Since you were a small child, you’ve probably heard that happiness comes from external sources. You should look for happiness in other people or in the achievements you have. So, as you grow up, you keep building on this idea. You start believing more and more that you need to improve your inner happiness. You never think that you can create your happiness.
People spend so much of their time searching for happiness from external sources. Often, they don’t even find it. That’s because this feeling is fleeting if you wildly chase it around. The only way to reach an actual state of fulfillment is to find your inner happiness. But no one teaches you how to do that. And it can be tough to embark on a self-love journey without guidance. If you want to be happy and find inner peace, here is how to do it.
What Is Inner Happiness And Why Does It Matter?
Happiness is the emotional state that emerges when you are filled with joy, satisfaction, or fulfillment. Everyone feels happiness differently. But for everyone, it stems from positive emotions. Happiness doesn’t have to stem from something happening in the present. You can also feel happy when you reflect on past experiences. People might even say they’re delighted when referring to how they generally think about life.
Because happiness is such a broad term, psychologists refer to it as “subjective well-being.” It’s much more important to focus on what makes an individual happy rather than setting strict guidelines around happiness. You don’t have to be confined by others’ definitions of happiness. Instead, try to understand your needs and what personally makes you happy.
Most people believe that the only way to be happy is if external factors make you satisfied. But that’s not the case. You don’t need to be passive and wait for life to make you happy. You can make yourself feel good. This can be done by finding your inner happiness.
Inner happiness is often defined as a state of psychological calmness and self-fulfillment. Internally happy people are the ones who can regulate how they feel, regardless of what’s going on around them. They can make themselves happy and don’t have to wait around for the world to give them a good day. When you find your inner happiness, you will achieve an emotional balance.
It’s essential to learn to rely on yourself in life. As you get older, you will go through many changes and face many hurdles. You won’t always have the best job, won’t always be surrounded by people, and your life won’t always be great. If you always lean on other people, you will never have any certainty or control in your life.
6 Ways to Find Inner Happiness
You will always be at the mercy of externalities. But inner happiness will allow you to be more autonomous. You will learn to count on just yourself without always having to lean on others. This means that, even in your darkest times, you will have yourself, and that will be enough. Inner happiness leads to self-love and self-fulfillment, and that’s necessary for a balanced life.
1. Meditate To Find Your Inner Happiness
The practice of meditation has been used by people for thousands of years. In the beginning, it was used to bring people closer to the forces of the Universe. Nowadays, psychologists recommend meditation as a way to achieve emotional well-being.
When you meditate, you reflect on how you feel and what your body is sensing. You clear your head and take your time to relax. Meditation is mainly focused on breathing in and out. As you fall into a breathing rhythm, you can start scanning your body to feel the sensations it sends you. This anchors you and keeps you present. It keeps your mind from wandering and helps your mind connect with your body.
If you’re unhappy, try to meditate. This can help you understand what makes you sad. It can also give you a new perspective on issues and allow you to find silver linings. As you clear the thoughts running through your head, you can start focusing on the things that make you happy. You remember that you are alive, have a roof over your head, and you always have yourself no matter what.
2. Embrace Who You Are
Often, people are unhappy because they think too little of themselves. They always fault every little mistake they make. And they are dependent on other people’s opinions. So, if someone else doesn’t praise or compliment them, they automatically assume there’s something wrong with them.
When you embark on a journey to find your inner peace, the first thing you need to do is embrace who you are. The only person who will always be by your side, from birth until death, is you. So, if you want to impress anyone, focus on impressing yourself. It doesn’t matter what other people think, as long as you know you are doing your best.
To embrace yourself, you need to understand that everyone has flaws, and perfection is unattainable. The fact that you have weaknesses is nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you know you’re working on bettering yourself. Accept you for who you are, even if there’s something you want to change about yourself. Give yourself the validation you need. Don’t wait for others to praise you. When you start embracing yourself, you can start being happy regardless of what others say.
3. Practice Gratitude To Increase Inner Happiness
Most people think that being a realist is the way to go in life. It might sound good in theory, but in practice, it just pushes you towards pessimism. In reality, it’s much better to try to have a positive outlook and be grateful. This mindset can take you a step closer to finding inner happiness.
To be grateful is to learn to affirm all the good life gives you. It means being aware of when something positive happens and valuing the good over the bad at all times. Grateful people continuously develop a positive outlook on life. But acknowledging the good is not enough. To be truly thankful, you need to express the appreciation you feel outwardly.
Some people are inherently more grateful, but gratitude can also be practiced. You can use gratitude journals to write down everything positive that happens. This way, you’ll always be aware of the positives, and you can never forget them. Gratitude impacts brain development in a way that harvests inner happiness.
4. Spend Time In Nature
As life gets busier, people tend to get stuck in the city more than before. This current lifestyle keeps people away from nature. And this might not seem like an issue, but it can significantly affect your happiness.
When you spend time in nature, you can enjoy the clean air and marvel at the views. This allows you to relax and reflect. All the research regarding the connection between nature and health shows that even a simple walk can heal you. Nature reduces stress, anger, and fear. It even improves physical health. All these factors make you feel better on the inside, which leads to a sense of happiness.
5. Take Responsibility For Your Actions
Often, people are unhappy because they are afraid to acknowledge how their actions affect them and others. They are scared to make mistakes. When they make them, they will deny everything. The error is still there, but now there’s no one to solve it.
To find inner happiness, you need to accept that you are responsible for your actions. Instead of being ashamed of making mistakes, take accountability and try to solve the issues you’ve created. This way, you can regain control over your life while being more at peace with yourself. This also helps you in practice. When you admit you were wrong, you are one step closer to solving that issue. You don’t have to live with the pressure of an unsolved mistake anymore.
The goal of accountability is not to gain forgiveness from others. Instead it’s meant to make you feel better by relieving you from a burden. It’s all about you feeling better about yourself.
6. Having A Purpose Builds Inner Happiness
Instead of running aimlessly through life, try to find a purpose, a goal to strive towards. Don’t leave your happiness at the mercy of external factors. Take control over it and give your life a sense of direction.
A purpose means for everyone. For some, it’s about a career. For others, it’s about family. To find yours, you need to reflect and understand what you value most in life. Don’t let other people tell you what you should appreciate. Trust your gut, and it will lead you to your true purpose.
Having a purpose is crucial because it gives your life meaning. It’s that reason you get out of bed even if days are hard. And that purpose remains stable even when your life goes crazy. Just remember, you can’t find your purpose in just a few days. It’s a complete process, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see it right away. The good part is that even the journey leads you towards inner happiness.
Final Thoughts On Six Ways To Find Inner Happiness And Why It Matters So Much
Everyone wants to be happy in life. But sometimes, that seems unattainable. Sometimes, life gets the best of you. Something terrible happens, and you are left without reasons to smile. That’s when inner happiness can help you.
Everyone needs to try and find their inner happiness at some point in their life. If you don’t, you will always be dependent on externalities to make you feel good. Inner happiness is crucial if you want to find balance and emotional stability in your life. It can help you get through the toughest of times, even if no one is there to help you.
To find your inner happiness, you need to reflect and meditate. Understand what your needs and priorities are. Be grateful for everything good that happens. Learn to accept yourself for who you are, even though you aren’t perfect (no one is anyway). And, if your mind is still fighting you, you can try spending some time in nature. That’s always guaranteed to make you feel a little better.
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