5 Practical Methods to Boost Happiness

These 5 methods work (from experience), so buckle up! They will add a sense of fruitfulness and colour back into your life that you have been longing for, and will finally get you out of that toxic state of nothing ever being good enough. As previously mentioned, these 5 methods have produced real results that were too good for me not to share!

1. A Digital Cleanse

Only the strongest will survive.

Now, I know that we live in 2019 and we need our phones and laptops to communicate with important people in our lives, but hear me out. What I mean is that you must put a strict limit on the amount of time you spend on your devices daily. During school for example, I placed a strict "no more than 15 minutes of use per day" rule on myself, where I was not allowed to check my phone until at least after I had gotten up, gotten dressed, ate breakfast and was ready to start my day. The astounding benefit I experienced from this was that every previously seeming mundane element of my life was suddenly enriched. Talking to people, listening to music, and watching a TV show were as if they were being experienced for the first time! For example, running into people I knew anywhere was like running into a famous celebrity! I would be oozing with excitement to talk to a real person face to face, because I was no longer texting people other than to make plans or ask what was for homework. It Also causes your creative juices to kick in and might even cause you to find a new hobby because you have so much free time that you have to figure out how to fill up.

2. One Walk a Day Keeps the Saltiness Away

Tell me this picture doesn't make you want to walk up a storm.

There's a reason for the cliché "walk it off." The next time you are at home experiencing a moment of dissatisfaction with your life, go for a long walk. When I say long, I mean long! The combination of getting that dose of "get off your bottom," and being outside are both therapeutic for your mind and are backed by science. I know you see those people in your neighbourhood who go for walks and think to yourself, they look so happy! Well, that is because they are. If you want to make it even more eventful, challenge yourself to notice 5 new things (the number doesn't matter obviously) about the area in which you reside that you have never noticed before.

3. A Cold Shower

For the alpha ones.

I'm not crazy (well, maybe a little). Hear me out though, because this is backed by science as well. I am obviously not going to get into it because you can read about it yourself, but remember this: cold showers have been proven to boost your mood, so if you're feeling like a superhero, give this a try. Not to mention that cold showers also account for fat loss, healthy hair, healthy skin and a method to kill your comfort zone, but hey, that's boring, so let's move on.

4. Drawing

It made you happy as a kid, so why did you stop?

Get some paper, a pencil, colours and some LoFi study music on and get to work! Drawing, arts n crafts or anything of this nature is responsible for boosting happiness and self esteem levels, because after you have finished your project, you are able to sit back and say to yourself "hey, I made that." As Mr. Rogers said "it feels good to have made something." I would even recommend buying yourself a sketch book from the dollar store and filling up all of those pages so that one day, you can look back and admire all of your masterpieces. What I do (and you should try this too) is I draw and colour in collages, and hang them up in my room so I am reminded of the fun I had drawing them, as well as the sense of accomplishment I experienced.

5. A Random Act of Kindness

The warm fuzzy feelings that spawn from the "Awe you shouldn't haves!" will be responsible for your never-ending smile.

Who told you that it is not appropriate to just think of someone in your life and surprise them with a gift or good deed? Nonsense! Who cares if they haven't done anything for you yet? If everyone thought like that, this world would be so grey. Pick someone in your life and surprise them with something out of the blue. This will make you feel happy because it reaffirms the fact that you are a good person and that people appreciate you. Think about it like this, someone will be happier because of you, which sounds contagious to me!

This summer, It has been my goal to read about, study and ponder the realities of happiness, and I have realized that much of our unhappy feelings take place within our homes, as a result of the boredom and predictability that lingers within these environments. So, don't just sit there, take action! Do something, try something new, call someone, create something and be optimistic!