It’s very easy to get swamped by the many distractions that make up our lives in the modern world. Our hectic lives have become more outward-oriented and we are soon enveloped by a swarm of activities and thoughts and worries, and…. well, you get the picture.
Thankfully, there are some ways to get ourselves back in kilter and help our lives a bit more tolerable. I’m sure given enough time, I could come up with hundred of things that would help – and I am certain you could, as well. Here are just five that I thought of.
See a different perspective. I’ve always said that nothing we experience is inherently good or bad. They take on a good or bad hue, depending on how we see them, and which side of the equation we are on. So, for instance, we would consider a death a tragedy, but for the undertaker, it’s more business. Rain might be a nuisance when you have to be outdoors. But the farmer is delighted with the rain that makes his crops grow. But that is oversimplifying the issue. When we are able to see life events as neutral, not as events designed to make us miserable, we are able to keep up a positive attitude to deal with them. That, in itself makes life more tolerable…making us less unhappy. In other words, have an attitude of gratitude.
Try something new. In an earlier post, I wrote about how trying new experiences can keep you young, and how money can buy you happiness. It is experiences, not material wealth that makes us happy. It is having the experience of something different that makes us feel awesome.
Make love often. Sex – especially the good kind – releases endorphins and serotonin, which create the feel-good sensation and the DHEA hormone, which helps circulation. It also relaxes muscles and releases you of stress. Indeed, if there was ever a fountain of youth, it would be healthy sexual intimacy. Regular sex can shave off 4-7 years off your age! What’s not to love? Need I say more?
Give more. Expect less. Think of everything you do as meant to be beneficial. How does what you do help someone else?. Remember, what goes around comes around. Imagine all the good karma that comes back to you from the good you do…. Once you get into the habit of doing good for goodness’ sake, expecting less will follow naturally. When you expect less, you experience less disappointment. Less disappointment mean less energy spent on being upset and more energy for being happy.
Live in the now. It is difficult to focus on the good things happening to us right now, when we are fixated on what could happen or what happened in the past. Everything happens in the present. Not in the past or the future. We spend our energies clinging to the memory of what happened, or creating an illusion of what might happen before it actually does. In the meantime, the beauty of what is happening right here, right now is totally lost on us: The soft breeze, the birds chirping, the whiff of fragrance from a flower, a baby crying in the distance…
By living a simpler life, we cut down on the worries as well, making it easier for us to move our outwork focus more inward. Let’s not go too long only to realize that what we were looking for out there, was in here all along…
What are some of your tips for living a happier life? What has worked for you? Please share them in the comment box below:
