As we age, we start to be more concerned about the unpredictable future. Especially, in these times of turbulence, the thoughts of a vague lifeline sure can dampen anybody’s mood and herald melancholy.
Are you among the hundreds of students worldwide who planned a grand graduation celebration for years but, missed that euphoric moment, bound at home, and separated from friends?
Are you the first-time parents who could not celebrate your child’s first birthday after waiting for the whole year? Or, are you the grandparents endlessly waiting for the lockdown restrictions to ease so that your house could revel in the return of your grandchildren?
If you can relate to any of these scenes, we can imagine how distressed you must be. We are here to help you cultivate an ever-present underlying feeling of joyfulness. Happiness is fleeting but, being joyous is a state of being, a lasting sense of contentment and fulfillment.
Susan Damico, director at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, revealed that being joyful and optimistic is the cure to many illnesses and pains. It increases your resilience to diseases and strengthens your cardiovascular system. Sounds outrageous, doesn’t it? But, there are researches conducted that revealed that about 53% of people who testified to being joyful and at inner peace, lived a long life.
If you are keen to be among the joyous and inherently satisfied lot, then try these scientifically proven ways to cultivate and nurture happiness.
Objectify your life with meaning
Sometimes even when we are doing some meaningful tasks, such as spending time with the family, whether it be watching a movie together or baking muffins, we feel internally dissatisfied. Likewise, when we have a monotonous desk job, we start feeling unaccomplished. At such times, it is crucial to constantly remind yourself why you have dedicated your hours to the task at hand, and undoubtedly, you will feel that you have not been lying around in vain.
Live in the present
The thoughts of the future are usually irrational and get spun out of control through ludicrous pessimism. Live in the present moment. Enjoy the tasks from your daily activities. Be mindful of everything you do, filling each moment with personal awareness at the core.
If you are making your morning coffee, feel the rhythm of your morning routine, tune in to how effortlessly you move within your kitchen space, at leisure to sip the hot brew and start the day at your pace.
Fuel yourself with a passion
You need a reason to pull yourself up from the bed and face the day. At times, your job can be annoying, or school life can be grueling. Balance your responsibilities with an activity that you love.
Learn a skill, so that you feel appeased with yourself at finding excellence in something new. Challenge yourself with a hobby every few months. Appreciate the brevity of life by making every moment meaningful – something that enriches your life and of those around you.
Life is speckled with beauty, and wonders but we need to tune our outlook to discover it. That does not mean you should turn blind to the misfortunes of life but, at every point, you must be aware of your limitations, the sphere that you can influence and lighten; and the core of that sphere is YOU!
You are the first person that should find joy in your path of spreading happiness.