I’d like to have more joy in life. What should I do?

By Vladimir Marchenko

1. Take it easy
2. Communicate with positive people
3. Boost your health
4. Educate yourself
5. Have a financial cushion
6. Discover new places
7. Balance your diet
8. Organise your space
9. Don’t forget to smile and laugh
10. Doing charity is important

Enjoying life is our natural need. Sometimes we directly associate it with materialistic things or love and appreciation from others. However, we should search for satisfaction within ourselves instead. Moreover, our feeling of joy is deeply connected with our inner mood and can even be upgraded.

1. Take it easy

Many people nowadays are experiencing anxiety and constant stress. This chronic state of their body and mind is different from the one-time reaction that can sometimes be caused by changing work or moving cities, etc. Symptoms of chronic anxiety are a deterioration in the overall health, increased fatigue alternating with restlessness, difficulties concentrating, and many others. However in reality, the concerns that people are anxious about are often not as vital as they think of them. Therefore, it is important for everyone to learn how to let go effectively and overcome failures easily. You can analyze a specific situation and draw conclusions from it, but learn to accept that you cannot always control the external circumstances. Also, know how to abstract from negative comments from strangers while acknowledging your weaknesses and correcting them if needed.

2. Communicate with positive people

Every person is involved in social interactions. The more we communicate with others, the more confident we become knowing that other people need us. It is very important to find friends with the same interests with whom it is easy to share your impressions and emotions. Be grateful to your friends and loved ones for every new day filled with bright events, warmth and happiness. Minimize contacts with those who drain your emotional energy. Constant complaints about life, reproaches, non-constructive advice and other verbal rubbish are very exhausting since we inevitably tend to take them personally. Thus, there is no benefit from such interactions, only constant tension.

3. Boost your health

Psychological and physical states of a person are closely related. Therefore, by strengthening the body, one can simultaneously strengthen the spirit (and vice versa). Although, there is no need to set very high goals and try to break the records of world athletes. Simple physical exercises, hiking or cycling in fresh air, rowing, swimming, fitness, etc. would be enough. It is also important to pump your mental health, for example with the help of affirmations. You can find thematic affirmations for improving your self-confidence, overall happiness and mood in the Hypnopedia app. The main advantage of the application is that motivational statements are reproduced during your sleep, at the most beneficial sleep stage, and get perceived by your subconscious mind. In addition, relaxing sounds in the applications will help you fall asleep quickly, while a smart alarm clock function ensures that you will be awakened at the most optimal time for the body and mind.

4. Educate yourself

More and more free materials, like training videos, lectures, books and programs, for self-development and learning new skills appear online. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to explore and improve their knowledge or even take a step towards turning a hobby into a source of income. Reading and getting to know new areas of life keeps your brain toned, making you more energetic and open to the world. If self-studying for some reason causes you difficulties, you can also sign up for individual courses or online workshops. In any case, it is definitely worth continuing your education after school or college as it helps you to constantly develop yourself and improve the quality of your life.

5. Have a financial cushion

Usually, people are going from one extreme to another by either saving every penny for the sake of the future or “living one day at a time” even though the modern world can be really unstable these days. Also, many people get bogged down in loans for years, and, despite having a possibility to afford things they normally wouldn’t be able to, it makes them constantly feel obliged. That’s why it is much better to have some financial savings because it gives you confidence that even if you lose your job or another pandemic occurs, you will still be able to survive for at least a few months and slowly find a new place you like.

6. Discover new places

In rediscovering a familiar and beloved city you can often find amazing new places, let along going to another country on vacation and plunging in a new cultural experience. In order to develop all the spheres of your life, psychologists advise using "background goals". First step is defining which spheres of life you would like to improve. Travelling can be one of them. Step two, write down things that can help you boost these spheres and make three columns depending on the time required to accomplish them. For example, which new location can you visit in an hour? Surely, a new cafe near work will do. What if you have a few hours or a day? Obviously, you can do a trip to a neighbouring town to see new sights or visit friends. If you have 7-10 days, you can organise an educational trip to another country and learn a new culture. It does not matter whether you are planning an excursion or a trip on your own as it is the change of scenery that is favourable for your brain.

7. Balance your diet

The expression “you are what you eat”, often ascribed to Hippocrates, can definitely serve as the basis for balancing your diet. Of course, in any case, consulting a specialist is recommended as they are able to create a list of suitable foods based on the results of your intolerance tests. It is important as it allows you to understand which foods may cause a negative allergic reaction, lack of energy and the development of chronic diseases. Gradual introducing of “permitted" products into your diet improves metabolic processes and detoxification. As a general recommendation, your daily food ration should contain fresh fruits and vegetables, nutrient-dense products and fiber.

8. Organise your space

Interestingly, confusing thoughts are usually projected also to the outside world. Messy house, slurred and fast speech, as well as inability to concentrate on a specific task for a long period of time - these are the common “symptoms” of frustration. However often, organising your space is a good start to having clear thoughts. Put the things in their places and try to return them there after use. Try to wash the dishes immediately after cooking and eating, do a general cleaning every 1-2 months, and get rid of things that have not been used for more than two years. A well-organised clutter-free space gives a sense of comfort and orderliness and improves your standard of living.

9. Don’t forget to smile and laugh

No matter how trite it may sound, but optimists do live a happier life in this world. So charge yourself with positivity in the morning and you will notice that you are having a much better day. As a part of a morning ritual, replay the upcoming day, planned appointments, tasks, meditate if necessary. During the day try to filtrate the information that you consume and avoid useless news about the upcoming disasters, like falling of the incomes. And, more importantly, smile! It acts as a signal to the world and others that you are friendly, confident and ready for great things to happen. Also, laughter is a natural defence mechanism against stress and associated with well-being and intelligence.

10. Doing charity is important

You can often hear the question “why do I need to do charity work?” At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be any benefits in it. However, the material side of it is much less important here than the spiritual component. When doing charity work you share and express love to the people around. By donating money you can make somebody’s dream come true and even create something bigger like a large-scale charity project. When caring for others you create the basis of you being a wealthy person as indirectly charity increases your self-esteem (“I can help others”) and strengthens your personal faith in humanity (“there is a hope that one day they will help me if I need”). Sometimes it is also a way for people to repay their "karmic debts," and the amount of material help here has little importance. Instead, the very fact of caring for others matters.

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Overall, in order to enjoy the life more, it’s not necessary to have access to some outstanding resources or fundamentally change your views. It would be enough already to slightly reconsider your place in the world and your attitude to life, and it will inevitably improve, likewise, the world around will become more attractive.