A guide to happiness

ALOHA HAPPY WARRIORS,

This blog post will be entirely dedicated to the one thing we are all (desperately?) trying to achieve: happiness. Happiness is defined as an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, contentment, fulfillment and satisfaction, and although we all have a fairly common understanding of what happiness actually is, it can look completely different for each of us.

What is your definition of happiness? For me it means being in the exact moment I am, enjoying every single moment without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It's closely linked to nature - or the simple fact of being outside - and I've also recently discovered that it's very much linked to my physical health and my basic human needs like good food, an ice-cold glass of lemonade, and making sure I get enough sleep or take time to rest. The older I get and the better I get to know myself, the more I realize that I can become very happy very quickly when I'm alone and taking care of myself. Recognizing what is good for you and capturing those moments when you experience joy is key to understanding how happiness can grow. Just writing it down, observing myself and my habits, was very rewarding: I discovered that achieving happiness is easier than I thought and that I can find it more easily than I imagined.

Scroll down to read my tips for achieving happiness:

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

When I share my tips for being happy, I want you to know that I am not an expert, nor am I happy all day, every day. Finding happiness can be very challenging, but so rewarding when you make it your goal. In the next section I will share my personal tips, my very own mini-guide to happiness, with you and hope that it might inspire you to try a few things yourself. It's easier said than done, as is often the case in life, but what helped me could help you too, and that's why I think it's worth sharing!

Choose to be happy. I never really liked the phrase "happiness is a choice" because I always thought it implied accepting unpleasant things, or worse, ignoring them by simply telling yourself you're happy. Well, obviously it doesn't work that way. But what we can do is decide that we want to be happy, understand what makes us happy, and be grateful for what we have. Decide to write down what makes you happy. Decide to actually do that, choose to take good care of yourself. Choose to focus on the things you are grateful for.

Observe your own thoughts. This is actually a pretty cool function of our brain, right? It's something so basic, but it can have a huge impact on how you approach difficult or unfortunate situations. Buddha said it best: Control your thoughts, or your thoughts will control you. Taming negative thoughts is one of the most efficient things you can really do.

Choose a personal mantra. A mantra is a motivating sentence that you repeat to yourself over and over again and has its origins in meditation practice. It can literally be any short phrase, and there is no right or wrong mantra. It can be as simple as "live aloha" (I had to mention that, right?), or "I can do this." Whatever motivation you need in this life, you can find it within yourself. There are many very interesting blog posts about how to discover your personal mantra. Just search Google for everything you need to know about it and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.

Smile. Smile as often as you can. Smiling is actually a very powerful thing and almost a rebellious act in the fight against unhappiness. When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules that affect our bodies in numerous positive ways, such as lowering blood pressure and combating stress. And then of course there are numerous social benefits we get from smiling; we appear more approachable and friendly to others. Did you know that there is such a thing as laughter yoga, where you practice smiling and smile together, tricking your mind into thinking that you are actually happy? Well, whatever works, works! Now try it for yourself - see, I promised I would make you smile!

Help others. Helping others is so rewarding - and makes you and other people feel so good about you/them! It's easy and it doesn't cost anything. Being friendly is the new cool.

Give yourself a treat. You deserve it, and self-love is so crucial to your happiness. Make yourself a cup of tea (have you ever offered a cup of tea to someone you didn't like - see, exactly that). Want to know how to pamper yourself even if you're on a budget? Check out our jewelry subscription, Mahina Club, for a monthly dose of aloha! I have linked the link below.

These are my tips for being happy and for me personally, just thinking about them has brought me much closer to achieving personal happiness. What are your tips for being happy? Tell me about it in the comments section. I can't wait to hear about it.

Kind regards, Lauri