Know whats real

In a modern world where we are more inclined to show off our lives through the use of social media, it is meaning we have higher self-esteem, which seems fine, but it means that when something unhappy happens to us, we take it harder and we think more badly of ourselves.

How about trying to think of yourself less? Be sure to never get this confused with thinking less of yourself - as you are important, and you do matter. But, by eliminating the need to show yourself off and instead throwing yourself into real life, you will think of yourself and your ego less and therefore be happier with the things, experiences and people you do have, rather than creating a world of perfect vision and punishing yourself when it doesn't exactly that way. 

Be the right kind of busy

It sounds crazy but being the right kind of busy is actually really beneficial to your mindset. We're not talking about taking on a bunch of extra hours at the office, or constantly running errands, either. It's about managing your free time and filling it with things that make you smile, and feel happy inside!

Being bored can actually be detrimental to you, so it's a great idea to use your own time to do things which you enjoy and which will make you have a more positive outlook on life, whether that's driving to a place you love, taking a walk with friends or doing something creative - just don't forget that it is okay to say no to things that you don't whole-heartedly want to do, or you could start walking the path to stress again! 

Have just a handful of close relationships

For most people, our social relationships; friends, family, loved ones - are super important when it comes to leading a happy and fulfilled life - it can even help you to live longer to have small group of people you are closely connected to.

Be sure to remember that in life, it is the quality of the relationships you have rather than the quantity. Since relationships have such a big impact on our lives it is important that we choose them carefully and really make the most of the ones we know will help us through our lives.

It is great to know lots of people, but knowing the difference between an acquaintance and a life-long connection is key to staying happy. Those strong relationships can get you through tough times, celebrate successes with you and keep you sane!

Get to the heart of it

'Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people' - Eleanor Roosevelt 

It is proven that some of the happiest people are the ones who discuss ideas, beliefs, opinions. They feel valued and more knowledgeable through sharing and learning other ways of life and mind.

Any conversation is good for your happiness to an extent, saying 'hello' to your neighbours or 'whats new?' to your local cashier, but deep conversations -  the ones we have with close friends and family- are what make us truly happy, so don't be afraid to really get to the heart of it, voice your thoughts and find out what makes others tick.

Treat yourself to the smaller things in life

Although life experiences make us super happy, treating ourselves to small pleasures can give us much needed boosts and help us see the sunny side. It is shown that regular small pleasures; a coffee, new skirt, or your fave lippy, actually make us happier and have more of an impact on us than larger ones in the long term.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't strive for larger achievements in life like promotions, once-in-a-lifetime holidays and the like, but remember that those things take a while to come to fruition and you don't want your happiness to take constant hits while you're waiting on them!

Take all you can from experiences

While most of us love to have spontaneous fun, like a car ride or a last minute getaway, research has shown that planning of our future experiences actually adds to the fun and ups our happiness tenfold! We love to get excited and dream about what will happen on our adventures, we love to plan details, whether that be pit stops or sight seeing, or an outfit to wear to a special dinner!

We get most happiness from planning our holidays and travels, but we get the same feeling to a lesser extent, when planning time with friends and family - a group meal, a trip to the movies ect. For a small time, we forget the habits of our every day life and we are planning for a life we want to have, it makes us happy to know we are doing things we dreamed of!

Show appreciation

We cant always hear what we want to hear, that's just life, but it does mean that when someone pays us a compliment or does us a good deed, it makes us all the more happy! The same goes for doing a good deed ourselves for someone else or making someone else happy with our words - studies have shown that such acts can increase our happiness by 25%!

Something as simple as thanking some one, particularly through a hand-written note, can have a really positive effect - so don't forget to show some appreciation, its great for everyone! 

 Change Your Perspective

Our outlook on life is the one thing that can make or break our mood from day to day. If you are finding that you are increasingly seeing the negatives in life then its time to sit up and change your perspective.

You are in control of your happiness and something as simple as listing 3 good things which happened to you on a daily basis can really decrease depressive tendencies and leave you feeling happier and more satisfied with life! 

Don't Compare Yourself

If you relate your own happiness with the feeling of being better than others then you will end up frustrated and stressed a lot of the time. Instead, try to think about how happy you are with your own successes and take pleasure in everyday achievements.

It's easier said than done but no matter how great you are at something you will always come across someone else who can one up you and you'll be back to square one, feeling negative and stressed. Our goals are ever changing throughout our lives, so it's important to focus only on what we are achieving in our own lives, rather than comparing ourselves with how well (or not) others are doing.

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