Five Top Tips On How To Be Happy In 2018

If there is anything that everyone is chasing in their life, is that often elusive feeling of happiness. The core of happiness lies in having a healthier and more fulfilling life. Looking at the small things that most of us can reasonably achieve in the New Year is probably our best bet to improve our mental and physical well-being.

What can you do to achieve happiness in the New Year?

Five top tips

Here are some steps that you can take starting right now to boost your quality of life.

1. Ensure that you get enough sleep

Much research published in 2017 has focused on the prominent role played by a good night's sleep in our mental and physical health. Sleep, we now know, is important in memory consolidation, fear learning, and keeping our brain well-rested so that we can react appropriately to events during the day.

The impact that sleep can have on your well-being should not be underestimated. People affected by insomnia are twice as likely as their peers to develop depression, it comes as no surprise that a good night's sleep should be a priority in our search for happiness and wellness.

A study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, suggests that people who have a clear life purpose do actually sleep better at night.

So, as you draft your New Year's resolutions, why not take a step back and consider what your main goals in life are, and how you can achieve them?

2. Increase your physical activity level

Physical exercise not only keeps us fit, but also improves other aspects of our physical and mental health. Numerous recent studies have shown that exercise can counteract and prevent depression. As little as one hour of exercise each week, regardless of intensity, can keep mood disorders at bay.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be any particular kind of exercise, just focus on doing the kind of exercise that makes you happy. Any movement is better than nothing, so we should stop feeling guilty about not reaching a set target or not exercising at a certain intensity.What's really important is to find the fitness routine that suits us best, so we can follow it more easily.

Any kind of activity alleviates symptoms of depression, such as low moods, fatigue, and a lack of concentration.

While we're considering what new sports or activities we could take up in the New Year to boost our happiness levels, try something off the trodden path- rock climbing, dancing belly dancing etc.

Yoga has been suggested to improve resilience and boost happiness. Various recent studies have suggested that yoga is effective in tackling depression and that it helps to lower anxiety and stress levels. These effects, the researchers found, can last for up to 4 months after participation in a yoga program.

3. Eat well

What you eat does influence your mood. Research earlier this year argued that eating a fruit and veggie happy diet may improve mental health within 2 weeks. The study authors found that adding more servings of fruits and vegetables to our usual intake could make us feel more motivated and boost our energy levels.

Multiple studies have investigated the link between diet and mental health concluded that a Mediterranean-style diet consisting mainly of fruit, vegetables, fish, and whole grains could prevent depression.

However, another study argues that what we should eat to make us happy will largely depend on how old we are.

Thus, young adults (aged 18 to 29) will benefit from eating more white and red meat, while adults aged 30 and over should eat more fruit and veg if they're looking for a mood boost.

Also, there's no need to cut down on hot chocolate after the holiday season; researchers confirmed that cocoa can work miracles for your psychological well-being, mood, and potentially even cognitive abilities, too.

4. Try being kind to others and to yourself

Underlying each activity of your life you should treat yourself with kindness — and then extend that generosity to others. The sense of well-being attained when we can touch other lives is unimaginable.

One of our goals in the New Year should definitely be practicing more self-love and self-care.

At the same time, the care that we show to others, as well as our degree of gratefulness toward our peers, can influence our levels of happiness.

Generosity is strongly associated with happiness, and we feel more joy when we give. Volunteer work brings psychological benefits.

Remember to just be thankful. Gratitude for what we have, and for the people in our lives, is another important factor when it comes to mental well-being, leading to more optimism and improved relationships.

5. Get outdoors

More and more findings suggest that spend time outdoors in the lap of nature, you will feel happier.

Green spaces make us happy, and, conversely, when we don't have access to nature, we tend to become depressed.

So get outdoors, pause, take a minute to observe small details in nature and register the emotional impact caused by these, you will probably feel happier and more connected to those around you. Stress and anxiety levels have also been known to diminish in natural surroundings.

A leisurely walk on its own has been found to have a positive effect on mood an increase in creativity, and an overarching sense of well-being.

Strive ahead this year one baby step at a time!