Happiness is something we ALL want in life and almost always could use more of. I thought it would be fun to write a post on some simple ways to become happier in day-to-day life no matter what your circumstances look like.

I also thought I would preface that these ideas are some of my own tried and true ones—though I did add in some research to back some of them up!

1.) explore more

I definitely think a key ingredient to happiness in every day life is being more adventurous and making an effort to regularly explore new places, however small. It blows my mind how many local parks, cafes, restaurants and shops I still discover within a 30 minute radius even after living in the same area for so many years. In fact, I think I might do a future blog post challenge for this very topic……stay tuned!

2.) Vitamin D

Getting sunshine is obviously very important for our physical health and wellbeing, but also for our mental and emotional health. Studies show that people who struggle with depression tend to have lower vitamin D levels overall, which makes total sense to me. While supplements are fine, I think sunshine is the best way to go. Apparently, 15 minutes of sunshine in the summer and spring months (with just 22 percent skin exposure) can help your body synthesize approximately 1000 IU of vitamin D! That is such an easy, affordable way to boost mood and energy levels on those sunny days.

3.) Laugh out loud

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to take life WAY TOO SERIOUSLY at times. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty in life to be serious about. But if we aren’t making time for laughter, what is the point? Believe it or not, there are many studies about the benefits of laughter to the brain and body, such as improved circulation and reduced stress levels. In fact, there even exists such a thing called laughter yoga! What???? Just the idea of that has me chuckling.

4.) Jam to upbeat music

Well, we’ve now had some sunshine, laughed at ourselves laughing and are already having a pretty great day (for free, might I add). The only thing missing is some upbeat music! I remember my counselor telling me to listen to upbeat, feel-good music when I was feeling low. Listening to music you enjoy releases those feel-good chemicals like dopamine, which give you that jolt of positive energy.

5.) mix up your look

As a girly girl through and through, there are few things that brighten my mood more than a glow-up. This can be more lavish but does not have to be! Sometimes going to the salon and getting a pedicure or new outfit is a great treat, but there are still plenty of very inexpensive or even free ways to achieve that glow-up feeling. I personally love to rummage in my closet through old jewelry and accessories I haven’t work in a long time and changing up my current go-to’s.

I also love mixing up my makeup routine and even hair shade every now and then just for the fun of it. Oh, and let’s not forget the therapy of doing my nails each week. Did you know that painting your nails can give you an instant boost of therapeutic release and stress relief? I can sure testify to that one.

6.) Connect with an old friend

Do you ever wake up randomly thinking about someone you haven’t thought about or talked to in ages? Sometimes I think about old friends or random memories and decide to ping them to let them know they are on my mind. It always puts me in a good mood to reconnect with an old friend!

7.) write snail mail

I am a huge fan of snail mail. I have always cherished the process of letter writing and love that feeling of getting a cute card in the mail from someone. Letters are a great way to express yourself in ways you might not be comfortable doing in person and can really touch or encourage someone else. The act of writing or creating a letter and sending it to encourage someone is another great way to get those feel-good chemicals going because you are tangibly doing something to help others, which is what we are wired to do.

Shameless plug—feel free to check out my collection of digital prints if you want to send someone a fun and happy card!

8.) Complete a task

For sure, one of the best feelings in the world is to complete a task from start to finish. Maybe you have been meaning to declutter that makeup drawer for months, or go through your wardrobe to donate clothes you no longer wear. Maybe you really need to give your car a good vacuum and washing but just haven’t taken the time. If you want to increase your everyday happiness, go ahead and complete a task that’s been on your back-burner for a while and see how it makes you feel!

10.) pet an animal

I have realized there are people out there who are pet lovers…..and people who are not. No shade to the latter, but I will say there is something so deeply satisfying about embracing a delightful furry animal. Adopting a cat has been the number one contributor to my daily happiness and has given me an enormous sense of comfort, especially on rougher chronic illness days. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), interacting with animals can decrease stress, stabilize blood pressure, reduce loneliness and increase feelings of social support. 100 percent!!!

If you do not have a pet, try hitting up your local pet shelter or even pet store to see some of the animals that may be living there. A lot of times shelters let you pet cats and dogs for however much time you want! If you are allergic or cannot access an animal, there is always YouTube! There are SO many heartwarming clips of furry animals out there that will still give you hits of that serotonin and dopamine and a general wave of warm fuzzies.

what do you think?

Now that I have rattled on about my list of go-to tips for daily happiness I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Do you agree with these ideas? Are there any others you would add to this list? Go ahead and share in the comments below!