The world keeps changing, and with the changing world comes uncertainty and problems. Sometimes these problems are out of our control, and we simply cannot figure out how or what to do in such times. Especially during COVID-19, when everything is so uncertain, we never know what we wake up to; due to COVID-19, many people still have this feeling of fear inside of them that they never will know what can happen in a split of a second. The world has become a global village where we all are always connected with one another; sometimes, due to uncertain conditions, we still find ourselves alone. However, there are many ways to be happy in order to restore one’s mental health. We all have felt repercussions when it comes to health challenges, lock-down, or any change that happens in our life.

Uncertainties can severely damage our mental health because they make us live a life of fear that we are not ready for any change that can possibly happen in the future. Due to this fear, many people start to feel down, and this leads to the formation of other disorders, such as a constant feeling of anxiety and discomfort. According to research conducted by WHO (World Health Organization), due to the pandemic, many people are now struggling with mental health issues.

Many people had to be isolated from their loved ones during the pandemic, due to which they started to feel alone and depressed; as a result of this, their mental health has been compromised. Every problem has a solution, and we have all the tips and tricks you can use to ensure that you maintain your physical and mental health during uncertain times; here’s how:

Become Proactive

One of the best ways to be happy is to changing your behavior and making it proactive. Proactive behavior gives you the chance to solve problems before they even occur; this can save you from a lot of hassle as you are always prepared for the worse. If you are prepared for an issue or problem, when any kind of uncertainty strikes your life, you will not feel stressed. With this conscious decision of you having some authority over your emotions and reactions gives a surprisingly huge amount of calm. The way you act and the intensity with which you let a sudden issue affect you changes immensely; this change allows you to take even bigger challenges and enables you to follow through them. This control keeps your health and happiness more consistent, eliminating the drastic emotional turmoil.

Exercise religiously

One of the most important aspects to achieving long-term happiness is by learning how to live healthy. Living healthy entails many lifestyles, but to our knowledge, exercise is at a pinnacle of being effective in this matter. Exercise of your body does not just keep your body healthy but also your mind; starting off easy and working your way up to tiny goals gives you a sense of consistency and achievement. When your body is healthy and strong, your brain needs to put in less effort to get up and do your tasks.

When you’re strong, it is less likely that you will lag in your work, not only that you will also have a lot of energy for your hobbies which make you happy and take your mind off of the troubles of the world. You will have more time! A person who does not exercise can sleep in for 10-12 hours and still be tired; however, a person who exercises does not need anything more than 8 hours which is already too much. The catch here, however, is to be diligent, so start small but exercise religiously for it to take effect.

Health and Happiness

Now that we know how exercise plays its role in our happiness, however, it’s not just exercise. Health overall is a major factor for our happiness. Health also contains multiple other factors. One of these factors is food; eating not just healthy but eating according to your mood and current emotions really helps counter the negative effects on your mental health, such as eating a protein-rich meal will give you plenty of energy to not feel tired during the day. Likewise, a carbohydrates-rich diet releases serotonin, a hormone in your brain that elevates your emotions immediately.

You do need to consider where you are getting those carbohydrates from; if it’s fast food or some sugary meal, it will just give you a quick sugar rush and leave you feeling tired very soon. Hence it is better to get your carbs from vegetables, whole grains, or beans for the best outcomes. Deep-fried and highly processed food, we don’t even need to discuss how harmful it is in the long term but also how it leaves you feeling drowsy immediately.

Having bad food might not be as bad as having any food at all; therefore, you must never skip a meal. It will put your body through tiredness and overworking with the energy it simply does not have, and it is safe to say you will not be happy at the end of the day.

Slumber, a gift.

Moving on to another key factor in our health, sleep. Sleep is one of the most overlooked factors in this modern society. With ever-increasing tasks and events, we hardly ever get a good amount of sleep. As it is common knowledge that an average brain needs 7-8 hours of sleep for it to be well-rested, we do try to manage that. However, it’s not just the amount of sleep we get; and it is also the quality of sleep. By quality, we mean whether the body and the brain are actually resting or not. You can take care of a few things to make sure that you are.

Before you sleep, first make sure you don’t eat or drink anything heavy for a while, and the next thing is to take care of the tolls of this modern technology, turn off the lights and screens and the constant sounds coming from the internet. Make yourself peaceful by taking a bath or giving time to your thoughts in darkness and simply forget the outside world.

Get some comfortable bedding and keep your room cool and quiet. A very common tip in life tips for happiness has been “early to bed, early to rise,” which may be difficult for most of us, but we must establish a set time during which we sleep so that our brain acknowledges this cycle and keeps itself happy.

Be grateful.

As holier-than-thou as it may sound, being grateful is a practice that you need to adopt in order to get the hang of your emotions. Being grateful daily for the countless blessings you have will very easily take your mind off of the issue that lies ahead.

As no matter the outcome, you will remember the tremendous number of things you are happy about. Things that most people crave, hence being grateful, will change your attitude towards the problem you face. You must acknowledge the failure or inconvenience, but you will remember all the good that you constantly have.

Treat others as you expect to be treated

One of the key ways to be happy is by following this simple rule of thumb, if you want to be complimented, compliment someone. If you want to be smiled at and treated nicely, do the same for them first. You may not always get the desired result, but being kind and welcoming will raise your morale and give you a sense of self-satisfaction.

Don’t forget to catch your breath

In our hectic routines and constant juggling of work and friends, we must not forget to put our feet up every once in a while and just breathe. Literally, breathe slow and heavy, canceling out all the noise outside, breathe to tell your brain that it still has control. Practicing controlled breathing can save you from panic attacks and uncertainty. Consider the issues, close your eyes and breathe. With each soothing breath, let your troubles drown and think of your happy place. This is a quick trick to remind yourself that it will be okay.

Declutter your surroundings

Psychologists believe that decluttering your room can help you become calm and in more control of your thoughts. Decluttering is in effect with organising your brain; the huge number of mental tasks going on in your head are represented in your surroundings. Take a little time out of your day or week and clear out a few of the things that you don’t require anymore. This simple task can put you a little more in control of your happiness. You will feel more organised outside as well as on the inside, and you will be able to prioritise your energy and time to the stuff that really matters. The spiralling out of control by knowing the flood of problems in your head will become organised and simple, just like your room.

Plan ahead

Planning your week, your day, or even the next few hours can bring you the happiness you crave. Happiness is always there, all the good things, the blessings in our lives. They are there all the time but simply suppressed by temporary troubles life throws at us; in order to keep the good things more in the spotlight and ever-increasing, we need to think ahead.

Plan our tasks, accomplish them and reward ourselves. This way, the issues won’t take a toll on our mental health too much. It does not just work tasks that we need to plan but also our fun activities, the time we give to ourselves and our loved ones. Do you want to meet a very old friend? Don’t wait for fate; plan your meet-up and declare that time for them. In that time, only focus on that specific task so that you absorb the most from it. Planning ahead can save you a lot of brain energy which can be utilised to make you happy.

Therapy, the medicine of the future

Therapy is growing speedily all over the world; people are recognising its tremendous benefits. A listening ear or a professional input over recognising your thoughts as rational or irrational has had vast success in this modern society. We know therapy can be expensive, but you can find reasonably priced ones too. Considering the benefits, we with our article or many books and content available all over the internet are limited to how much we can do to help.

Therapy, however, is a hands-on personal experience with a professional who will derive their treatment according to your specific needs. The best thing, even with the COVID 19 therapy, is just as effective as it can be done remotely with online sessions too.

Start Adopting Your Ways to Be Happy Now!

From the above-mentioned methods, you can opt for only a few for starters; even one or two will show you the desired effects and motivate you to dive deeper into this actualisation, thriving from these benefits of self-help. Happiness comes from the state of your mind; if you only focus on the bad and let it get to you in a snap, you will always be occupied with the troubles. You need to get up and take control. Manage yourself, care for yourself as if you were a person in dire need of your help.

Truly love and forgive yourself; soon, you will have the consistency of calm and peace in your life. You will see the fruits of these ways to be happy when you achieve that discipline over yourself. It is a one-step at a time journey, and before you even know it, you’ll get there.

This article is for information purposes only. Please consult medical experts before making any changes in your lifestyle. Be healthy. Seek professional advice.

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