No one can say for sure what the purpose of life is. But that we should live a happy life is a pretty reasonable guess. Of course, in this day and age, that’s not always easy. There’s been a massive hike in the number of people experiencing mental health issues in recent years, and that was even before the coronavirus pandemic hit. While there’s no magic bullet that’ll ensure a person will be happy, there are some general components that’ll make it much more likely that a person is living a good life. So what are they? We’ll take a look at some of the main areas to focus on if you want to be happy.
Good Friends
It’s hard to go through this life all on your own. For one thing, it’s just much harder — we need people to lift us up when we’re down, help us out, and so forth. And the other matter is that it’ll be much less fun. There’s so much value in getting together with people that you like and trust. So it’s worthwhile putting effort into your relationships. It’s one of those things that, the more you put in, the more that you’ll get out.
A Sense of Purpose
It’d be nice if we could just relax all day and simply pass the time, but there’s a feeling that humans aren’t hardwired to do that. We’re not cats. A study of the happiest people in the world shows that a sense of purpose can have a profound effect on a person’s happiness levels. It’s important to remember that this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to set a target of earning $1 million or anything. The sense of purpose can be anything, even just trying to get as good as you can be at playing piano or something.
Physical Wellbeing
They say that if you ain’t got your health, then you ain’t got much. So it’s always important to ensure that you’re doing the right things for your body. When it comes to your physical wellbeing, a little bit goes a long way; even a 10-minute morning jog will put you on the right path. Of course, there’ll be times when you go through serious health issues. At that point, you can retain contentment by taking control. There’s always something you can do. For instance, if you have multiple sclerosis, then you could ensure that you’re doing the best for yourself by working with an expert multiple sclerosis doctor. Oftentimes, just knowing that we’re doing all that we can make a huge difference.
Mental Wellbeing
It’s not just our physical well-being that we should focus on. Our mental wellbeing is also deserving of our attention. In an age that’s more stressful than ever before, it’s really important that we’re taking steps to keep our mental health as healthy as possible. Because of the rising number of mental health conditions, researchers have gotten pretty good at determining what will push people in the right direction when it comes to their mental wellbeing. For example, exercise, meditation, and spending time in nature have all been shown to be highly effective. Indeed, did you know that spending just two hours in nature each week can have a dramatic impact on your mental health?
Challenging Yourself
It’s easy to stay in our comfort zones. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the right option for us. In many cases, it’s not. There’s an element of all of us that likes to explore and see the world — and to do that, we often need to step outside of our comfort zones. There are a million ways you can do that. You could set yourself a challenge to get in shape, complete an art project, see the world, or make new connections; it could be anything. The main thing is that you’re moving forward. If you’re doing that, then you’ll be unlikely to fall into a state of inertia.
An Open Heart
Finally, there’s your attitude. Having the right attitude will take you pretty far in life! On the other hand, if you have a bad or hateful attitude, then there’ll only be so far that you can go. So learn to open up your heart. The more goodness that you put into yourself, the better you’ll feel. And once you have it, there’s no telling what you might achieve or how happy you might be — and also, how happy you might be able to make other people.