Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash
We live in a society where we always striving for more. We need a bigger car or house, we need the latest iPhone and we really need what is new and trending. But this mentality is not going to make you very happy. Once you get the new iPhone, you are already looking for what’s next. And social media is not making it easier for us. But you can only be truly happy when you live in the now. Do we really need all of those things to be happy? Absolutely not. Here are 5 tips on how to be happy with what you have.
Gratitude
Do you really always need new and more clothes? Even though your closet is already full of clothes. Maybe it is time to take a break from shopping and be grateful for what you have right now. Be grateful that you can buy new clothes because a lot of people in the world can’t buy new things. Not everyone in this world has a cellphone. So do you really need a new iPhone when the older one is still working? Sometimes I wish for things but at the same time, I am also taking time to be grateful for everything I have. I own a lot of books that I can read, I can call my friends with my phone, I can write blog posts on my laptop and I can use my phone for filming videos for YouTube. Sure, I would like a real video camera for my YouTube channel but I also like that I can already make videos with my phone and save some money so I can buy a new camera in the future.
A great way to be grateful is to use a gratitude journal. I just bought a simple notebook at the store and every day I write a couple of things I am grateful for. It really helps me to focus on positive things and feel happier.
Stop comparing
We used to compare ourselves just by looking at what our friends had. But now with social media is even easier to see what someone you don’t even know has. We follow Instagram influencers and see that they get a lot of free stuff and that they have everything you want to have. This is not healthy. If you notice that you start comparing yourself to those people, start unfollowing them or take a break from social media. You might think that their life is perfect but what do you know? You only see one photo. Maybe she is smiling on all of her photos but in real life, she is struggling with depression or other things. We tend to share our good things on social media and not the bad things. Which is okay, but it can lead to jealousy and more comparing.
Make life fun
Being satisfied with your life is not easy when you don’t celebrate each moment. No, I don’t mean you should party 24/7 and drinking only alcohol from now on. There are so many ways to make your life more fun, even without money. You can hang out with your friends and have dinner together or organize a game night. Try to make each day a little bit special. So take a bath or watch an episode of your favorite series. When you make your daily life a little more special, you will appreciate the things you have. Because when you are feeling happier you will be more positive and happier with the things you already have. When you are not feeling very happy, you want to buy new things because you think that will make you happy and you don’t appreciate the things you already have. Your brain is looking for more.
Meditation
Meditation is an amazing tool to become aware of the present. And when you become aware of the present you will feel happier and be more grateful. With meditation, you learn that you don’t need a lot of things to feel happy. You can’t find real happiness in things but in yourself. Take a couple of minutes every single day and start meditating.
Forget the word perfect
Are you striving for the perfect life or the perfect body? I think I have to disappoint you because there is no such thing as ‘perfect’. You might think that a perfect body has curves and all of that. But maybe somebody else thinks being skinny is the perfect body. See? There is no such thing as perfect. Or maybe you want to be the perfect student. Well, I have to disappoint you again, because there will always be something that you can improve. I thought I was a perfect student because I got great grades. But I was lacking in communication skills. And that is completely fine. Nobody is perfect and it will never be enough. So stop striving to be perfect and be happy with who you are. Having a not so perfect life is way more fun.
Are you happy with your life right now?