Happiness…a word that lingers around us all the time and yet we often find ourselves lost and unhappy. Why?

We all know that happiness has a lot to do with our performance at work, having a good health, maintaining healthy relationships, and extending our life. Knowing that being happy is good for us does not make us happy. There are times in life when being a little sad is normal. Feeling sad for losing a loved one, after a breakup, after losing a job, bad health or any adverse event in your life is normal. But if you are feeling sad constantly, for a long time, and don’t know why then you might need to think over it. It might be depression and you should seek help from a therapist.

Happiness for most of us is a state of mind. Instead it is a habit that we constantly need to nurture. Our brain pays more attention to negative thoughts and reacts to them more than positive news. That is why it becomes imperative for us to train our brain for happiness. So when things go wrong, you are ready to acknowledge your feelings and get back to your life.

We have few simple techniques for you to practice and train your brain to be happy. These might seem very insignificant but these habits do train you and your brain to focus on the bright side.

Ask yourself- Are you thinking positive?

This is Metacognition. A practice of thinking about thinking. Yes, this practice has been suggested by psychologists to help access how much positive thinking we do. Ask yourself if you are thinking positively. This will remind you to stay focused on your aim of being happy. This first step will mark the beginning of your journey towards training your brain to be happy. Everyday sit back and think about what you were thinking and was that a positive thought or a negative?

Think if you are just ruminating or solving a problem?

Okay, this is an extension of the previous habit that we built. Here we will focus on a specific problem with thinking. Whenever you find yourself thinking about something for example doing some work and you start thinking about how difficult it is, for an extended period, STOP. Stop for a while and think if you are solving the problem for yourself or just ruminating about it being difficult.

Thinking about what has already happened or what catastrophe might hit you, will take you nowhere. Instead of thinking about things you cannot control think about how you can solve that problem. Whenever you find yourself in such a loop, stand up and take a break. Do some other activity to get your mind off that issue and rethink later.

Make your emotions your strength 

Many of us fail to express how we feel and make an aversion about showing it. We distance ourselves from our feelings and tend to pretend the way we do not feel at all. Distancing ourselves from our feelings makes it hard for us to live in the moment and we start to be non-responsive to any feeling including happiness.

Spend a few minutes to acknowledge your emotions. Doing this will help you to be aware of your emotions like anger, fear, worries, excitement, etc and you will be able to take control over how these affect your life. For example, acknowledging your anger will allow taking control of it and not spilling it on someone else.

Practice gratitude

There are now studies available that prove that practicing gratitude makes you happy. Being grateful about life, even the simplest of things adds happiness to your life. Every day, before going to bed list three things you are grateful for or while sitting down at the dining table, ask each of your family members to say something about what they are grateful for. Doing this, will make you feel contemplated about good things in your life and let go of any negative thoughts coming your way.

Make a happiness journal

You might have heard about writing making things easier. Well, it is true. Writing down our thoughts, emotion, make us a better person because we get to access our self when we write.

In a study, it was also proven that writing about happy thoughts made people happier. So, spend a few minutes of your day writing about what makes you happy. It could be as small as a bird on your window, or as big as getting a job or promotion or the satisfaction of helping someone. Take time out to write about things that makes you happy.

Celebrate even the smallest of success

You now have a journal to keep track of your happy moments. It’s time to celebrate this success. If you forgot to write one day or two, don’t criticize yourself for it. Instead, celebrate for the rest of the day that you have written. Enjoying your smaller achievements make you happy and processes that happiness into your life. So don’t let yourself sulk into sadness instead treat yourself for your little achievements. Doesn’t matter how small it is.

We hope that these few tips will help you to train your brain to stay happy and contented with your life. For a happy life, all we need is a positive approach towards it. If you practice more, to be happy, then you will be happy. After all, it’s all in your head. So, stay happy and stay focused to be happy!