life for many folks is stressful. Sometimes, life can be overwhelming and the structure of our lives can seem to fail and the rest tumbles down. Life always seems to have a way of venturing south, and when it gets tough, everything seems harder. But don't worry, even if things seem totally hopeless, there is always a way to begin self-healing and the ever-lasting preservation of Happiness. Simply put, everyone on Earth has the ability to affect around 40% of their own happiness and well-being. 50% is, unfortunately, genetic.
Some people are just more prone to happiness than others.
The last factor that affects happiness is the things that happen to us. Things like marriage, death, and injury affect only 10% of your happiness. If something bad has happened to you, it doesn't at all mean you are doomed to live an unhappy life. In fact, you are 100% able to pull yourself out of even the worst emotional distress.
Where to begin?
Deep and debilitating emotional disorders like depression are a lot to deal with in order to also live a productive and comfortable lifestyle. The feelings are sometimes overwhelming and, at times, may seem permanent. Something like happiness just seems so far away and the future looks bleaker and bleaker. Therefore, baby steps are required to slowly ease oneself onto the path of emotional betterment.
My first tip is a simple one: smile. And I don't mean beaming all day long. What I mean is to take the corners of your lips and raise them, even if it's only a centimeter. If you ever catch yourself not smiling, immediately fix that and tighten the corners of your lips upward. Do this for a month, and things may seem easier to do.
Do it for longer, and even more things may improve.
Remove yourself from negativity
This one isn't always possible, but there are many ways to look at negativity. Every time you see yourself in the mirror, looking at how your smiling technique is coming along, compliment yourself. If you're alone, say the compliment out loud.
Don't just let yourself hear kind words directed toward you, actually believe them. Ponder what they mean to you, and accept yourself as the source of those words. If someone calls you a good friend, say thank you and cherish those words like a child does a stuffed animal. Hold those kind and positive words with you and let them make a Difference in your life. If you ever catch yourself insulting yourself, or others, think about something else. Even going so far as to apologize to yourself can help you believe that you are an incredible human being.
Believe that it does get better
I've known many people that were down, sad, and even depressed. In the most extreme cases, people claim that they want to be happy, but their actions don't agree with their words.
The very first step to becoming better is understanding that it is more than possible to become better, and that changes must be made to begin that process. I think the number one thing that holds people back from improving themselves is that they don't believe there is any hope. As someone who has fallen into slumps many times, I can honestly say that I fell into the vicious cycle of giving up. Life may throw you those curve balls, but you, as the batter, have that 40% at your disposal to swing. You may hit, and you may miss. Either way, the choice of swinging that bat is entirely up to you. There is no risk in emotional betterment, as you can only gain from the experience.
