[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e all get depressed. I don’t care who you are, we all go through days where we just don’t feel right. Maybe you don’t want to get up and go to work because of a flare up. Maybe you feel emotionally drained. Maybe you feel burnt out from a long day at work.
Sometimes we just need a quick boost to get us back in the game. A quick boost to make us understand that life is good, and the troubles will pass.
Read the list below. Perform one or two. Soon enough, you will be back to normal and happier than ever!
50 ways to be happy now!
1. Read a book
Like to fiction? Read it. Like Nonfiction? Read it. It does not matter. Reading is a great way to escape, learn something new, and relax the mind. After all it is your mind that is not happy. Check out this article from Delivering Happiness on how reading can make you happy.
2. Play with your kids, or any children for that matter
Have you ever seen a child get excited about something so minor? Children have a heart that is very hard to sadden. They get excited about most anything, and use their imagination to gain happiness in even the bleakest circumstances. Hang out with a child and you will learn how to not be so hard on yourself.
3. Tell someone you love them
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” – Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
4. Buy a random gift for someone
Do you only buy gifts on birthdays, and special events? STOP. Who made that rule? The reaction of buying someone a gift at a random time is priceless.
5. Pay for the next person in line
Buying breakfast? Waiting at a toll booth? Next time you are in line, pay for the next person. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Their reaction will be priceless.
6. Call an old friend
Remember your best friend that you never call anymore because you moved hours away? Give them a call. Soon enough you find yourself laughing at old stories.
7. Call your parents or relatives
Family matters. Call them now, before it is too late.
8. Do something you loved in your child hood
Remember how children find joy in everything they do? Did you used to like to roller blade? Go roller-skating. Did you used to like arcades? Go to an arcade. Live like you are a child again.
9. Work out
Working out is known to boost confidence and make you happy. Don’t believe me? Check out these 6 reasons why exercise makes you happy.
10. Meditate
Calm the mind, think about nothing… It takes practice but meditation is something that most top CEOs practice. Don’t believe me? Check out which CEO’s here.
11. Watch a motivational video on YouTube
Remember with every motivational video you should have action to follow. See here how motivational speakers almost killed me.
12. Run
Run away from your sadness. When you are done, you will feel refreshed.
13. Stretch
A little yoga never hurt anyone. Stress is often held in your shoulder blades from being tense. Try to stretch and release that stress.
14. Go out to dinner
Remember the last time you went out to dinner? If you don’t, this tip is for you.
15. Go to the movies
If the last time that you went to the movies you had to get there early to get a seat, this tip is for you. Guess what? A lot of movie theatres have assigned seating now. I know, MIND BLOWING.
16. Hug Someone
Yes. Go do it. Don’t like hugging? Humans are made for emotional and physical contact.
17. Pick a day without an alarm clock, Sleep in!
You have spent far too many days waking to an alarm clock. Check out this article by Michael Hyatt on how more sleep can help productivity.
18. Get some fresh air
We were not made for cubical living. If you think we were, you have a skewed sense of reality.
19. Say Thank you
Is it really that hard to say?
20. Be Grateful
Someone out there has it worse than you do, I can promise you that much. The best way to achieve a dream is to start with how grateful you are about your current reality.
21. Dream
Every successful person started with a dream. Take a look at Positively Present’s guide to make these dreams a reality.
22. Drive to the ocean or a lake
“Don’t grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.” Michelle Held
23. Forgive someone
Everyone has had arguments over the littlest issues. GET OVER IT. Start by mentally forgiving them, than forgive them in person. Take baby steps.
24. Pick one thing you have been procrastinating on, and finish it
We all have things that we procrastinate on. Do you need to clean your room? Do it. Do you need to do the dishes? Do it. When you are done you will feel a sensation of relief.
25. Spend time with a pet
Pets always make you happy. Go for a run with your dog. Play with your cat. Let your bird out of their cage to fly around. Find peace in the fact that your pet will always be there to make you laugh.
26. Learn a best friend’s hobby
Life is not always fun spending time alone. Learning a best friend’s hobby is a great way to bond and enjoy learning something new.
27. Pray
Spiritual or not, finding time to experience a greater meaning in life will help you get over your sadness. Don’t believe in God? Take a moment to take in nature’s beauty.
28. Eat something green
Green foods tend to have the greatest supply of vitamins. In our diets today, we do not get enough vitamins to keep our energy level up. Eat green, you won’t regret it.
29. Volunteer
Being selfless brings you unbelievable joy. Listen to Hal Elrod’s podcast episode on how to live your life to its full potential by helping others.
30. Find the Oldest Person you know and hear their life story
We can learn so much from people who have more experience than us.
31. Wake up early
Have you ever gotten up before the sun has risen just to hear the beautiful silence? Make your morning a miracle morning with Hal Elrod’s book.
32. Enjoy a hobby
Want to play guitar, surf, sew, or learn any other hobby? What is stopping you? Imagine how happy you will be when you play your first song on the guitar to your family and friends.
33. Play a sport
Social sports are a great way to make friends and get in shape!
34. Tell a secret about yourself
Sometimes the secrets you keep about yourself are not really that serious after all.
35. Explore nature
Take in the scenery. Live in a city? Take a drive to somewhere without so many houses. Get back to where it all began: with nature. Sometimes the simplicity of nature is a great remedy for a busy life.
36. Check something off of your bucket list
If you do not have a bucket list start one right now. How can you live an extraordinary life if you don’t know what you want to experience? Check off one thing a month. At the very least you will have some great stories to share with your friends.
37. Plan out your 5 year goal
Plan 5 years out and then step your way back to today. Be better than the majority of people who aimlessly live their life. Direct your life; don’t let your life direct you.
38. Plan out your 20 year goal
Dream big. What would you want in 20 years? How can you make those dreams happen? Start with the dream of building a house and work your way back until the point of laying the first brick.
39. Join a local group
Half the battle with being depressed is not sharing life with anyone. Get out there and meet new people.
40. Get a massage
Loosen up your whole body. One of the most relaxing things you will ever do is get a massage.
41. Drink a glass of water
Your body is made up of 75% water. Often when you are tired it is because you are dehydrated. Hydrate up!
42. Do something out of the ordinary
Stand in the elevator towards the rest of the passengers. Try to negotiate a simple purchase like a cup of coffee (thanks Noah Kagan). Bake a pie and give it to a neighbor. These are just some ideas that will put a smile on your face.
43. Do something thoughtful for your significant other
“Happy wife, happy life.”
44. Take Tomorrow off, just because
Sometimes you need a day of mental and physical rest, it’s only natural. Spend a day doing things for YOU.
45. Clean your home
“How can you be a CEO or business owner one day if you can’t even keep your own home clean?”
46. Cook a dinner and invite everyone you know
Sometimes you forget, when you put a new floor in your house, or buy a new table, they are meant to be functional. USE THEM. Have people over. You will enjoy the stories more than keeping your possessions in pristine condition.
47. Eat your favorite food
Indulge, you deserve it. **Be aware this might come with a spike of dopamine. Don’t fall in this trap too frequently!
48. Dream
What makes you different than any other animal on this earth is that you can dream. Don’t take that for granted.
49. Look at old photos
Sometimes you don’t realize how good you have it until you look at photos of the past. Don’t only look at old photos but take photos today. What better way to share your life with generations to come than with photos.
50. Mark a vacation, and plan
Sometimes you have to have something to look forward to in order to make it through those long difficult days. Keep your thoughts to the future and you will make it through.
What unique ways do you cheer yourself up? What other tips can we add?
Dave
