Last Updated on January 6, 2023
It’s a common misconception that people are happy all the time. It turns out most of us will feel unhappy at some point in our lives, and it’s okay!
In this article, we’re going to explore what makes people so unhappy and how they can stop or avoid this feeling. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Common habits of unhappy people
“I’ve been feeling really miserable lately and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“It’s not that anything, in particular, has happened, but the unhappiness just seems to have crept up on me out of nowhere.”
“My friends say I’m being too sensitive or need a vacation, but I can’t shake this feeling of dread no matter how many times I try. Is there something wrong with me?”
“Shouldn’t people be happy all the time? What if my unhappiness is contagious?”
Telling yourself all these negative doubts and voices inside your head is just one of the many common habits that miserable people tend to do.
Imagine hearing and listening to these ideas all the time, it truly is tiring and distressing and will surely affect your mental health.
Here are the common habits you should be well aware of so that you’ll know how to change them in the future:
- Isolating self from other people
- Not going out and exploring the world
- Tendency to substance abuse
- Not taking good care of health
- Being too perfectionist
- Assuming that negative things will happen in the future
- Not focusing and living in the present
How do I become happier?
Happiness is something that everyone wants to feel in their life. The world has become more and more competitive, with people feeling like they need to do more than ever before in order to be happy.
But there are many ways of becoming happier, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or time. In fact, here are simple things and tips you could do to live a happier life:
Related: Is It OK to Be Unhappy?
1. Recognizing the unhappiness you are experiencing
The first step in recognizing your misery is to identify the things that make you unhappy.
Once you’ve identified it, recognize what you’re feeling like “I’m feeling miserable”, “This is unhappiness,” etc. In doing so, it is said by research that it can help a person increase his or her psychological well-being.
But how?
By labeling your emotions and negative feelings such as anger, disappointment, and jealousy, it is said that it can help reduce stress by shifting your feelings from the “emotional” part to the “thinking” part of your brain.
The shifting of your feelings into the thinking part can give and create different perspectives you can use to deal with any negative thoughts and feelings you may have.
2. Be kind to yourself
Another way to achieve happiness is to offer yourself – and others – kindness and compassion.
It can be tough to go through life without people around you who understand what and how you feel. But for now, talking kindly to yourself could bring moments of great comfort that only you can give.
It’s not always easy having a self-talk voice that can give you the deep empathy and reassurance that you need, but it is possible with some time and effort on your part!
There are many benefits to being kind that could improve your life in significant ways. Being good can have a positive effect on you mentally as well as physically which means less stress for yourself!
So if you find yourself in the middle of an emotional struggle, stop for a second and think if being mean to yourself will bring you any joy or happiness in your life.
3. Allow happiness to enter your life
Life is too short to be miserable.
Allow happiness and positive things into your life, and you’ll soon see how it will change everything for the better!
Whether other people think there’s anything wrong with being happy or not doesn’t matter because who are they to judge? They’re certainly no more important than you so don’t let them bring down your mood by telling you that those feelings of joy should belong only on certain days or in certain places.
This is YOUR journey after all – one where whatever feeling comes naturally at any given time becomes just as normal as breathing air every day (and certainly more rewarding!)
4. Surround yourself with your loved ones
The idea of always locking yourself in your home is an understandable one, but you risk neglecting the benefits of human company. This can lead to feelings like loneliness and boredom which have been shown to cause unhappiness.
Moreover, isolating yourself is not only detrimental to your relationships, but could also negatively affect your physical, mental, and cognitive health.
That is why spending time with the people who make you happy can be a great way to beat those blues.
It’s important not to isolate yourself from others, so make an effort to be more social- call up an old friend, go out of town, and spend some time with your loved ones!
5. Go outside more often
Did you know that spending time in nature will make you happier?
Go outside more often and allow yourself to experience small pleasures – may it be taking a walk, grabbing a cup of coffee, chatting with your neighbors, or visiting the park.
Rather than stressing about everything that’s going wrong, remind yourself it is OK to have fun even though part of your life may be falling apart.
6. Try new and healthy activities
Do things that make you feel accomplished or proud of yourself; take on challenges that are difficult but not impossible for you to do well at them.
Finding time to do something you love and release stress is vital. For some people, this may mean picking up an old hobby or finding a new one that helps them feel more relaxed after the fact.
It’s important to enjoy your time, so try and search for creative ways to spend it. Whether you want something active or low-key doesn’t matter – just make sure that the activity is meaningful in some way!
7. Take care of yourself
Give yourself permission to take care of yourself!
If you really want to be happy, start with taking care of yourself – that means also your body!
The best way to keep healthy is by doing all the things that make you feel your best. That means eating a healthier and balanced diet, sleeping enough every night, and exercising as often as possible.
8. Seek help
There is nothing wrong with asking for help. It is neither a sign of weakness nor defeat on your part.
Stop trying to do it all yourself. You are the captain of your own life, so if circumstances get out of hand, talk to someone about how you feel – whether it’s a friend, family member, therapist, counselor, etc.
They will help you get back on track if anything gets off-kilter again!
9. Be thankful for even the small things
Being grateful during tough times is not an easy task. However miserable you might feel, showing gratitude even about small things can give you more joy than you can imagine.
What others do to keep track of the things they are grateful for is keeping a gratitude journal. You can simply start this habit by writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each day!
10. Stop comparing yourself to other people
Are you stuck in the idea that everyone else is better than you?
Just a word of advice – don’t.
Don’t compare yourself to others all the time because everyone has their own struggles and challenges in life. Instead, focus on what matters to you most and think of ways on how you can better improve yourself.
11. Practice mindfulness
Another habit that you may want to practice is mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps you focus on the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future. This practice will also keep you grounded and help clear your brain from all the negative things surrounding you through different meditation techniques such as increasing your awareness and breathing exercises.
Start turning your life around
It has been said that we make our own happiness. This is true, but it can be a bit more difficult than we might think at first glance!
Happiness does not exist as an end-game goal; rather, happiness exists on a continuum that we can all find our way towards if we are willing to make some changes today.
What have you tried or do on a regular basis to stay happy? What other steps could you take today?
Remember that you, alone, can create your path towards happiness in this world. You are free to choose your life and become the person you want to be by focusing on what matters to you most and learn to accept and let go of things that are beyond your control.
