5 Ways to Get Happy in an Unhappy World
5 Ways to Get Happy in an Unhappy World
I was listening to a podcast the other day and the host said: “Seriousness is a sickness”.
That really hit home.
I have a great sense of humor. I’m rarely serious. I joke, laugh, and use sarcasm a lot. And I’m one of the happiest people I know. 😉 I mean…there’s a reason my hashtag is #thefunnyfitnesstrainer!
Sure, you have to be serious sometimes. But unhappiness is an epidemic in the modern world. And in light of current events, we’d all do well to lighten TF up a bit. Being serious all the time doesn’t help. In fact, being overly serious may make your situation – and the situation for anyone around you – worse.
“Your thoughts create the chemistry of your body.” Let that sink in. It’s another great line from the podcast I was listening to. (BONUS! Listening to uplifting podcasts is a 6th way to cultivate happiness!)
What does that mean? It means that when you are thinking negatively, your adrenals are pumping out stress hormones like cortisol. Your thoughts cause real chemical and physical changes in your body. Please read that again.
Our thoughts and feelings also dictate our actions. Think about the last time you had a bad day or felt really unhappy. Did you feel like doing anything productive? No! You probably felt like crawling back into bed, eating an entire cake, or drowning your sorrows in a bottle of wine.
On the other hand, when we feel happy and good, we tend to do good things. We notice more of the positives in life, and things just seem to go our way. We are nicer to others, more productive at work, and more apt to take care of ourselves.
Life can get stormy…but you can teach yourself to be better at weathering the storms!
5 ways to cultivate humor and get happy
Lighten up. When you catch yourself being serious or if something goes wrong in your day, find the humor in the situation. Want my extra thoughts and anecdotes from my life? Make sure you click the play button at the top of this page!
Smile. Studies show that the act of smiling – even if you aren’t happy – causes a cascade of positive “happy hormones” in the brain. Not happy? Fake it till you make it. Smile at the next person you see. It might make their day, and it will help you get happy too.
Listen to, watch, and read funny stuff. Laughter really is the best medicine. This is why I try to post so much funny stuff on my social media…I want to make you laugh because I want you to be happy! Find something (or someone) that makes you belly laugh every day.
Do something that makes you happy every day. Make a list of things and activities that make you happy. When was the last time you did something on your list? We wear our busy lifestyles like badges of honor. You deserve to be happy. Every day. That means prioritizing doing the things that actually make you happy.
La dolce far niente!!! Perfect the art of doing nothing. I’m getting this phrase tattooed on my body. Have you ever sat next to a campfire and zoned out looking into the flames? Our ancestors likely spent lots of time doing a lot of nothing. We are wired to have down time, to sit and relax, to enjoy the company of our loved ones. Get better at being okay with doing nothing.
La dolce far niente! Here I am perfecting the art of doing nothing.
Want to listen to the full podcast that inspired this post? Click here!
Blog Author: Kelly Bailey, IIN certified holistic nutrition coach, and NPTI certified personal trainer
Learn more about the author here.