A New Look at Being a Happy Adult
New ways to discover how to be happy and do the things that make you happy.
Figuring out what makes us happy and brings us joy is no small feat for most adults. Between kids, work, and responsibilities, most adults find it difficult to find time to do what makes them happy. Even more difficult is figuring out what it is that makes us happy as individuals after so many years of adulthood and its responsibilities and limitations. There are ways, however, to spark the happiness back in our personal lives. It’s all about remembering and making a conscious effort to take action to actually do what makes us happy!
Recognize what makes up “happy”.
It’s important to first recognize that the feeling of happiness is made up of chemicals in our brains. The three most prominent are Serotonin, Noradrenalin, and Dopamine. [3] By understanding that chemicals in your body affect your mood, you will be better able to recognize when it’s your choice to be unhappy. Because so many people today in the US suffer from clinical depression, it’s easy to say “I’m depressed”. But keep in mind that only a full 10% of Americans truly possess a gene deficiency that causes unhappiness due to low tolerance for stress. That means that the majority of the time, you are affecting your happiness and you do have a choice!
Understand what it means to be “unhappy”.
You probably know that there are several factors waging war against your happiness. Stress, social and economic status, marital status, job intensity, deadlines, and even your genes can all counter-effect your happiness. But did you know that, according to at least one study, you affect approximately 40% of your own happiness by simply choosing to do things that make you happy? That’s a big part of your day!
Think about being a kid again.
When was the last time you ran through the sprinklers? If you can’t remember, it’s about time to do it again, figuratively speaking. So, maybe you don’t want to run around the front lawn and show off your cart wheeling skills to the neighbor. The concept of acting like a kid simply means randomly doing things that make you giggle or smile. I’m not suggesting that you put dish soap in your annoying co-workers cup of coffee. But I am suggesting that you think about it and smile! If you’ve heard “it’s the simple things that bring happiness”, you know what I mean. Let your imagination take over sometimes. It can do more to take the stress out of daily activities than you might think.
Be with the people you care about.
According to gallop surveys in the US, social time like holidays and weekends account for up to 87% of the difference between “happy” and “unhappy” times for most people. Put simply, this survey suggests that the time we spend socializing is abundantly happier than time spent not socializing. Make a list of the people with whom you enjoy spending time. This is simple, right? For the most part, yes, it is simple to find this happiness. However, as a parent, you probably enjoy spending time with your children. Usually, that time is going to be about making the children happy. Our goal here is to find individual happiness, so be sure to list people that make you feel happy independent of their own happiness. Maybe one of your parents!
Discover your spiritual self.
Even if you don’t necessarily identify with an organized religious sect, spirituality is important to your basic happiness in life. If we assume that the term “spirituality” be taken literally, we can assert that spiritual happiness is about finding what makes your spirit happy. The human spirit can be compared to a child in the sense that if you never play with it, you can’t make it happy. Whether you study up on how to meditate or simply focus on inner self improvements, getting in touch with this part of yourself can certainly result in that “inner peace” about which you might hear so much.
Exercise
If this list was in order of importance, this suggestion might come first. It is proven that exercise does more to decrease stress and increase happiness than any prescription medication out there. Not only does it decrease unhappiness, but it increases happy chemicals in the body, making everything else more enjoyable, as well. If you aren’t the work out type, that’s ok. I’m not either, but I still make time to play with my dog. That always gets my heart rate going and definitely counts as exercise. Do something every day to get your blood flowing and you will quickly see the difference it can make to your general happiness in life.
Make time to be happy.
If you’ve spent all this time figuring out what makes you happy, it would be nonsensical to not do anything about it. So make the time! Socialize on your lunch break, close your office door and color for five minutes, or even write while the kids watch Saturday morning cartoons. Or simply get up fifteen minutes early and meditate all by yourself. If you are truly in seek of happiness, the time will make itself available. It’s your job to take the opportunity.
