11 Simple Daily Habits for Happiness

It’s true. Your daily habits determine the quality of your life and your happiness. Have you ever wondered about the habits of happy people, or why some people are happy in spite of life’s ups and downs? So let’s talk about the daily habits for happiness we all need to practice to be happy.

We all want to be happy.

And so we live our whole life seeking happiness or at least thinking about happiness.  But we often get baffled when we can’t find this happiness. We don’t, unfortunately, think about daily habits for happiness and whether or not we are practicing them. For that reason, happiness for the most part seems elusive to many of us.

But this ongoing search for happiness can lead to mental health problems because sometimes we end up feeling stuck and lost in life when we can’t seem to find the happiness we seek.

Due to this yearning for a happy life, we do many things in the pursuit of happiness. For instance, we may think of life’s milestones that will finally bring us fulfillment and happiness.

We think for example that when we marry that very eligible bachelor, yea, we will be happy then. Or when we have children, or when we get that amazing job then we will have a happy life.

And through it all, we forget the daily habits for happiness.

So we find often that we may get those things, and hit those milestones, but are still lost and unhappy.

What is the secret to happiness? 

It is simple really. Our daily habits are the key to happiness. Simple daily habits are the key that opens the doors to the life we dream of. It is our good daily habits that help us find joy, fulfillment, contentment, and even meaning in our lives.

Perhaps the title of the post is a bit misleading. Practicing daily habits for happiness is actually not such a simple undertaking.  If it were then there wouldn’t be so many people living unhappily when indeed they have all the things we think make life happy.

The secret to finding happiness is living authentically and creating habits that foster happiness, ditching those that leave you miserable, unfulfilled, and lost.  And so we must develop these happiness habits.

Simple daily habits for happiness

On any given day, something is bound to happen that will easily zap the happiness out of our lives. Chaos happens.

Life is full of things that are not all that joyful, for example, maybe you have a soul-sucking job, and sometimes people disappoint you. It rains when you want sunshine! Yup! So annoying, but then again we cannot control the weather.

Things sometimes just go wrong and make us stressed.

But when we practice daily happiness habits we are able to harness joy even when things are not perfect.

And that’s exactly what we all want. Happiness and joy in life.

That said here are 11 simple daily habits for a happy life.

Simple daily habits for a happy life

Avoid procrastination

Happy people avoid procrastination.

Yes,  I know Rome was not built in a day.

But the Romans must surely have put in work daily to get it done. Yes, you may not be a history buff but even you have surely heard of the Roman empire? It was amazing.

Though the Romans  I am sure made the slaves do a lot of their work while they lazed around watching the bloody fights, and lazing away in hot spas while eating way too much, then using the vomiterrean. Gross! But I digress.

Anyway… back to finding happiness and happiness habits.

Okay, I think that’s why the empire collapsed. But enough with the Romans.

This is about you and how you need to stop putting things off and then getting all stressed and feeling unhappy cos guess what, the bill was late and now you have to pay an extra 15 dollars. Just an example of the troubles of procrastination.

Are you procrastinating in any way?

Raise your hand up if there is something you are putting off doing right now.  You know yourself.

Procrastination is easy these days.

That is why I wrote all about how to overcome procrastination in this post. I am indeed determined to break this habit.  Read that post if you’re suffering from the woes of procrastination.

The trouble with procrastination is that there are just so many ways to do it. Endless sneaky ways. Some of them even disguise themselves so well as work.

Unfortunately, distractions in our lives are many

We can easily escape into social media for a while and avoid the chores and responsibilities for a while.

You can spend the whole day simply scrolling Facebook, bouncing between Instagram, Snapchat, Tick tock and Pinterest, and scrolling your tweeter feed, watching youtube channels. One can really spend all day doing this. It is easy to do.

But stuff is still waiting to be done, and soon the things you avoided catch up with you. And then it’s too late.

You are late and have to run around stressed at the last minute trying to accomplish whatever it was.

Sometimes you even miss a deadline and then face some unpleasant consequences.

Other times, we procrastinate to avoid doing something we don’t want to do. Why?

Because it is too big, too hard, or too scary or unpleasant. So we put it off.

When we waste time getting to our to-do list and putting it off, things go wrong and we end up in an unpleasant situation.

The end result is stress and unhappiness.

No one enjoys stress.  But if it can be avoided by getting things that must be done, done in a timely manner, then you feel at ease and much happier.

What’s wrong with putting things off?

Well, for one the problems we are avoiding may get bigger. If it is cleaning the house well, the house gets dirtier. And if it is something you have to do eventually, it is still there waiting to be done.

So get done and move on.

Have a plan of getting your life in order by sailing through your list of to-dos in a timely manner.

Invest in a planner. Make lists and follow them.

Tackle the big hairy things first so they are out of the way and you can breathe. You will feel so much better. Happier.

If procrastination is a big woe in your life, I really recommend you read this book: Eat That Frog! Action Workbook: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

No, it is not about eating any frogs.  But it will guide you in getting the most important things done first even when they are intimidating or hard or unpleasant.

Stop comparing yourself

You want a happier life and you may feel as if only you had your friend’s life. Oh, the woes the comparison game can cause us! Be careful feeling sorry for yourself because someone’s social media pictures of their latest adventures look so amazing.

Yes, their life looks great and so you start wondering why yours isn’t as good and feel bad about yourself.

And you get sucked into the vortex of unhappiness.  Keep in mind that people only post the very best of themselves, most of the time.

These pictures do not tell the whole truth.

And if you are a mom, don’t compare your newborn’s milestones with those of another. All babies develop at their own pace. Your darling little one will reach hers in due time.

In the same vein, if your children are older, don’t force them to seek a college degree in an area they don’t want so you can be proud because they will become doctors.

You know,  because that’s what your neighbor’s children are doing.

It’s a great career but they would be miserable.  Love them for who they are and let them be who they are, of course, some guidance is needed.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, let instead count our blessings.

There is always something to be grateful for.

Comparison will make you miserable because there is always someone who is better than you in some way.

Instead, develop simple habits of gratitude. It is one of the most powerful of the 11 simple habits for a happy life.

Declutter

Happy people know the importance of keeping orderly spaces. I have never seen a happy hoarder. Have you? Chaos, in the home and our living spaces, causes an unhappy mind.  Messes are simply stressful.

A cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind, and it causes stress. Stress means you have lots and lots of the stress hormone cortisol and the fight and flight hormones coursing through you.

And when this all is going on, you do not feel happy.

So have a plan. Do a bit of cleaning each day. Put things away right away so the clean-up is not overwhelming. If you need a thorough guide about how to go about tackling a heck of a mess, read this post.  Having some nice baskets to stow away things in a pleasant manner is very helpful. These beautiful baskets are versatile for putting things out of the way.

Looking at all the organizing ideas can be very inspiring. Look around Pinterest for inspiration.

If you have ever watched the TV Show Hoarders, you would notice that not one of those people is happy.

Living in an unpleasant cluttered environment is depressing.

Throw away things you no longer need. Have a plan to declutter. This post by Jenn of  SweetTmakesthree makes this process easy and seamless.

To improve your mental health, you have to clean and organize.

I feel a peace wash over me whenever I finish cleaning, and things are where they should be.

It just makes me feel calm.

An organized space is essential for mental health.

You will feel happier if your living spaces are clean and organized.

Make cleaning and organizing your new habit so you can find your joy again.

Take pictures if you want and inspire us.

Love your self

Make yourself a priority.  Practice self-love. Yes, you are worth it. Do the things you enjoy daily. Get in touch with who you really are.

Take little moments to find yourself and fill that cup of joy with something small that makes you happy.

You know how they say you cannot pour from an empty cup, right?

Yes, they are right too.

Take a nap when the kids take one occasionally. Schedule to see a movie with a friend and have hubby watch the kids.

Do things you love. Read a good book just for fun. okay, I love books. They are my escape.

Here are a few I love to expand your reading list.

Educated by Tara Westover is phenomenal

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips

Or, spoil yourself a bit with a long bubble bath. Infuse it with some sweet-smelling essential oils.

Go all the way and relax with a glass of wine while you soak your tired muscles in some Epsom salt bath.

A great way to detox your body too.

Nothing better at the end of a long day than a warm scented bubble bath. Bath bombs such as these are a great way to unwind.

I have had moments that I know I have reached the point where I cannot keep going and going, giving and giving more.

Because honestly at that point I am empty.

Nothing is left to give anymore, and I must refill the love chambers if I am going to be of any use to anyone.

This way I won’t snap at my hubby or the children.

And I can be the soothing source of solace and centeredness my family needs.

So when I feel I am tensing up, and I am reaching close to the edge I stop and evaluate how I am really feeling.

Then, I am like, “hold up!”. So I take some me time.

I have got to do something a bit selfish. We know it really is not selfish.

So I find something that makes me happy and I indulge.

You have to prioritize yourself some of the time, so you can then be the best

mommy, wife friend that you can be. This is simply self-care, it is not selfish really.

So one way to find and keep joy is through loving yourself through self-care.

Here is a great post all about self-care that you can check for more ideas. 

Plan Ahead

One great habit to develop to be happy is planning ahead.

We all have heard that if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Now that is harsh. But it is the truth.

Like the time you fail to write a list of what you need at the store, and when you get there and buy everything in sight and then get home and oops! You forgot the very one thing you really needed to get.

And we all know what happens.

You have to go back tomorrow and come back home with a load of more stuff you hadn’t planned on getting.

Yea, I have been there way too many times. So write that list and check it twice and take it to the store with you!

Plan weekly meals.

If you know just what you’re going to cook every day and plan for your leftovers as well, you, my friend will save money.

You will stress less when dinner time rolls around, and you will feel happier.

No stress when you hear “what’s for dinner mom?”

Nothing as stressful as starting to run around opening cupboards as you try to think about what to cook for dinner at 5 pm.

There are many decisions to make daily and it helps to have a plan for as many areas of life as possible.

Make it easy on yourself and plan for as much as you can. This is especially necessary for mommas, mompreneurs, and moms who have to juggle so much.

And which mom isn’t juggling something? All moms are jugglers.  But we need to find balance through planning our lives.

Practicing balance is an important daily habit for happiness we need to remember.

To stay motivated to plan here is another cute planner to help keep you organized, inspired, and your life streamlined.

Manage your money well

Oh, the woes money can bring us!

No one likes to be in money trouble. But that is one sure way to lose joy. But all those shiny things we want and need and desire can lead us into trouble with money really easily.

You could go out or online and buy yourself those amazing dazzling jazzy cute boots, but if you’re going to feel all stressed out about spending the money that either you needed to save or taking away from bills, or worse, you are using a credit card, then, giiirl, you got to stop right there and consider.

Consider it a lot. So it’s on sale and you are spending 100 dollars and getting a discount of  25 dollars.

Great sale but you are still spending a hundred dollars you didn’t need to.

The way you spend your money can make you giggly happy when you get your hands on that amazing new purse, but when the bills come you may feel very unhappy.

No one wants to get that dreaded call from the debt collector.

So spending wisely is a sure way to keep your life in order and find happiness.  Money can buy momentary happiness but overspending can surely buy a lot of unhappiness.

Unplugging occasionally

Technology is good but too much is toxic. We this. But lets not deny it. Most of us are addicted to our devices.

This has been said before. But it is important. You don’t want your kids to be

glued to their electronics all day.

However, are you not on your phone all day? It is not good for you either.

Scrolling Facebook or any other media just causes anxiety, and likely impacts your life negatively. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, being online too much will make it worse.

Research is showing that spending too much time on social media causes unhappiness.

So cut back.

Put the phone down. Give yourself a limit and dedicate time to check mail and to check your Facebook and then go do something useful or fun that is not electronically based.

Take time for other activities. Go out and enjoy nature.

If your space allows, take up gardening.

Smelling the soil is beneficial for mental health.

Even just walking bare feet on the soil in a process called earthing helps with mental equilibrium.

And of course, seeing those roses you planted and tended bloom will fill you up with joy and pride vastly improving your sense of self-worth and happiness.

Or you could read. I know I said it again. But the teacher in me can’t let go. I guess once a teacher always a teacher.

People are not reading books much and this makes me sad.

I worry about our children who are growing up with too much social media and losing the art of reading and even penmanship.

It is a fact that people who read are well, simply smarter. They know more and are more informed even culturally for they experience other cultures through books.

They know more words, have a better vocabulary, and are better writers as well.

Reading is so cathartic too.

While you follow the adventures or struggles of the protagonist, you forget your struggles for a while.

Books are entertaining too and a really great way to relax.

So to increase your happiness quotient, read more, and spend some time alone with a good book. Read to the kids and show the way. This is a great way to fill your cup of joy.

Sleep enough

One of the best happiness hack is sleeping enough every night.

Sleep is essential for mental health.  And developing good sleep habits will help in all areas of your life. Good sleep habit is an essential daily habit for happiness above and beyond anything else perhaps.

Think about how you feel when you haven’t slept enough. Grumpy, yes.

Slow. Yup. That exhausted feeling and heaviness stops you from being your best self.

It stops you from reaching your goals, and getting through your to-do list.

You are tired and you feel awful. I have never seen a happy sleep-deprived person.

Sleep impacts all areas of our lives.

That’s why it is essential. When one is sleep-deprived, one is depressed and

long-term sleep deprivation can cause a lot of bodily harm and cause illness.

You are probably not fun to be around when you are sleep-deprived, and that affects your relationships.

When you are not well rested your decision-making ability is usually faulty at best.

Well, you’re likely to reach out for that donut because your decision-making faculties are down.

It is also proven that when one is sleep-deprived, one eats more because

sleep deprivation causes an imbalance in the appetite and satiety hormones.

So guess what happens?  You gain weight, and you become unhappy with your body and yourself. These are just examples of the troubles sleep deprivation can cause.

Read more about the benefits of sleep and the ills that ensue when we don’t sleep enough in this post.

Feed your mind and body

A well-nourished mind is a happy mind.  We need to eat for happiness. No, we shouldn’t be beige eating those addictive fast foods even though they make us happy at the moment.

I recommend having a meal plan. This ensures that you are less likely to reach for the wrong things that although are a delight to eat will no doubt cause you more harm than good.

We need to eat for mental health. Research shows certain foods are amazing at calming your mind. Here are the 14 best foods for anxiety you should eat often to keep your minds

There is a lot of research that is confirming that the food you eat, and the lack of some nutrients such as vitamin B 12, folic acids, and many B vitamins can lead to mental illness, especially depression and anxiety.

Read  this about depression and nutrition

Also, some illnesses such as dementia may happen sooner or become more prevalent due to lifestyle choices such as consuming too much sugar. let’s all watch that sugar that finds itself in literary everything these days.

Read those labels and cook at home as much as possible.

You would be surprised to find out how much sugar is hiding in the ordinary things we take for granted.

Planning what you will eat in advance will keep you on track for your health and weight loss goals.

By eating right you will improve your whole healthy body and mind.

Good nutrition supports your brain health, a crucial element in staying healthy and happy.

Include vibrant colored foods and even consider a multivitamin as sometimes in spite of our best effort, we still can’t get all the nutrients we need.

Related post: Must have Vitamins supplements and vitamins for good health

Consider brain foods such as berries, oily fish such as wild salmon,

avocados, nuts, and green vegetables. Eat whole foods.

Stay away from processed foods.

Related post: 20 powerful superfoods for brain health.

Move everyday

Movement is a crucial part of a happy life.  Exercising relieves stress and and sends happy neurotransmitters throughout your brain.

Our bodies were not made to stay stationary planted in our cushy seats.

Exercise is one really easy way to feel happy.

It may be hard at first as all new habits require some effort. But once you get into the groove, you will never want to stop.

Just a nice brisk walk will fill you with exhilaration as those endorphins kick in.

The feeling one gets after a good run suffuses one with exhilaration better than some drugs. So yea, Xanax has nothing on exercise. No side effects.

And though exercise can be addictive, but it’s a healthy addiction.

They need to find another word for it as addiction has a negative connotation.

The good thind is that once you make this a habit and the weight starts coming off and you see that new figure, you are going to be even happier.

So start today with this new habit of moving.

Put those headphones on, pump some good tunes on your phone and head out, walk, or run.

Too cold outside you say. Well, good thing we are in the 21st century. Ask Alexa. Say, Alexa, Play …whatever songs make you want to dance. Now if you don’t have Alexa,  well you sure have youtube or your good old music player.

Girl dance like no one is watching. Momma, have a dancing sesh with your toddler. This is a great way to find a happy place.

Detox negativity

Negativity is such a toxic habit and one that is had to get rid of but it can be done when you are conscious of it. So take notice of your reponses to daily life situations.

Embracing a positive attitude will bring so much more joy to your life. It really should be the number one habit for happiness. A good attitude shines a positive light on life.  Ditch negativity and embrace positivity and you will be so much happier.

Note:  This is a two-part deal.

First, it is crucial that you detox negative thinking. If we said half the things we say to ourselves about ourselves to friends, we really wouldn’t have any friends. So Be your own best friend. Love yourself.

Look yourself in the face and Say… Lady, you are awesome! You are gorgeous! Those curves are amazing. A bit of a pooch?

You are still perfect and you are amazing, it’s indeed a wonder that you

housed a human in that body for nine months and then proceeded to put

them first throughout their life. You are magical.  Take pride in that.

Catalog all the great things you love about yourself. Think about the things you do well. Yes!

You do some things great, better than anyone else and yes, you are beautiful.

And if you are a mom, you are doing a great job. Stop questioning your mothering and having doubts.

Related post: 

15 Signs you are a good mother 

You feed those babies, bathe them, take them to school, read bedtime stories, and do homework with them.

Who said motherhood is easy? So what if you mess up a little sometimes? We all do or did.

There is no guide to motherhood, and your momma perhaps messed up, and you turned out great. Yes, you did.

Sometimes we are our very own worst enemy.

We are our own harshest critics. Stop being so hard on yourself. You are doing great. You are a great mom.

So what if the house is not perfect?

And yes even if you don’t cook from scratch daily, they will still turn out okay. Just take a moment and appreciate yourself.

You’re doing great.

Is anyone in your life stressing you? If you can ditch them do it. I know this is hard for some maybe your family members and ditching them can be hard.

But friends, if they are not bringing you joy, give yourself some distance.

Now I am not advocating for divorce and I know these partner relationships can be delicate and complicated.

Assess the situation carefully, and if you feel you have given it your all, and you see no change will ever come, stop marking time in unhappiness, and move on. Life is too short for joyless relationships.

Cut loose people who are causing stress and paint your world grey.

I am sure there are people who appreciate you. Spend time with those.

And let’s go out there and conquer chaos and streamline our lives, through self-care, cultivating new enriching habits, evaluating the things that are no longer bringing us joy, and doing more of what makes us happy. Practice new healthy life habits for wholesome and happy life.

So there you go!

Those are the simple daily habits for happiness we all ought to cultivate to enjoy our lives more.

Now, over to you.

Tell me, what habits do you think are best to live a happy life?

Also, if you enjoyed this post please share it with your friends. Thank you! Come join me on Facebook. Find me on Twitter and follow me on Pinterest. and on Instagram.

Go on now and start the habits that will elevate your joy.  You can truly live a happy life.