13 Ways to Feel Happier

1. Find yourself a hobby you are passionate about and stick with it. Even if you can’t do it everyday or every week, if this hobby gives you pleasure, try to do it when you have extra time, or make extra time for it.

2. Create something, even if you don’t feel like you’re a creator. Color a picture, paint by number, or hum a song in your head. Start that scrapbook you’ve always wanted to start or cut out pictures in a magazine and collage. There’s nothing more fulfilling than creating.

3. Make memories. I’ll never forget building Barbie houses with a cardboard box and making glue out of flour with my mother. Those are the kind of memories to leave with your children, and yourself.

4. Exercise. Exercise stimulates endorphins, exercise puts you in a good spirit. Exercise has so many benefits that there are millions of books written about it. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t take time to exercise daily. Even a small walk around the block would do wonderful things for your emotional, as well as physical, well being.

5. Chew gum. Smack. Blow bubbles. Who cares if it’s annoying? Chewing has been proven to release endorphins, which is better than taking a happy pill. There’s nothing better than chewing a big wad of bubble gum and then popping it all over your face. Give it a try!

6. Breathe. I know you’ve heard it lots of times, and you probably say you already do it. After all, if you weren’t breathing, you wouldn’t be here, right? Well, that’s right, but breathing can do so much more for you than keep you alive. Exhaling releases wastes and toxins out of your body, while inhaling carries more oxygen, which is vital to your body’s function and carries more energy to your cells. It isn’t always easy to take slow deep breaths every single part of the day, but try to at least a few times a day throughout the day. Think about your breathing and it can become a habit. Make your breathing a more important part of your life.

7. Find a confidante. Talk about your frustrations with someone you can trust. Be careful, though, that this doesn’t get out of hand. I’ve vented frustrations out on people I thought were trustworthy and would understand, only to have them turn on me. Be sure you can trust this person not only to hold your confidence, but also to understand that your venting doesn’t make you any less of a person.

8. Accept each person as an individual. No one is going to be perfect, and no one is going to be what you want or expect them to be. Everyone makes mistakes. Don’t cast judgments on others, when you yourself do things to irritate them. We will all irritate each other at one time or another. When this happens, instead of becoming angry or resentful, distance yourself from this individual but let them know you still love them.

9. Take time to get to know yourself. You’ve heard it before, but this time I really mean it. Really get to know yourself and what makes you angry. Next time, you may be better prepared when something happens to make you angry and you’ll be better able to deal with your feelings.

10. Pet a furry animal.

11. Sing loudly to your favorite song in the privacy of your own home (or in public if you want).


12. Dance with a mop if you don’t have a partner.

13. Remember that joy is ultimately up to you. You are in control of how you feel. Nobody else can make you happy, even if the man that sent you those roses made you happy at that instant. You can choose to be angry or you can choose to be happy. You can choose to react to a situation badly, or you can choose to react to a situation with self-control. Don’t let your emotions control you. You have to learn to control your emotions.