find yourself on the way to a happier life

Does life sometimes get you down? Here are 15 more things to do that could make you happier.

1. Follow your gut instinct. Research has shown that people who follow their instincts are happier with the decisions they have made. If you have a decision to make and have your choices down to two or three options, pick the one that feels right to you. Never regret the decisions you make.

2. Make enough money to cover your basic needs. Research shows that money that you make beyond this will not make you any happier. While it increases your comfort that is not what makes people happy.

3. Forgive. Research shows that forgiving can improve your cardiovascular health and lowers your stress levels.

4. Give to a charity. Set up regular donations to the charity of your choice. You may feel good to know that you are helping others.

You may wish to support Day of Women: with your time or money.

5. Read regularly and widely. Read both fiction and non-fiction as between them these can increase your vocabulary, knowledge and get you in touch with your emotions.

6. Stretch yourself mentally, physically and geographically. Mentally - do a course or read a book on an unfamiliar subject. Physically - at the minimum take regular brisk walks but you could also join the gym, go running or join a class such as Pilates (choose the exercise/s that you enjoy). Geographically - go places that you have never been before.

7. Express your feelings of anger then let go. Holding on to anger can amplify the bad feelings.

8. Fake it until you feel it. When you feel low try acting happy and you may find that happiness comes.

9. Tidy up. It is more difficult to be relaxed with lots of clutter around the place. A tidy house can lead to a less stressed mind and, of course, it makes the cleaning much easier the next time.

10. Make a list. Writing down what you need to do can help to organise your thoughts and decrease stress.

11. Do one thing at a time. Instead of having a few jobs on the go at once, such as checking your e-mails while working on a project, just focus on the project and check your e-mails later.

12. Practice mindfulness. This is the practice of paying attention to what you are doing and your emotions. All you need do is notice your feelings. Simple awareness is proven to bring change.

13. Develop the habit of gratitude. Learn to be grateful for what you have rather than thinking about what you don't have. Each day write down in a diary what you are grateful for in your life.

14. Have deep, meaningful conversations. Research has shown that talking about meaningful topics increases happiness much more than small talk.

15. Be realistic. Nobody is happy all of the time. You may have days or weeks where you feel down but there are ways to increase happiness.

Take even one of these ideas to heart and you may find yourself on the way to a happier life. We'd love to hear what you tried and what works for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7094844