How to stay happy and positive!

Below are some activities and habits that you can develop in order to stay happy and positive:

Think positive. 

You might be thinking, “Well, obviously! I can stay happy only if I have positive thoughts.” 

That is true, but after a slight correction: “I can stay happy if I have positive thoughts most of the time.” The reason is simply because it would be so unrealistic to expect ourselves to feel pumped up ALL the time. We all have bad days, which is totally normal! Most of the time, this is out of our control. Just remember to try and turn those negative feelings into happier ones through consistent self-encouragement and positive self-talk!

Not only that, but you need to actually believe in the positive things that you tell yourself. This can be a simple phrase like, “You are awesome!” or “I am so proud of you for accomplishing X today! (X can be any action or small goal you reached).

Journal your thoughts.

Write down any feelings that you may be experiencing now, either in a notebook, a piece of paper, or your laptop–anything you can find to journal in!

(I tend to write them down on paper, but websites like Notion and Google Docs work well too.)

Your notes don't need to be perfect. As long as they are accurate and enough to allow you to reflect on the few or many emotions you’ve been feeling or currently feel, you are on the right track to understanding why you feel this way.

After identifying your emotions, the most important step is to understand the reason behind each feeling. You should pay attention to both negative AND positive feelings:

Realizing why you feel gloomy, sad, or angry can help you avoid triggers and prevent you from experiencing them in the future. You will also develop ways to cope with them too because sometimes the causes can be unavoidable.

Secondly, don’t forget about the good feelings! It’s equally important to take note of activities and things that make you feel upbeat, energetic, happy, and more because we want to stay this way as often as possible.

Overall, journaling is an easy and quick way to identify your feelings, thoughts, and frustrations as well as particular reasons behind them, which can help you prevent or cope with them in the future.

Engage in activities or events that you enjoy.

Any activity that you actually find fun or interesting to do is worthy of your time and will help boost your emotions. Doing the activities you love prolong your happiness and motivation to do other things. Although exercise and physical sports can build your endurance, strength, and more, they are definitely not the only kind of activities that help uplift your mood.

Be open to a range of activities, such as reading, baking, studying astronomy, or watching videos of cute dogs online (fyi, these are some of mine :). Again, the most important part is that you choose and like to do it!

Keep a “healthy” diet.

There are quotes around “healthy” simply because “healthy” looks different for everyone. The amount and type of meals or snacks that satiate your friend might not do the same for you and vice versa. 

Make sure to eat regularly and stay hydrated! This helps prevent feelings of tiredness, grogginess, and more (Remember, the less energy you have, the less likely you will stay positive).

Surround yourself with people who radiate positive energy.

We’ve all definitely heard of the phrase, “smiles are contagious.” Being around people who have bright and healthy attitudes towards their tasks, struggles, and just life in general, will help uplift your spirits.

At the very least, you should avoid staying near people who belittle you or criticize you unfairly. If you do feel uncomfortable, unhappy, or unlike yourself around these people, reassess your relationship with them and strive to find another group that possesses the positive energy you want to feel.

Lastly, I just wanted to acknowledge that everyone can be happy, but maintaining this happiness is the hardest part. Know that it is okay for you to feel negative about yourself or life in general sometimes.

The best we can do is face whatever is causing our unhappiness or negative outlook by adopting ways (that work best for ourselves) to be happy and optimistic.