Life will always have its ups and downs, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait for everything in our lives to be perfect for us to be happy.
When I was navigating my rock bottom, I always thought I had to fix everything in my life to finally be happy. I believed that happiness can only happen when everything in my life finally fell into place, when the stress and anxiety eased, and when I finally feel good enough again.
But I was wrong. Happiness won’t just magically come when life is easier. Happiness can be found in every moment of our lives if we only allow ourselves to slow down and notice it. I’ve learned that one of the best things that we can do to make space for happiness in our lives even in difficult moments, is to build and practice certain habits that will help us shift our mindset and let go of negative thoughts.
In this blog post, I will be sharing with you the simple happiness habits that you can easily add to your daily routine to help bring more joy into your life. These habits are just small and simple but when we practice them every day, they can make such a huge difference in how we feel every day.
Happiness Habits to Add to Your Daily Routine
1. Start Your Morning With Gratitude
To be honest with you, for years, I was never a believer in practicing daily gratitude. I thought that this practice was nothing but toxic positivity. I mean, sure, it’s easy to be grateful when everything in our lives is going right but when we are going through hard times, finding something to be grateful for just seems impossible.
This is exactly what I felt. When I hit rock bottom, I allowed myself to be consumed by the negativity, pain, and stress. I focused all my energy and attention on everything that was going wrong in my life thinking that this would help me work harder.
I didn’t realize that by constantly allowing myself to focus solely on my problems, I was making myself feel more hopeless, miserable, and defeated. I’ve learned that one of the best habits that we can practice to help us be happier is practicing gratitude.
Practicing daily gratitude is not about pretending that everything is okay. It’s not about minimizing our problems or invalidating the pain that we are feeling. It’s about choosing to find hope and light even in the smallest moment. It’s about recognizing that joy and sorrow can coexist.
Starting your morning by writing down the things you’re grateful for not only helps set the right tone for your entire day but it also helps shift your mindset from what you lack to what you have. This will help you approach your day with more positivity and contentment.
2. Start Your Day With Less Screen Time
Are you also guilty of going through your phone the moment you wake up? I am too. My phone used to be the very first thing that I grabbed the moment I opened my eyes.
I didn’t realize how this little thing could often drain so much of my energy before I even get to start my day. The moment I look through my phone, I’m then smacked with all these notifications and the negativity that social media can often bring.
I’ve found that starting our day with less screen time not only helps reduce the stress and overwhelm that we feel first thing in the morning but it also gives us the space to ease into our day with more calmness and intention.
You don’t have to go through your whole morning without your phone. Even just delaying your screen time by 15-20 minutes can already make such a huge difference. Use this time to breathe and just connect with yourself.
3. Set a Daily Intention
This is something new that I started doing in the past year. Setting a daily intention is different from setting a to-do list. Instead of listing all the tasks that you have to complete, you choose a single guiding focus on how you want to feel or show up for your entire day.
My usual intentions are often “choose joy” or “protect your peace”. These might seem like simple phrases but allowing these phrases to guide my day has made such a huge difference in how I go through my day. For example, if my intention for that day is to protect my peace, I become more mindful in the things I say yes to, the boundaries I set, and the people I engage with.
Doing this has allowed me to stop going through my days on autopilot and be more present. It helps me become more aware of how I’m feeling and whether my actions align with the intention I chose to set for that day.
Setting daily intentions helps us focus on moments that support our overall well being. When we stay connected with our intention throughout the day, we naturally make choices and decisions that uplift us and protect our energy.
Try this, the moment you wake up, start by saying your daily intention. Know that it doesn’t have to be super specific, it can be as simple as you like it to be. As long as it’s something that resonates with you and how you want to feel throughout the day. Do this for at least 14 days straight and see just how huge a positive difference it can make.
4. Create A Mini Midday Reset
Are you also guilty of constantly pushing yourself to exhaustion every single day? I am certainly guilty of this too. I have always believed that rest is something that I can do only when I have accomplished all my to-do list for the entire day.
I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I pushed myself regardless of how drained and exhausted I already felt. I honestly thought that I was doing the right thing. I thought that doing this would help me achieve my goals faster.
I didn’t realize that doing this was actually doing more harm than good. By constantly pushing myself to exhaustion, I was adding so much stress and anxiety in my life. Not to mention how much it affected my productivity and the quality of my work. There were so many cases where I was so tired that even little tasks felt so overwhelming, I kept making mistakes and it was so much more difficult for me to focus.
This made me realize just how important rest is. Allowing ourselves permission to rest doesn’t slow us down. It actually gives us the strength and energy to keep going and do our best.
One of the best things I’ve done was allowing myself a midday rest. It didn’t have to be long. Sometimes it was just 10 minutes, other times it was 20. This small pause allowed me a chance to breathe, recharge, and reset my mind and body in a way that helped me power through the rest of my day.
Try giving yourself a small midday reset. You can spend this time however you want. You can take a short walk, have a snack, or even simply sit and just breathe. Do this without feeling guilty. Remind yourself that rest should not be treated as a reward. It is a necessity.
Doing this not only makes our days less stressful and overwhelming but it also helps lift our mood and spirit.
5. Take Time To Enjoy Something Slowly
Do you also find yourself constantly rushing through your meals? Always find yourself eating while scrolling through your phone or even thinking of the next thing that you have to do? I’m guilty of this too.
I didn’t realize that constantly rushing through one task after another and always trying to multitask added so much more stress and anxiety to my days. I was constantly easily irritated and angry. I found that one of the best habits that we can practice to help us live a happier and less stressful life is by allowing ourselves to slow down and actually enjoy something without any distractions.
Choose at least one thing to enjoy slowly and mindfully. I always choose to do this with my morning coffee. Instead of just rushing through it while planning my entire day, I sit down and allow myself to savor it without any distractions. I use this time to just enjoy my coffee and the quietness of the moment.
This simple habit has become one of the things that helps ground me before all the noise and chaos. You can choose anything that feels enjoyable to you. It could be your breakfast or skincare routine. Whatever it is that you choose, make sure you slow down enough to really enjoy and appreciate the moment.
I know that this habit may seem small but its impact on our happiness is huge. When we give ourselves permission to slow down and truly savor something that we enjoy, we are not only improving our mood and bringing more calm into our day, but we are also making ourselves more capable of handling whatever comes our way throughout the day.
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6. Schedule Something Small to Look Forward To
When life feels heavy and overwhelming, scheduling something that we can look forward to can make such a meaningful difference. This can serve as our reminder that there is something good waiting for us, even on our darkest days.
Know that it doesn’t have to be grand, time-consuming, or expensive just for it to be exciting. It can be as simple as treating yourself to your favorite snack or having a cup of your favorite coffee without any distractions. It can be anything that you want it to be as long as it gives you comfort and brings you a moment of calm and peace.
Doing this may seem like a small act but it can offer us a sense of hope to help us keep going even in difficult times. Not only does it help lift our spirits but it also acts as a reminder that happiness is not always found in those big and grand gestures. Often it can be found in the simplest act.
7. Practice Self-Compassion When You Mess Up
Are you guilty of being your own worst critic? I’ve struggled with this for years. I would constantly beat myself up for even the smallest mistake. I would magnify every little flaw that I had and I would constantly remind myself of everything that I wasn’t.
I thought that doing this would somehow push me to be better. I thought that if I keep being overly critical of all my mistakes and failures then it would somehow prevent me from doing it again. I didn’t realize that this was actually doing so much more harm than good. It was slowly destroying my confidence and self esteem.
Instead of actually pushing me to grow, it was only holding me back. I said no to so many opportunities because I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do them perfectly. I was constantly questioning my abilities and I started believing that I was not good enough.
I’ve learned that growth and improvement don’t come from a place of judgment and criticism. When we give ourselves a safe space to make mistakes and fail, we are allowing ourselves to learn and move forward.
When we offer ourselves compassion and kindness every time we fail, we become more willing to keep going instead of giving up.
So, next time, instead of beating yourself up for making a mistake, try offering yourself the compassion, understanding, and kindness that you deserve. Doing this not only lessens the stress and overwhelm that we feel every day, but it also invites more joy and happiness into our lives.
8. Celebrate Small Wins
We are often made to believe that the only wins worth celebrating are those huge and life changing ones. I used to believe this too. I had this notion that if I wasn’t achieving something big then it didn’t really count.
I didn’t realize how harmful this mindset actually was. It was constantly minimizing my effort. It felt like no matter how hard I tried, I was constantly falling short. It didn’t only make my days so stressful, but it was also making me so unhappy because I was constantly feeling like I was never enough.
Now, I’ve realized just how crucial it is to celebrate small wins. Doing this doesn’t mean that we are not aiming high or that we are being self indulgent. It simply means that we are acknowledging our every effort and honoring every progress that we make, big or small.
Doing this doesn’t only help fuel our motivation to keep going but it also acts as our reminder that we are making progress even on days when it doesn’t feel that way. This simple act can serve as a lifeline on days when life feels too heavy. It can help uplift our spirits, boost our mood, and remind us that we are doing the best we can for what we have.
9. Complain Less
I’m not saying that complaining is a bad thing. Complaining can be very cathartic. It can serve as a way for us to vent out and release our frustrations. The problem really starts when we allow ourselves to complain about every little thing.
I was guilty of doing this too. I was struggling so badly. I was facing so many problems and I’ve allowed myself to be consumed by the negativity. I would constantly complain about every little inconvenience. I was constantly irritated and angry.
I thought that it was just natural for me to feel that way, given everything that I was dealing with. But over time, I realized that constantly complaining about every little thing was affecting my mindset. The more I complained, the heavier my life felt.
I was always focused on everything that was going wrong in my life that I was robbing myself of the chance to enjoy the good things that were still happening around me. I’ve learned that while complaining can often be therapeutic we must not let it become our default way of seeing the world.
We must not let it become a habit and keep us from noticing the good things that are still happening around us. Yes, it is important to acknowledge our struggles but we must also leave space to acknowledge that not everything is bad, even during hard times.
Doing this doesn’t mean that we are pretending that everything is okay. It simply means that we are not allowing ourselves to be consumed by the negativity and we are choosing to find joy and hope even in the smallest moments.
10. Do One Small Act of Kindness
It’s so easy to pass the hate and pain that we are feeling to other people without us even realizing it. We often find ourselves consumed by all the problems that we are facing and the heartaches that we are dealing with so we become less gentle and less patient.
Allowing ourselves to do one small act of kindness every day can help break that cycle. Kindness doesn’t have to be this grand gesture. It can be as simple as choosing to respond with understanding instead of frustration. Choosing to offer kind and comforting words. These small acts not only help others feel supported and seen but they also help soften our own hearts and make our day.
Showing others kindness may just be what we need to lift our spirits and boost our mood. It can serve as a reminder that even in moments when we feel so drained and overwhelmed, we still have the power to make a positive impact.
Final Thoughts
Please know that you don’t have to adopt every habit all at once. Start with the one that feels manageable and doable for you. As you go through each of these habits please remind yourself that you don’t have to do them perfectly.
Know that there will be moments when you feel like you are making so much progress but there will also be days when you feel like you are reverting to your old habits. During those days, please be kind to yourself. It’s perfectly normal to have ups and downs. The important thing is to keep showing up for yourself and keep trying.
Please always remember that I’m rooting for you.
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