‘Being happy starts with yourself.’
A saying that you often hear and that is absolutely correct. Happiness is often decided by your outlook on life and everything that happens around you. External factors may test our happiness, but to a large extent you can influence your mindset positively. You can do this by exercising your brain and even partly reprogramming it.
The tips below teach you how to develop a positive mindset and thus pay more attention to the beautiful parts of life.
Well begun is half done
Start the day with a positive activity: something that make syou happy and that energises you for the rest of the day. So don’t immediately start with something that you have to do, but get up five to ten minutes early and take some time for yourself.
A couple of ideas: take a short walk with your dog, meditate, gof or a run, practice some yoga, read a magazine or peacefully drink a cup of coffee. It doesn’t need to take long. So long you pay attention to yourself before you head into the daily rush.
Invest in positive relationships
Connectedness or belonging somewhere is a basic need. We are social creatures and need contact with others to be happy. In good company we produce endorphins. Make sure you’re surrounded by people that make you feel good and you can rely on. Invest in those relationships and consciously free up some time to spend it with family and friends.
Naturally, this applies the other way around as well. Everyone knows someone with a negative mindset who complains incessantly and criticises everything and everyone. It’s best to avoid such negative influences. They suck the energy out of you. Dare to recognise this and to make the conscious decision about who you do and who you do not invest time tin. Fill the limited time you have with valuable contacts and activities that energise you.
Move!
It has been proven that physical exercise has a positive effect on your mindset and mental health. So free up time in your schedule to exercise every week.
Show your solidarity
Do something good for somebody else. Set a weekly goal for yourself. A small gesture is enough. Compliment someone or help an older person get on the bus. You’ll see: it’ll make you feel good.
Be gentle with yourself
Everyone makes mistakes. And that’s okay. Instead of resenting yourself and letting it keep you awake at night, take it as a lesson for yourself. Do something with it. You’re allowed to be critical towards yourself, but try to limit this. Set goals, but give yourself leeway to achieve those goals. And be proud of yourself when you’ve achieved a goal.
