Are you wondering how to be happier? According to science, these tweaks to your regular habits can boost your happiness.
Wondering how to be happier? While it sounds like a formidable task, you can easily boost your happiness by incorporating positive habits into your life. Happiness is not something that happens to us. Like everything else in our life, we have to work for it. If you are constantly wondering how to be happier, it’s time to reevaluate your hectic schedules and mismanaged lifestyle. Here are six scientifically proven tips for how to be happier and improve your overall well-being:
Exercise regularly
It may seem obvious, but it’s true, a healthy body is crucial for a healthy mind. A sedentary lifestyle could be responsible for anxiety, depression and negative thoughts. Regular exercise can boost happiness and self-esteem while lowering stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression as it releases endorphins. Regular exercise—especially in nature—can also improve your heart health. It can also boost your mental health, happiness and general well-being.
Choose a well-balanced diet, low in sugar and processed food
According to a 2017 study, your diet can influence your state of mind. If you want to know how to be happier, we recommend eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. Cut back on sugar and processed food. According to Dr. Amy Shah, double board-certified MD, “Multiple studies have found a link between diets high in sugar and depression. While sugar may give you an immediate dopamine surge, it triggers imbalances in certain brain chemicals”. Instead, she recommends incorporating protein-rich foods like legumes and beans as they release dopamine and norepinephrine. Since complex carbohydrates release serotonin, a “feel good” hormone, adding vegetables, beans and whole grains to your diet can lift up your mood.
Practice gratitude
As humans, we are inherently dissatisfied. So, how can we be happier in life? Starting each day by acknowledging things you are grateful for can help. One of the many advantages of gratitude is that it can significantly improve your mood. A two-part study conducted in 2018 discovered that practicing gratitude can promote feelings of hope and happiness. Getting a journal and writing down five things you are grateful for each day is an excellent exercise to boost happiness. And the list could include something as simple as a sunny day or quality time with your friends.
Meditate
Meditation is an excellent place to start if you want to learn how to be happier. Daily meditation has amazing benefits for the human mind, including reducing accumulated anxiety, calming mental chatter, enhancing focus, elevating self-esteem and boosting feelings of confidence. You can do it for as little as five minutes in the morning or as long as an hour. According to Psychology Today, meditation is the most effective mental exercise you can do to reset your happiness set point, making you happier overall and literally rewiring your brain.
Get adequate sleep
Have you noticed that you are always in a bad mood when you don’t get enough sleep? We need at least seven hours of sleep every day for good health, brain function and emotional well-being. But are you guilty of staying up too late working or binge watching your favorite show? This can have a significant impact on your mood. If you want to learn how to be happier, you must fix your sleep schedule. Build a healthy sleep schedule and try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. Getting enough sleep also reduces your risk of developing certain chronic illnesses such as heart disease, depression, and diabetes.
Include more herbs in your diet
If you want to lower your stress and anxiety levels, including medicinal herbs like moringa tea may be highly beneficial. Moringa contains ethanolic extract found in moringa leaves, which can lift serotonin, dopamine and GABA levels in the brain. These three neurotransmitters have been directly linked to anxiety-related disorders, and there is concrete evidence that low dopamine levels are significantly correlated with anxiety. Thus, regular consumption of moringa tea can boost your mood and alleviate stress.
