How To Be Happier Every Day

Have you ever had a perfect day? A day where your energy was high, your hopes were high, and everything just felt “right”? Maybe it even included a couple interactions with strangers, which you normally hate (I do). You ended the day feeling amazing… And sad that it was coming to an end, knowing full well that tomorrow definitely wouldn’t go as well.

What if I told you that you could feel happier every day?

What if all it took was being more intentional about your happiness? I did an exercise years ago that has helped me be happier every day, and also helped me to be more intentional about finding happiness and discovering what may be preventing my happiness at any given moment.

Thoughtfully consider this…

What makes you happy? What gives you energy? What drains your energy, or makes you unhappy in any way?

For me, alone time is important. If I’m busy going, and going, and going, I will absolutely feel depleted and on edge and not be my best self. I know that getting enough sleep and eating healthier foods bring me energy, whereas lacking sleep and processed foods drain my energy. I know that staying hydrated gives me energy. I know that reading the bible and praying gives me energy and a positive outlook. I know that working out does the same. Too much alcohol and a certain person with toxic energy make me feel drained and therefore not at my best.

Make a list of the all the things that make you happy, and another list of all the things that are in your life that don’t make you happy. Often the “unhappy” list includes bad habits. This can help to give you a good reason why you should work on those bad habits, because they may be contributing to your unhappiness.

Once you have your happy things and your unhappy things all written out, you can determine which “unhappies” you are able to eliminate altogether, or be more mindful of beginning immediately. Then take a look at your happy list and decide which of those things you can and should incorporate into everyday. My daily routine includes reading my bible and praying, as well as writing 5 things I am grateful for. I also try to incorporate body movement as often as possible, either by working out, taking a walk, or even just stretching. Knowing that I feel more energized when I eat healthy foods helps me remember to do so as frequently as possible.

Since doing this exercise I have been able to mentally refer back to my list anytime I’m having a “bad” day for whatever reason. I think, “Did I do my daily happiness items?”, if the answer is no, I do them and it generally puts me in a good mood. Or maybe I realize I’m having a “bad” day and am able to attribute it to lack of sleep and poor eating as opposed to the world and everyone around me being “against me” and feeling “doomed”. Having a logical and systematic way of evaluating my mood (and I am a moooooooody person!), has really helped me to make sense of my daily feelings.

Unfortunately we can’t always control who it is that we have to interact with. But, we can control ourselves. If certain people drain your energy, just be aware of that and limit your time around those people or plan for extra “happies” to try to counterbalance that.

Check out Gretchen Rubin’s book below for more ideas on how to create a happier life. She is very inspiring!

Let me know in the comments what brings you happiness every day!

XO,

Abby

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