Loving life is one of the most important changes you can make to lead a healthier and happier life. It's not that you won't run into difficulties, or times when you're angry, but making you love your life, will make it easier to deal with tough times. Read step 1 to start loving your life!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Loving Life in the Moment
Step 1. Don't worry about the results
One of the changes to make is not to try to control the outcome of every circumstance. Realizing that the only thing you can control is your reaction to the situation, you can rarely control the situation yourself. The need for control stems from fear, and if you act out of fear, then you don't love life at all.
- Ask yourself what it is to be afraid of letting go of the desire to control the outcome of every situation. For example, if you think your boyfriend forgot to bring wine for dinner will ruin the evening, question that assumption. Will it really get messy? Perhaps it was your attitude that would have ruined the evening, not the absence of wine.
- For example: if you're just starting a relationship (or are looking for it), it's okay to plan the direction of the relationship, as long as you're open to a path you may not have planned.
- Another example is if you have a health problem (or the like). Instead of holding on to anger about the situation, remember that you can't control your health problem (though you can do something to help it or make it worse), you can only control your attitude about the situation.
Step 2. Be flexible
This doesn't mean you can twist your body into a cake-like shape, it just means you're open to other possibilities. It has to do with letting go of the desire to control outcomes, because if in life you are not flexible, you will end up with something that can hurt you.
- Question your thoughts and words. Pay attention to what you think and say (especially with regard to your reasons can not do something). You will begin to notice the places where your thoughts and actions have become rigid and you will try to soften those passages.
- Change your daily routine. It doesn't have to be a huge change, but doing something a little different every day will help get through life, even if it's something as simple as taking a different route to get to work, or visiting a different coffee shop every now and then.
Step 3. Face your problem
Everyone has problems, big or small. Ignoring them or avoiding them will only make them bigger and bigger until they take over your life. You don't have to face everything at the same time, but dealing with things as they start to emerge, rather than waiting, will help your long-term ability to love life, because problems won't build up.
- Focus on finding a solution to a problem. Instead of focusing on the problem itself. For example, if you have an issue with a roommate, instead of focusing on the problem itself, focus on what both of you need to bring the situation back to life.
- Ask yourself if a problem is really a problem. Sometimes you get things into trouble without even realizing it. For example: if calling makes you anxious, ask yourself why it happened. Forcing yourself to come up with reasons that don't seem plausible can help you let go of anxiety about what you perceive as a problem.
Step 4. Take time to rest
Sometimes the thing you need most to recharge and love life is to take a break from everything. This means setting aside some time to pamper yourself, or give yourself the rest you need.
- Take a warm shower and set up an audiobook or music to listen to so your mind doesn't focus on all the things that could be worrying you.
- Do nothing but dream for a while. Maybe you are on the bus to go to school or work. Take this time to be imaginative, something that is essential to your health and productivity.
- Do something fun. This can mean doing anything, big or small (from reading a book you love or taking a vacation), as long as it's something that allows you to let go of everything.
Part 2 of 3: Using Long-Term Physical Solutions
Step 1. Laugh
People always say that laughter is the best medicine and strangely enough, it's something that can help your health and your mood. Laughter will help increase blood flow, increase immune response, help relaxation and sleep, laughter can even lower blood sugar levels.
- Watch comedy shows or watch youtube, if you are starting to feel stressed. Laughing will reduce your stress level.
- Get together with your friends reminiscing about the good times and the funny ones. Laughing with other people helps you feel supported and has a more positive attitude.
Step 2. Take care of your health
Your health has a huge influence on your emotions and your attitude about things. It can be hard to love life if you have a cold or a bad fever. Doing everything you can to stay healthy will help your attitude towards life.
- Practice releasing chemicals in your body that can improve your mood, fight depression, and help your sleep patterns. Even just doing light exercise every day can be beneficial. So walk, run, do yoga, or put on some music and dance!
- Drink lots of water. Water is very important for your health. Dehydration can make you less functioning and feeling less well. Try to drink 8 glasses of water every day (avoid sugary drinks or caffeine, as they can dehydrate you).
- Eat a balanced diet. Avoid sugar and processed foods as much as possible (it's okay to eat your favorite food once in a while!). Stick with eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and protein, or good carbohydrates (such as brown rice, quinoa, whole grains, whole grains).
- Enough sleep. Getting enough sleep helps boost your immune system, helping you deal with depression and illness. The optimal amount of sleep is 8-9 hours each night and if you can't do that, try taking a short nap during the day.
Step 3. Get out of your comfort zone
to love life you have to be willing to try new things and try to challenge yourself to do something that makes you nervous. Part of loving life and being happy is not being ruled by fear, which will make you unhappy.
- Start small, especially if you have a lot of anxiety about doing new things. Learn to sew or cook in your home. You can learn a lot from tutorial videos on YouTube about it and you will learn useful skills.
- The more you try new things, and get out of your comfort zone, the easier it will be to do them. It will take practice to deal with your fear of trying new things.
- Don't punish yourself if you end up not being able to do something (like skydiving or going on long trips alone). There will always be things you won't or won't be able to do. Does not matter! Try something else.
Step 4. Sing
Singing, especially in groups, releases chemicals (endorphins and oxytocin) that make us feel happy and help reduce stress levels. Singing as a group makes you feel connected to others and part of a community, which adds a support system that can help you feel safe and reduce depression and loneliness.
- Look around town to see if there's a singing community you can join. If not, consider creating one. You can even do it with just your friends and you can sing any song you like!
- Singing alone is also beneficial, as it helps regulate your breathing in the same way as practicing yoga, and it's a great way to relax.
- You may be thinking, "but I can't sing." You don't have to be an artist to enjoy singing. If you don't want to sing in front of a crowd because you don't think you can sing well, then you can do it in your room alone.
Step 5. Help others
This means using your time, energy, and money to help others. When you learn about generosity, you will feel like you have a perspective and a purpose. Being generous can also help you reduce stress and anxiety, while also providing opportunities to connect with others.
- Find a shelter and volunteer. Make a plan to volunteer at least once a month (or even once a week). There are all kinds of shelters (a shelter for women experiencing violence, a family shelter, even an animal shelter).
- Doing something as simple as helping a family member or friend can also be an act of generosity. You could take someone to see a doctor, or help someone move into a new home. You could cook for your family (if that's not something you're used to), or offer to wash your parents' car.
Part 3 of 3: Using Long-Term Mental Solutions
Step 1. Practice mindfulness
Awareness means being in the moment, not busy thinking about the future or the past, two things that make it difficult to focus on loving life and being happy.
- Take one action consciously. This could mean something as simple as having dinner, or doing homework. Pay attention to things like the taste and texture of the food you're eating. Is it dry? Spicy? Salty? Don't assign a value to it, such as too spicy, or it tastes disgusting, because it will make you focus on the negative instead of the neutral.
- Take 20 minutes each day and practice mindful breathing. Inhale for a certain count (e.g., 4 counts) then release for an additional two counts (e.g., 6 counts). Watch your belly rise and fall as you take deep breaths. If your mind starts to wander, then go back to counting again.
- Take a break for 5 minutes. If you have free time between classes or your work hours, take a moment to look out the window instead of checking your phone or email. Pay attention to the scenery outside, what the weather conditions are, what color the sky is. Again, don't rate the things you notice.
Step 2. Practice gratitude
Being a grateful person means that you celebrate things that have happened in your life, give selflessly, and value your experiences. Doing generosity can help you feel better about life and about yourself and can make you feel happier.
- Keep a gratitude diary, in which you write down the things you are most grateful for (such as having a place to live and providing food, or being given health), write down the names of people to whom you are grateful and for the kindness you have experienced.
- Pay attention to the little things. Little things can make your life easier or harder. Focus on things like the warmth of your jacket on a winter's day, or eating a delicious cupcake, or someone complimenting you.
- Talk about things for which you are grateful. Talk to a trusted family member, friend, or therapist about things you are grateful for. This will make you remember the good things that happened and reduce your awareness or focus on the more difficult things.
Step 3. Set achievable goals for yourself
You can aim for bigger goals in the long term, but make sure you set smaller goals that you can achieve more quickly. This will make you feel like you've accomplished something and remind you to do something!
- Make it a goal to clean your room or house once a month. You can put on music and sing while you work and you'll feel like you've accomplished something and are neat when you're done.
- Don't hurt yourself if you don't get something done, or finish it outside the allotted time. But ask yourself what you could learn from this experience what you would do differently next time. Making it a rewarding experience rather than a failure will help you stay productive and happier.
Step 4. Think positive
Negative thoughts are bad for your mind and body and they give color to the way you see things. Sometimes having negative thoughts is normal, but being stuck with negative thoughts is not a good thing. You have to focus on the positive, rather than the negative if you want to love life.
- Don't let your negative thoughts stay alive. When they appear, be aware of them and let them go. For example, if a thought occurs that says "I am ugly" tell yourself "I have thoughts that I am ugly. Is this a useful thought?" and let it go.
- Don't focus too much on the past or the future. Obsessing over something that has happened before will not help you live fully in the present moment. Likewise, worrying about the future or simply preparing for the future will keep you from being in the present. If you feel your mind thinking quickly about the past and the future, pay attention to something that is in the moment: a tree, your breath, the rain dripping on the window.
- Whatever is going on, remember, it will pass too. You won't always be stuck in traffic, just as you won't always have the glow of good karma. Reminding yourself that the situation is temporary will help you let go of it more easily.
Tips
Make sure you take care of yourself. Being alone and avoiding the people around you won't make you happy, helping others is great, but make sure you also take time to help yourself
Warning
- Don't let other people discourage you. When other people feel the need to say something negative about you, that's their problem, not yours.
- You're going to have a bad day, or a day when you're sad and what you can't do is get you out of it. It does not matter! Everyone has days like that. Take care of yourself and let it pass.
- The only person who will take care of you is yourself.
