How to Feel Happy - 10 Steps to Radical Happiness

According to recent research, only one-third (33%) of North Americans said they were happy.  This means that 66% of people do not actually know how to feel happy and embody happiness! A huge majority of this can be improved with little changes to your daily routine.

Most people believe that happiness is a result of your actions in life, but in reality, it is more of the driver. Happiness is a choice and a declaration of you “BE”, not what you HAVE or what you DO.

So if that is the case, how do we feel happy again? I get asked daily by people WHY and HOW I am always so happy, so I realized that I needed to create this article to share my (not so) secrets on how to feel happy.

Let’s jump into it, shall we?

“Happiness is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth”

1. Journal Daily

Every night, BEFORE you grab your phone or laptop, and scroll through current events or newsfeeds, write down at least 5 things that happened that day that made you truly grateful for your current life.

Maybe a friend or stranger said something nice to you, maybe you stepped outside of your comfort zone and felt grateful for your courage. Whatever it is, write it down!

If any events that day disturbed you, write about that on a separate page or even a separate journal. (Yes, a s*%t journal!) It is good to get our emotions and feelings out on paper; this is part of the process of letting go!

2. Move Your Body

If the weather is nice, go run or walk the beach, or go for a hike and reconnect with nature as you disconnect from everything else. This will help you clear your mind and reconnect with your source- mother nature.

If the weather is the poops, go to a gym and get YO sweat on! Go with a friend or solo, just GO! Working out gives you an amazing boost of happy-feel-good chemicals in your brain such as serotonin and dopamine, so get that fine ass in motion and feel that workout high!

Exercising will help you build confidence which will carry out in other aspects of life as well, which in turn… transforms into being happy!

3. Eat Nutritious Food

Have you ever had a real fresh cold-pressed green juice (not from a bottle) at a juice bar? Do you remember that euphoric feeling that you felt post-juice? It is real… your cells are jumping for joy and thanking you down to the micro-cellular level!

I have always said that  “happy healthy cells equals happy healthy YOU!”

Make sure you get some fatty acids that come from fish (omega-3s), which help improve cell function, and those from olive oil (monosaturated fatty acid), which are believed to help the mood-regulating chemical serotonin bind to its receptors. Also Vitamin D, B-12, and lots of greens!

This also means cutting out refined sugar, and other mood-busting refined factory-made junk!

4. Get More Sleep

Statistics Canada shows that 25% of Canadians have a hard time getting to sleep and 30% of adults suffer from insomnia! The amount of sleep we get is indistinguishably connected to our levels of happiness. When we are sleep deprived, chances of depression increases and we are more susceptible to higher stress levels.

Don’t be part of that statistic, check out my article on how to have a better night routine, so you can count those sheep until you are snoozing in dreamland.

5. Get Connected

This has nothing to do with Facebook or social media, I am talking about REAL connection. Meet up with a good friend and just chat about life, go for a walk outside or get comfy with a tea and just talk!

This could mean different things to different people, and that’s okay! Just make sure you check in with yourself as to what connection means to you, and that you are not doing something from a state of “not enoughness”.

If you decide to go out dancing, that’s great too,  get together with some friends and go have some fun! Just make sure that you surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you, make you happy and not get stuck with an energy vampire!

6. Get Outside

Studies show that people that exercise outdoors have a much lower stress level than people who exercise in urban areas. Lower stress hormones (cortisol) equals happier you!

Leave your phones in your car, get off the grid and just BE. Practice meditation, throw some rocks on the beach, count some rings on a tree… feel the fresh oxygenated air coming in from the majestic trees around you, smell the cleansing air coming off the ocean breeze.

My favorite getaway place here on the island is Sombrio, you get the best of both worlds, beach, and forest!

7. Meditate and Be In the Present Moment

“If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.” ~Lao Tzu

Meditation reduces anxiety, increases positive thinking, provides a deeper understanding of yourself, builds confidence, and teaches you how to live in the present moment without fear or judgment. This is a proven way to guide you on the path of how to feel happy.

Just breathe, let go, and be… everything will be ok! Don’t know how to meditate? No problem!  Just like any skill, the more you practice meditation, the better and HAPPIER you will become!

8. Listen How You Talk to Yourself

You wouldn’t believe the positive results I see in my client’s moods just from the simple fix of the words we say to ourselves. To be clear, I am NOT talking about positive affirmations, in fact, I completely dislike positive affirmations.

This is the easiest formula that could possibly change your life;

Your WORDS become your THOUGHTS, your thoughts become your VIBRATIONS, and your vibrations become your RESULTS.

It’s that simple.

Meditate on where you are feeling stuck in life and write down “I am in the process of…” and “Learning how to…” This triggers your subconscious to kick in the belief system that you are actually doing the necessary steps needed to embody the life you want to live.

If this is happiness, for example, write ” I am in the process of becoming happier”. Or write ” I am in the process of learning the necessary steps to be fully happy in all aspects of my life”.

Focus on and repeat this numerous times daily, write it on a post-it note, put it on your bathroom mirror, even stick it to your ceiling so you see it first thing when you wake up and go to bed.

Some Examples;

• Training or nutrition-“I am in the process of loving my body completely.”
• Love-“I am in the process of meeting my soulmate”
• Motivation-“I learning to possess the wisdom, the power, the motivation, the inspiration and the passion to accomplish anything and everything I choose.”
• Business- “My business is in the process of growing, expanding, and thriving.”
• Confidence-“I am in the process of unstoppable confidence”
• Strength –“I am learning how to be an indestructible powerhouse”

There is no limit to how many you choose, cover your freaking wall in post-it notes…just DO IT!!!

9. Remove the Toxins

This means, food, atmosphere… aaaaaand people!

Eating toxic foods will only create a temporary satisfaction, leaving you with inflammation and a whack load of health and emotional problems. Just like Joey from Full House used to say… “CUT IT OUT!”

This goes for your environment too… if you don’t like what you are doing-CHANGE IT! Hire a coach, figure out a plan, and live out your true authentic intentions to live that life that you once thought could only be in your dreams.

Where there is a will- there is a way. Use the exercise I spoke of above, then take the steps and make that s*%t happen!

Last but deeeefinitely not least…PEOPLE…. Yes, people… get rid of those negative energy vampires that want nothing but to suck the life out of you. Stop making excuses for them and remove yourself from that situation. Surround yourself with people that want nothing but to bring out the best in you, take you higher, keep you in your highest power, and help you in ways that the energy vampires won’t!

10. Spend Time Alone

You MUST be happy with your own company and LOVE your own company before you can feel happy and content in any other part of life. Go for a walk alone, take yourself out for lunch, give yourself a pat on the back for all the great things you have accomplished and be proud of your unique quirks and characteristics.

Run yourself a bubble bath with lots of rubber duckies, light some candles, drink a glass of wine, play some classical music and just relax.

Listen to your inner voice, is it kind and encouraging or is that voice negative and sabotaging? Is it by chance the ego trying to protect you? Say thanks but no thanks and turn that thought into a positive one. Use the above exercises to switch that self-talk to set your self-love at an all-time high and you will see incredible changes in your overall well being.

Now That You Know How To Feel Happy, It’s Time to Take Action

The most important takeaway here is to use the information you just read and TAKE ACTION in your life. It’s one thing to read the steps to radical happiness, but it’s another to actually do them, this is the answer to how to feel happy.

If you like what you read, check out more articles on my blog. I am in the process of learning how to make awesome videos (see what I did there?) so be sure to check those out as well.

Let’s make this world a happier, healthier, more empowered place to be!

With love, health, and happiness,

The Fit Gypsy