Sophocles said that the greatest joy is the unexpected. And is that happiness cannot be calculated or predicted. It is a feeling that prefers to take us by surprise. We give you some keys so that he comes to meet you when you least expect it.
1. Regain friendships
When we are young, it is very easy for us to make friends, but as the years go by we lose spontaneity and it is more difficult for us to establish new emotional bonds or, at least, with the same intensity with which we did it during childhood or adolescence.
Unfortunately we are not aware of it until, after time, we discover that we have long since lost contact with that friend from school with whom we laughed so much or with that gang with whom we spent our summers. Regaining contact with the people with whom you shared good times gives you the possibility of recovering part of the lost illusions. Nowadays, with the help of social networks it is easier than you think. In our private Facebook group La Tribu Clara you can make new friends with whom you can share your concerns.
2. Get a good dose of endorphins
These hormones are also known as "happiness" hormones . When we have a high concentration of endorphins in our body, we perceive reality in a happy and positive way. On the contrary, when it is low, we feel sadder and more depressed. To achieve optimal levels and promote the natural production of endorphins, we can practice physical exercise or do pleasant activities that we like, such as reading a book, listening to music and, why not, a good sex session. Here are other ideas for getting your endorphin fix.
3. Do not fall into the "what if" …
Happiness is an emotion that we can only experience in the present. We often make the mistake of mentally placing ourselves in the past or in the future, nullifying our capacity for action. When we are thinking "if only" we do nothing but anchor ourselves in the past and not move forward. The same happens with the "what if" …, what we do is project ourselves into a dire future. These two ways of thinking make us feel guilty and afraid, not happy. Avoid thinking about things from the past and "recreate" in that situation.
Happiness is an emotion of the present, neither of the past nor of the future.
4. Share and show solidarity
The human being is a social animal that, by nature, seeks to fulfill itself in community, share experiences. When we have the desire to feel useful, to enjoy new experiences and to grow as people, nothing better than to get involved in aid programs that allow us to get closer to other realities and contribute our bit.
5. Be the protagonist of your own life
Ask yourself if you prefer to say what others have written for you or to create your own scripts; if you prefer to risk acting or settle for being a passive observer of what is happening. Giving up a braver attitude is giving up happiness. Take a step forward, reject victimhood, fatalism and resignation and eliminate expressions such as “it doesn't depend on me”, “it's too difficult” or “it's not possible” from your inner dialogue.
6. The "just for today" law
One of the principles of reiki, a Japanese therapy based on the laying on of hands, says: “Just for today I will be angry. Just for today I won't worry. " Any goal you set yourself will be easier if you apply the law of just for today, be it studying, quitting smoking or not getting angry. Dedicate yourself a day just for yourself , propose to face the day as if all experiences were new, with renewed enthusiasm. Do different things, take different paths, talk to other people …
7. Create something new
Making crafts, creating something new from scratch, is a source of satisfaction and a formula that helps us to release stress, to escape from daily worries and, therefore, to be happier. Exercising manual and creative capacity oxygenates our mind and allows us to break rigid patterns of behavior. Manual activities also have therapeutic benefits, because they help us to concentrate and establish a dialogue with ourselves.
8. Reduce the demands
We live in a society that gives us an idealized image of what we should be. Advertising bombards us with messages of beauty, perfection and well-being that are not real. Influenced by this vision, we are continually dissatisfied. Set a series of (real) goals and allocate time effectively.
Write down small real goals on your agenda and feel satisfied and proud of yourself as you go about them.
9. Fulfill a childhood dream
When we are children we play, laugh and dream without censorship, but when we become adults we try harder to be what we think we should be than what we want to be. To regain that spirit of play, we must listen to the child in us and pay attention to their unfulfilled wishes. If you always wanted to learn to sing, fly a kite, play the harmonica, dance or skate … go for it!
10. Give a 180º turn to life
Routine, the influence of the environment, or simply inertia shape our life without us even realizing it. Although we feel dissatisfied with our reality, we do not take the initiative for change because we are afraid of failure or making mistakes. Break those invisible ties and give an unexpected turn to your life. Perhaps the time has come to start a new career path, to change cities or to resume the studies you left behind. Do you want to find happiness? Now is the time!
