4 Happiness Principles for Better Mental Health

Happiness is something many people are anxious to find, but it does not have to be extremely difficult. These happiness principles help guide us to better daily habits that can have huge benefits for our mental health.

Keep reading to find out what 4 happiness principles you should adopt into life for better mental health and, check out the simple self-care tips at the end. They are easy to incorporate into your daily habits to help boost overall health and wellbeing. 

4 Happiness Principles to Adopt Daily

Here are happiness principles that you can use to boost mental health daily, overcome challenges, and cultivate inner joy. Try them out and bring happiness within reach.

1. Don’t show off your happiness.

It is commonly said that comparison is the thief of joy. That is where this mentality comes in. Your knee-jerk reaction to good news may be sharing it online, telling everyone you know about it, or showing off. While there’s nothing wrong with sharing your joy, some of the time sharing happy moments may come from wanting to show off and make others envious.

There is a benefit to simply feeling and existing in your present state. Happiness is an emotion, it will not last forever and that is normal. Enjoy your joy while you have it and stop trying to show it off to others.

2. Don’t look for it, make it.

We as humans have something called baseline happiness. This means that while some external factors may make us happy for a short period of time, this feeling is short-lived and our emotional state is usually constant. Going to a party or getting a gift might make you happy for an hour or two, but if we don’t cultivate inner happiness and improve our baseline levels of joy, there will be no change in our inner state. 

As cliche as it sounds, happiness should come from within. We need to put effort into our happiness, cultivating habits and hobbies that boost our happiness ourselves. One way to improve baseline happiness is to practice gratitude. Giving thanks for and appreciating the small things in life is a simple way of reminding ourselves to be happier with the mundane. 

3. Always try to make the most of a bad time.

Everything in life will not go to plan. There will be setbacks, problems, and issues that can cause trouble. However, being able to overcome challenges is a vital life skill that can help you maintain a positive attitude without resorting to negativity and despair. Even though problems 

May arise, but we need to be focused on the solution. We can take problems as opportunities to grow, change, and adapt. We should allow ourselves to make mistakes and learn from them as opposed to trying to forget them altogether. This is a good way to deal with past regret.

4. Happiness comes and goes, but the sun will always rise.

Happiness, I stated before, is a fleeting emotion. While we can find inner peace and joy in ourselves, happiness may not be forever. That’s very normal, if we were happy all the time, we would have nothing to compare this emotion to. 

This is a principle that lets you focus on constants in your life. Even though happiness will come and go, there are certainties in life that you can rely on. Even the darkest nights end and the sun will rise. Your loved ones will always be there for you as you are for them. Water is wet, ice is cold, trees are huggable; universally accepted truths that will always be there for you.

Simple Tips for Daily Self-care

Here are some quick tips that can help you practice self-care, which can be an easy way of filling your life with more happiness and joy.

• Take it slow – slowing down in life allows you to cultivate inner peace and relaxation in an otherwise hectic schedule. You are allowed to take things slow, as slow as you need to. Take time to be present in the moment, and practice mindfulness, meditation, or breathing exercises. Add daily habits that force you to calm down.
• Romanticize life – romanticizing life is all about making normal moments magical. You can find a guide on romanticizing life here, but in essence, take everyday tasks and make them extraordinary. Add whipped cream to your morning coffee for an extra treat, cut your strawberries into hearts, or drink water out of a fun curly straw. Other ways to romanticize life include eating outside to enjoy nature, picking up a simple hobby like whistling, or lighting a candle and enjoying the scent.
• Me time – every day should have some form of me time. This is where you do something selfishly. Being selfish in a positive way can mean buying yourself a snack to eat after dinner, treating yourself to your favorite TV show, or even simply just reading an extra chapter of your favorite book. Me time can be practical, like doing a self-care routine and really taking the time to appreciate the products and their benefits to your skin.
• Rest and relax – rest and relaxation is a commonly overlooked aspect of a wellness journey. Sleep is vital for health, as many beneficial processes happen as we sleep. If you work out and don’t sleep, chances are you are doing more harm than good for your body. Plus, we should take moments to relax when we need to. Pushing ourselves too hard can often lead to burnout, anxiety, and other mental health issues that leave us feeling drained and exhausted constantly. Treat yourself to something as simple as a good night’s rest. Here’s a guide to the perfect nighttime routine that can help you get a good night’s sleep.

The Takeaway

A wellness journey should encompass physical, mental, and emotional health habits, so cultivating these aspects should help a lot. These happiness principles can be very beneficial, so try them out and watch how wellness flourishes.

Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutrient-dense meals, exercise when you can, at least 3 times a week, and take care of your mental health. Daily habits become the building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.