With the end of the year and the beginning of s new year, people usually start reconsidering their life and new ways to be a happier and better person. They try to recapitulate all the positive things they did and the successes they achieved in the previous year. After doing this, they start thinking about goals for the following year and things they’d like to change about their lives. This period symbolically marks the ‘end’ of an old you and the ‘beginning’ of a new you. The key to being a better person is constant self-improvement and the key to being happier and better is seeing the improvement in yourself. However, it is not easy creating that mindset. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of basic things you can do to be a happier and better person – take a look!
We should first start with self-love. You need to love yourself for what you are and all the things you can become. Then, you should find and devote time to your family even with the abundance of obligations you have. People often forget that they have so many things to be thankful for — so, be more grateful. Spending time outside is essential for maintaining your mental health. Remember to do what you love, whether it be a job or free-time activities. You should always pay attention to your nutrition as how you look on the inside shows on the outside. And two other things also contribute to you being a happier and better person: physical activity and learning something new.
1. Love yourself more to be a happier and better person
One of the simple keys to happier and better relationships starts with you. You need to love yourself first if you want to create and maintain relationships with other people. It all starts with self-love. In order to be able to love yourself, you should know yourself well. That means being aware of all your positive characteristics as well as flaws. You have probably proven to yourself that you can achieve certain things in life. That means that you are self-confident enough to believe that if you wish, you can be a better person. And when you are a better version of your previous self, you can only be happy about that as it is something you strove for and accomplished eventually.
2. Devote time to your family
It goes without saying that the family is the basic social unit of society. That means that there is no society without families. However, living in today’s modern world has its benefits and drawbacks as well. One of the major drawbacks is the fact that we are all overwhelmed with household and work obligations. Sometimes that extends so much that we simply don’t have time for our families, or we are too tired to devote our time to them. This is something we should definitely strive to change. So, what you can do is organize some activities for the whole family after picking up your kids from nursery care. Go play outside, take a walk, go ice skating, watch a cartoon or simply bake something together. Being a better and more devoted parent can make you feel happier and better about yourself.
3. Be grateful
Being grateful is one of the crucial things when it comes to increasing happiness. It is so because, in order for you to be grateful, you must think about all the positive things in your life. When you realize how lucky you actually are, you become aware of all the reasons you should be happy about. You can include practicing gratefulness at the end of each day by writing down three things you are grateful for. These can be even some little things. It will make you feel better about yourself.
4. Spend more time outside
Spending more time outside in fresh air and sunshine has its benefits. Nature has calming effects on people, so make sure to spend some, even a little time outside every day. Just sitting on a bench in the park, or walking along the riverside, listening to birds chirping, enjoying a warm breeze and sunshine on your face can relax you. Use this opportunity to see a close friend or spend time with the people you love. You can even take a lunch break outside!
5. Do what you love
Doing what you love generally in life is essential. Let’s start with the job as it is something that takes a third of our day. You shouldn’t feel bad or sick when thinking about your work. If you don’t feel good about what you do, then you should definitely consider what the things that you don’t like are and try to change that. Sometimes all you need is just a different company. But sometimes, that’s not enough and you need to change your career. Nothing is impossible. You just need strong will and motivation. Of course, you should know what you want and don’t want.
6. Pay attention to nutrition
Water and food that we take in give us the energy to be both physically and mentally active. So, we should be very mindful of it. Our nutrition should be based on prevailingly healthy things. These include fresh fruits and veggies, nuts as well as other foods rich in fiber, healthy fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Food is health. We should stay away from highly processed food and food high in sugar.
7. Stay active
Physical exercise does make you feel better as it shakes your body up a bit and boosts your self-confidence. What happens in your body when you exercise is that it releases endorphins and energy, which are valuable for you to feel good about yourself. However, for this to be effective, you need consistency. So, you should find what motivates you and regularly work out at home, go to the gym or run. It will make you feel happier and better consequently.
8. Learn something new
Learning a new skill or generally something new is what keeps us feeling young and alive. It also positively affects our self-confidence. The feeling of progress is what makes people feel better about themselves. You should never feel in a rut. If you do, you need a new skill to master or a goal to achieve.
These simple, everyday things can help you be a happier and better person over some period of time. Incorporate them one by one in your days and weeks and you’ll see improvement in no time.
About the Author
Jess Cooper is a part-time journalist and blogger based in Sydney, Australia. She is an energetic, creative highly motivated person with plenty of interests. The most prominent areas of interest include makeup and cosmetics, fashion, style, event organization and decoration, healthy food, fitness, learning languages as well as home improvement. Jess loves learning about new things and having the chance to combine those insights with her ideas and spread them to the world. She enjoys having a mindful and well-organized, healthy life, filled with all kinds of different activities and interwoven with close friendships.
