10 Ways To Bring Instant Happiness Back Into Your Life
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Depression can occur in many ways. A recent shock, sudden change or grief may have literally taken the life out of you. You may feel stuck, blocked or confused. You may have been struggling with feeling low for some time. You may question your life purpose or are boggled down by stress.
Regardless of how depression may overwhelm you, here are 10 practical and tangible things you can do right now to bring happiness back into your life:
1) Get Physical. Physical exercise is the #1 most important thing you can do. You may have heard this many times but still choose not to get moving. Do high cardio, sweat and release toxins. The adrenaline will feed your whole day and make you feel tons better about yourself. Just the act of choosing to do it will make you feel great. And the rewards are even greater!
2) Create a daily structure. Structure gives you a safe container to hold you when life feels like life its spinning out of control. Take out your calendar and schedule your day. Include what you have to get done, even if it is the bare minimum. Stick to your structure – this will make you feel more in control and on top of your game.
3) Do what you say you are going to do. Start small if you need in order to follow through. If you say to yourself, Tomorrow I need to pick up the dry clean, buy groceries, and wash the laundry - DO IT! Following through raises tremendous esteem and will get you feeling great about yourself again.
4) Find something you love. If you love to garden pot a plant. If you love to swim find a pool. If you are drawn to creativity, paint, sculpt or dance. Engaging in something you love will give you tremendous energy and inspire you again! Make sure you do something you love a few times a week. Your spirit will lift and you will feel lighter super soon.
5) Stop eating the “whites”. Sugar, white bread, white rice, potatoes, and processed foods are instant depressants. Nothing brings us more down then the crash of a sugar high. Did you know there is sugar in McDonald’s fries? That’s their secret ingredient! It may be difficult at first but it only takes a few days to get over the hump and once you do you will feel like a completely changed person!
6) Look at other ways you medicate. We find ways to medicate our depression other than antidepressants in so many ways. We may drink too much alcohol or caffeine, smoke too much, over eat or do drugs. We don’t realize we are trying to balance our depression by using substances. Becoming aware that these substances remove you from experiencing happiness can help get your life back on track, feeling more clear and empowered.
7) Be aware of how you express your feelings. Many times we make our depression worse than it is by indulging our feelings. We talk and talk our problems out to friends and loved ones and don’t realize that we are actually making them bigger by keeping our focus on them. Find a way to put your attention on something else. Keep busy or do something with your hands rather than spilling out all that you feel.
On the flip side, if you are holding what you feel deep inside, you may need to give your feelings a voice. Find a good therapist to talk your feelings out with. This will support you to have a needed release and will help empty all that is de-pressed within you.
8) Get rest. Sometimes anxiety that comes with depression can keep us from getting a good nights rest or we may hide in our sleep to avoid doing what we need to create change. Know the difference between when you are tired and need real rest and when you are running away under the covers. Sleep 7-9 hours a night, no more and no less.
9) Connect to nature and sunshine! Get outside and breathe fresh air. Take a hike, go to a park, or sit on the beach and watch the waves. Look for the nature that is blooming life all around you. Let the sun feed you and warm your heart. Being in nature can shift your mood in a quick minute and Vitamin D from sunshine can give you an added boost. Here comes the sun!
10) Find a spiritual practice. Connecting to something much bigger than you will help you lift up off of the self-obsession that underlines depression. Meditate daily at least 15 minutes. Take a yoga class. Find a spiritual teacher you respect or attend a retreat or workshop.
All of these things may seem so simple and obvious, yet we can still choose not to do them. We don’t realize that these basic fundamental acts can actually shift our mood and bring new light and energy to our lives.
Are you willing to commit to doing any one of these today? What is one step you could take to put your happiness into your own hands? -
if you still love to do the things that you love then you're not depressed...
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Discover your deeper purpose of your life besides sleep, eat, work, fart and shit.
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Originally posted by The man who was death:
if you still love to do the things that you love then you're not depressed...
I guessed you're definitely not depressed cause you love to post in sgforum
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Originally posted by Urdhaytb:
Discover your deeper purpose of your life besides sleep, eat, work, fart and shit.
.....pretty obvious, you missed out one important purpose...to love