There was a time when we were younger, of course a time, when we always wanted to be astronauts, scientists, doctors and presidents and much more. Now as we grow older, we understand the value of happiness, we realise that there is nothing more important than being happy. Simple enough, no!!! Yes it is.
As Annie Dillard writes in her book "The Writing Life",
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
Eric Zimmer understands this better than anyone. For his podcast titled The one you feed, Zimmer talks to more than 100 psychologists, mindfulness teachers and life coaches about how to overcome fear and foster happiness. He found that there are three simple strategies that everyone can immediately deploy to become happier today. As Zimmer says: "We have a choice in our lives, in our behaviour and in our thoughts, as to what we want to focus on and what type of people we want to be."
So, let's have a look on these three strategies you can get started with immediately, to become happier.
1. Meditate
Sounds like it values nothing, but even if it's just for two or three minutes a day, a daily meditation practise helps you to be more present and aware of your thoughts. By meditating consistently, it will help you to prevent your mind from working in autopilot. It helps. Zimmer says:
" Happiness is predicating on being aware. It's important to start training that muscle. Meditation has recently seen a breakthrough in the field of neuroscience. Various studies have proven its benefit on our mental and physical health.
Daily meditation can help reduce stress, control anxiety, and even reduce age-related memory loss. But most importantly, it helps us achieve a "happy-state" by promoting emotional health, enhancing self-awareness, and helping us generate kindness.
2. Set Phone Alarms to fight automatic scrolling.
Did you know that, Twitter, Facebook and other social media apps design their feeds to keep you scrolling. Amazed by the fact, well so am I. You see, YouTube, Netflix and Facebook set up auto-play of videos when you've finished with one video to keep you in the app. "We have a natural desire to distract ourselves with our phones, which is not always a bad thing, but you should be consuming something you care about." Zimmer says. " The more we are conscious about how we spend our time and do things that matter to us, the more content we will be."
You can become more happier by setting up alarms that limit how long you use Facebook and other apps for. Studies have shown that when people limit the amount of time they use Facebook, they become happier. According to researchers, people spend less time on social media experienced reduced depression and loneliness. Trust me, this little trick can change how you spend your time on a daily basis. The less time you spend comparing your life to others, the better. Remember, comparison may bring a sort of competitive spirit in a short run but ultimately, it results in nothing nut jealousy.
3. Play the alphabet game to derail ruminating thoughts.
Zimmer recommended the alphabet game for people who find themselves with lots of negative and ruminating thoughts. Start with the letter A, and name something you appreciate that begins with the letter. Then move to B, and keep going until you get to Z. The game takes a while, but it will help you break free from unhealthy thoughts.
"It brings your brain back and can be more effective than just positive thinking. The puzzle aspect helps gratitude stick more."
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