Ten ways to look after your happiness
Truth bomb: I went through a phase where I wished I was dead. I was suffering from depression and anxiety, and I didn't want to be here anymore. However, I'm confident that I'll never get that low ever again.
Here are some of the things I did, and still do, to conquer those feelings and keep happy.
Have fun and be productive. I know this sounds obvious... the thing is, when you're depressed, you don't feel like doing anything, and it's a vicious circle. I did CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) - this was completely life-changing and taught me that I must balance the levels of pleasure and achievement in my life, to get a good balance and feel good.
Control your thoughts. It took me years of practise and I still don't always do this, but you can decide whether you think positively or negatively. You can see things as good or bad. You can be annoyed or grateful, with every single thought. When my cat died, I kept focusing on the good: I had her for 13 wonderful years. I'm so glad we found her. I'm so thankful for all the love she gave...
Be grateful. Every single day (yes, every day!) I write down a page in my journal of things I'm grateful for. If you struggle to think of anything good that happened recently, be thankful for food, water, air, shelter, friends... the more you do this, the more you realise how fortunate you are.
Don't compare yourself to other people. Spend that energy making your life as wonderful as possible.
Realise that you are not a victim. Whatever it is that you think is bad in your life, you are not the only person to experience it. Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.
Meditation... which doesn't mean 'switching off' your thinking (a lot of people think this and therefore deem it impossible!) Try the Calm app or some guided meditations on YouTube. It's a wonderful way to find some peace and reflection.
Soak up inspirational stuff. I've read books, blogs, articles, attended courses - there's so much resource out there to help you on your happiness journey. I recommend checking out The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama, and Happiness by Matthieu Ricard.
Remember you are in control. Hate your job? Change it! Wish you could travel more? Find a way! Overweight? Eat less, exercise more. Arguing with your partner? Find a way to work at it, or leave.
Read/watch some stuff about the law of attraction: it's life changing (I recommend watching The Secret - this stuff works, I promise you).
Think about where you want to be in life. In 5/10/15 years - where do you want to be living? Who with? What job will you have? What does your lifestyle like? What's your health like? Set goals. Visualise it every day and start taking inspired actions to get you to that point.
I realise life isn't as simple as this all sounds, but you have the ability to create an extraordinary life!
Creating and maintaining a fulfilling life is a skill you have to learn, harness and put effort into:
Much like your physical health, good mental wellbeing takes work.
Create the life you deserve ♡