Happy Habits: 6 Simple Ways to Cultivate Joy in Your Life

With so much focus on anxiety and depression, what actually makes you happy? You know that loving yourself is one of the basic things you can do to keep your mood stable, help maintain positivity, and be successful in life and relationships. But is love enough?

Let’s explore 6 different ways that you can help balance out stress and increase your happiness. 

1. Focus on serenity over perfection.

If you are a high functioning, high performance woman, you probably have high standards for yourself. Oftentimes this perfectionism can derail your happiness because the constant standards you set for yourself will never be enough. Tell yourself it’s OK to make mistakes and to “go with the flow”, so the speak. Let yourself know it’s perfectly fine to let go and not feel like you have to control everything.

2. Focus on being yourself

In a world where everybody is trying to look like everybody else, find your own identity.  While it’s easy to act like everybody else, encourage yourself to always remain true to yourself in the end.

3. Highlight the present moment

We can be infamous for dwelling on the past and cultivating resentment to use against partners, friends, family, and ultimately, ourselves. Encourage a “mindful mindset.” Stay focused on what’s present, wonderful and beautiful in the world. This can help with mood stability and relationship skills. Prayer and/or meditation can be helpful.

4. Develop your courage

Whatever your fears, instill in yourself a sense of courage, which is the ability to trust yourself during difficult times. Think of it as helping you to rely on your inner compass instead of looking to others for what to do. You don’t have to follow the crowd or ask others for directions on what to. Ask yourself, and whatever the answer, go with it.

5. Cultivate coping skills for setbacks and limitations

Life hands you limitations, rejections, and “No’s.” Accept them with grace, don’t take them personally, and encourage yourself to persevere onward in the face of adversity.

6. Learn assertive language

 Healthy self-assertive language in the face of a challenging friend/family/work situation is so instrumentally to finding and keeping your happiness. Speaking up about something that doesn’t feel right, or you feel has violated your boundaries is a powerful skill! Assertively address her needs instead of shying away from them.

Bottom Line: Love can be shown to yourself in a number of different ways. Try one or all of the six ways above to see the difference in your mood or anxiety. If you continue to struggle with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, don’t hesitate to reach out for help.

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Jenmarie Eadie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about empowering women to take control of their mental health by finding balance and inner peace in the midst of perfectionism and anxiety. She received her Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State with a concentration in Behavioral Health. Her proudest accomplishment is following her dream of opening up a practice focused on helping high-achieving, goal-oriented women. She currently serves women in California and Oregon (CA LCSW# 66634 and OR# L13328).