Happiness: Seven Ways to Improve Mental Health
I used to think happiness was external. I believed happiness came from the things I attained. It sounded something like this… I 
will be happy when I lose weight. I will be happy when I land the job of my dreams. Or I will be happy when I finish college. It took me years to realize that happiness wasn’t attained by external things. To the contrary, happiness was an inside job. It was something that I worked at on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, some of us may have experienced hardships while growing up, such as abuse, trauma, tragedy, or some form of neglect that impacted our happiness. Or, better still, conditioned us to believe that happiness is something that happens to everybody else and not to us.
Well, I have some good news to share with you. Regardless of how old you are or what happened to you in your life, it’s never too late to learn the art of happiness, make it a part of your daily routine, and improve your mental health. Here’s how:
- Maintaining our bodies: Exercising, consuming a good diet, and getting the proper amount of sleep are important for our mental health. Think about it: what brain doesn’t benefit from a healthy lifestyle, right?
- Developing and Maintaining Relationships: Friendships and connections are essential to feel a sense of support and belonging. Therefore, spending an inordinate amount of time being isolated or alone doesn’t lend itself to mental well-being or happiness. So, think of friendships like brain food; you don’t want to go through life without them.
- Having a Meaningful Life: What does having a meaningful life mean? Well, meaning can be derived from a number of different things. For instance, engaging in spiritual or religious practices. It might be volunteering at your local animal rescue. Or, working at a local food pantry. It is when we engage in meaningful things in our lives that a sense of contentment and well-being can be fostered.
- Developing Gratitude: Can developing gratitude improve mental health? What if you were to get up in the morning, take a shower, brush your teeth, and recite three things in your life you’re grateful for? You might even consider having a journal and writing down all of the good things that have happened to you throughout your life. Try it; you might be pleasantly surprised.
- Practicing Mindfulness: What does this mean? It means living in the here and now. Not camping out in the past or having anticipatory anxiety about what might happen in the future. It also means allowing yourself to think and feel without judgment. Yes, think of it like going on a vacation because your brain can just relax and chill out. Your brain will love it!
- Focusing on Strengths: What this means is fixating on what you’re good at. For instance, are you good at baking? Are you good at fixing things? I always tell my clients to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. This is because focusing on your strengths rather than your weaknesses will enhance happiness and well-being.
- Let Go: Yes, I know this might sound cliche, but letting go could be the best way to create happiness and improve your mental health. Do you want to know why? It requires very little effort on our behalf. Rather than ruminating about things until the cows come home, just let go. It will do wonders for your brain.
So, now that I’ve shared a thing or two about happiness and how it can improve your mental health, would you consider slowly integrating them into your life one step at a time?
Best of luck on your journey to happiness!
See you next month!
