Happiness is more than just feeling good. There’s actually a wide range of benefits of being happy. These benefits include making us healthier, strengthening relationships, and increasing productivity. Being happy also encourages us to make more positive contributions to society. Here are five common culprits that are blocking your happiness:
Self-defeating self-talk
Your inner critic judges you, doubts you, belittles you, and constantly tells you that you are not good enough. Stop beating yourself up by:
- Slowing down and paying attention to your thoughts
- Separating the critic from your own identity
- Talking back to your critic and telling it to go away
- Replacing the critic by noticing your positive traits
Lack of gratitude
- It’s common for us to become fixated on what we don’t have, so take a step back and appreciate what we do have
- Say “thank you” to your team
- This can improve relationships, too
Fear
Overcoming fear is all about replacing and overpowering it with something else. For instance, if you want to start your business, but are paralyzed by the fear of “what if,” challenge that debilitating fear by:
- Accomplishing one small, attainable project each day
- Getting your creative juices flowing through writing or learning a new skill or talent
- Surrounding yourself with optimistic supporters
Avoiding deeply meaningful connections
- We need close connections to be healthy
- Recharge yourself ahead of time by starting to network online
- Team-up with an extrovert, adopt outgoing traits, and practice your elevator pitch
Comparing yourself to others
- This causes feelings of envy, low self-confidence, and depression, and compromises our ability to trust others
- Be careful what you compare yourself to, as it could be an inaccurate assessment and you’re comparing yourself to someone who is not as happy or together as they appear
