some way.  The topic of happiness has become an area that is being studied and various books have been written on the subject. I am a firm believer that there is  no such thing as “one size fits all”! The thing that may work for you, may not work for me and vice versa. In the spirit of this belief I am giving you some more ways to increase your happiness. This week I will provide you with 7 ways to increase your happiness, some of these may be familiar to you and if they are let his post serve as a reminder or motivation to actually take action. I will go into each briefly today and then for the next several weeks I will go more into detail into each strategy.

1. Give back/Volunteer. Sometimes when we are in our own world or what I like to refer to as our own little bubble, we forget how blessed our lives are. Spending time volunteering will help us change our perspective and allow us to feel like we are contributing to another which increases happiness.

2. Experience your emotions. I do believe that when you have an emotion come up, bottling it up or ignoring the emotion is not the best thing for you or your health. When emotions are ignored they will resurface in other ways, such as stress or health issues. When you feel sadness or any other undesirable emotion, allow yourself to fully feel the emotion and then let it go however you can.

3. Mindfulness. Thankfully, the value of mindfulness is becoming more and more apparent in our culture. Simply being present with what we are doing, and not multi-tasking allows us to experience more happiness.

4. Expressing Gratitude. In past blog posts I have discussed the value of gratitude and ways to increase gratitude in our lives. What I am talking about now it simply saying “thank you” to people that we take for granted. These are usually the people closest to us, and happen to be the people we are less likely to tank.

5. Meditate: I have written a lot about one of the benefits of meditation. In fact, I am so passionate about meditation that I have a short introduction to meditation download available on my website for free. Meditation can help you release stress, among many benefits, and increase your happiness.

6. Exercise: When you exercise you are increasing endorphins which can increase your happiness. Bonus: Exercise outdoors and enjoy sunlight and fresh air.

7. Celebrate: Do you take time to celebrate yourself? Acknowledging your accomplishments and your work increases your happiness. As humans we all need to be seen and heard. Celebrating yourself, by engaging in an activity you enjoy or any other way you like to celebrate, helps you feel appreciated.

My hope is that you try one of these strategies and it does increase your happiness. I would love to hear what worked for you.

As usual if you are ready to make changes in your life and step into your purposeful life, contact me for a complimentary Clarity session.