Happiness quickly sounds grand. You may think that you have to have a crystal clear life purpose for that or that you will only be happy when you have made that once in a lifetime world trip or finally obtained the highest of the highest diploma. But no, happiness is often in much smaller things. Even if you do not feel great, you can experience happiness for a single moment. Of course, not everything is possible. But you can make yourself happy in simple ways. Even if it is only for a short while. Try it with these 33 ideas.
Making yourself happy – only you can do it!
Happiness starts with yourself. It’s one of those vague quotes you might have heard from your grandmother or great-aunt. Or that your Rivièra Maison-loving aunt has hanging above the mantelpiece in the form of a wall sticker. Yet there is a grain of truth in it.
You can always ask for shoulders to lean on during a crying fit and pushes in the back. But in the end, there is only one person who can really work for your happiness: you. You are the only one who can put your happiness before pleasing tendencies and also the only one who can make choices that are best for you. And of course, we don’t feel happy peppy and gosh-I-would-like-to-hop-so-happy every day. That is logical and not bad. But know that small changes can sometimes make a big difference.
Happiness is in the little things
Another statement that you have probably spotted on a pink greeting card or on a wall tile. But again: it is true. We all know little things to make ourselves happy. You probably know that those two pieces of chocolate make your happiness hormones flow through your entire body, or that a walk takes you out of that nowhere-vibe. Yet we don’t always do something with that knowledge.
When you feel less good, do you consciously look for things that make you happy? When you run yourself ragged again, do you stop yourself from running around like a headless chicken? At the time, that can be quite difficult. I find that too. That is why I hope to inspire you with this list. Pick three things that make you happy, and do them today or tomorrow. Why? Because making yourself happy should be your priority.
33 Ways to Make Yourself Happy
These are 33 things I do to make myself happy. Not all at once, and not all very faithfully. So therefore: pick, like me, what helps you. I can give you ideas, but only you know how to make yourself truly happy.
Express your gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal is one thing. But do you express your gratitude to people? Do you let your partner know how much you care about them in between your daily routines? Let a friend know what they mean to you. That makes someone else happy, and makes you happier too.
Do something that gives you an energy boost. You can probably think of something that works as fast as your phone’s turbo charger. What gives you energy right away? A walk, crafting, watching a movie, baking a cake, calling a friend? Plan at least one energy booster every day. Two is even better.
Get up half an hour earlier. That gives you just enough time for a Miracle Morning . Wait, don’t get itchy right away. You don’t have to spend a Miracle Morning doing yoga and reading self-help books. You can also use the time to do what you normally do at a slower pace. Makes a person happy! Less stressed too.
Break your usual routine. Take a different route to work, make a completely different breakfast than your peanut butter sandwiches, work in a different environment for once, shower in the evening instead of the morning (so you have more time), use that one mask that has been in your closet for too long or watch a movie you don’t know.
Treat yourself to perfume. That one delicious scent that is completely you. If there is one thing that makes me happy, it is a new scent. Every now and then I spend half an hour sniffing around in a perfumery to take something new home with me. A treat that you will enjoy for a long time, namely every time you regret it! Do you want to know what the best women’s perfume is at the moment? You can find an overview of it on Paarshuis.nl with delicious perfume tips.
Go back in time to a positive memory. Close your eyes and dig deep into your thoughts. What did that moment look like? What did you feel? What did you see around you? What did it smell like? What were the sounds around you? If possible, take photos or videos to make it even more vivid.
Have a deep conversation. It doesn’t have to be dramatic and move you to tears! You can also talk about beautiful things on a deeper level. Deep conversations can make you happy or make bad feelings easier. A good conversation also strengthens your friendship or relationship. Ask ‘How are you really doing?’, express how proud you are of someone, share something about yourself that you would otherwise keep to yourself. The most beautiful conversations can arise from this.
Move. Drag yourself outside on that one couch-lounging Sunday. You don’t have to be in the gym every day. A good old-fashioned walk around the block or a short bike ride to the other side of town also gives energy. A mini YouTube workout too, by the way. Especially on those days when it feels like pulling yourself out of the couch is too much effort, exercise can do a lot of good.
Have a news detox. A day, a week or forever if you feel the need. Most of the time, the news brings a lot of misery: floods, wars, inflation, murders, natural disasters… Sure, burying your head in the sand is the other extreme. But there is nothing wrong with watching less news . Limit it to once a day or once every two days. Then you decide when you take it in instead of receiving sad news all day long. Jelle from So Chicken also wrote a nice article about how less news makes your life more fun.
Unleash the child in you . Do something you loved to do as a child. Jump on a swing, bake a plate full of cookies, cuddle a strange cat on the street for fifteen minutes or take a treat from the supermarket that you climbed onto the counter for as a child, risking punishment. These childish things are also a great way to make yourself happy as an adult.
Cross one thing off your calendar. Your calendar is just a collection of things that you think need to be done today. Does it really have to be done? Often not. Cross out one task today. Postpone the vacuuming until tomorrow, leave the shopping to your partner or decide that you can answer that one email tomorrow morning. You can use that extra time to focus on more important things. Rest, for example.
Lock up your limiting thoughts. Literally. Write down the thoughts that are holding you back the most on a piece of paper. Put it in an envelope and seal it shut (duct tape is allowed!). Then hide the envelope in the back of your worst closet. See you never again! Every time that nasty thought pops up, you can think back to this goodbye ritual. “Oh yeah, I had that thought parked in the back of the closet.”
Let clutter make way for atmosphere. Remove that pile of paper from your desk, take those three too-tight coats to the thrift store and remove the clutter from the coffee table. Instead, put something cheerful down that will now get even more attention: a nice vase, candles or flowers, for example.
Laugh at something that doesn’t go as planned. See the funny side when your blender explodes (true story!) and laugh when you accidentally open a box of confetti a little too roughly, making vacuuming your next chore for the evening (another true story!). Every day, things don’t go as planned. You can either be really bothered by it or laugh under your breath or even out loud. Choose the latter; it will make you happier.
When in doubt: do it. How often do you think “Oh I really feel like…” and then wave that thought away? Can’t. Can’t. No time for it. Not realistic. But is that really the case? Don’t immediately make that bridge to doubts and believe that you can simply carry out your spontaneous plans. Really, when in doubt: do it. You only know how realistic (or not) it is when you go for it.
Wear what makes you feel beautiful. And if you feel anything but beautiful today, then definitely go the extra mile by putting on your most festive party outfit. If necessary, get the glitter out of the closet. Sometimes you have to do something that goes against your feelings just to get rid of that bad day feeling .
17. Don’t make ‘being happy’ too big. You can’t expect to be happy and peppy every moment of the day. So don’t strive to always be happy in life. Focus on the now. What can you do today to feel happy now? You’ll see how that is tomorrow.
Put up an imaginary wall. Do you have the idea that energy drainers are blocking your happiness? Then know that you decide what you do with that energy drain. Do you let the other person drain your battery or do you prevent that from happening? It can help to leave the conversation. And is that not an option, for example because that energy drainer is your boss? Then imagine that there is a wall between you and that person. You hear what the other person says, but you don’t have to let it get too close and let it fully affect you. Leave with the other what is theirs.
Find someone who makes you happy. And pay genuine attention to that person. Approach your partner during a housework round for a big hug. Plan a visit to a family member you haven’t seen in a long time. And more generally: surround yourself with people who let you be yourself and with whom you feel happy.
Throw away junk. It’s not just that one junk closet that needs an hour of your time and a garbage bag to throw away the contents. There’s also enough junk in your life that belongs in the dump rather than in your agenda. Make a list of things that do NOT make you happy. Choose two things that you’re going to do differently starting today. Delete them from your life, spend less time on them, or see how things can be done differently.
Make stupid musts more fun. I can’t do a dust round through the house without a podcast in my ears. And when I do a routine job on the computer? Then I like to put on a nice TV program. Make things that simply have to be done more fun. One tip: music makes everything better.
Do something you think you don’t dare to do. Feel the sweat of fear dripping under your armpits and do it anyway. Regularly schedule something that you wonder if it’s something for you and if you have the balls for it. Only then can you experience that you have more in you than you think and that things outside your safe haven can be really cool.
Get angry when you are angry. Floating frustration can really get in your way. The anger keeps flaring up. And if you experience something that resembles that one angry situation, you get even angrier. So express your anger. You can do this in a polite way, without tirades or flying plates across the room. Say it anyway. Only then can anger diminish.
Let yourself be surprised . Choose something completely different than what you would normally choose. Cook the first recipe you see on Allerhande, go to a movie you would never choose or buy a book without reading the entire blurb. Life is full of surprises and you can create them yourself.
Do a 5-minute dance . That works like a charm for me to feel happier. Dance wildly. As if no one is watching. And even if someone sees you, dance. It doesn’t matter how pretty or rhythmic (or not at all) it looks.
Get out of your head. I don’t know about your head, but mine is very good at creating doomsday scenarios. One thing that really helps you to make yourself happy is to clear your head . There are many ways to do this: meditate, exercise, read a book, do a puzzle or paint away. Once you learn that your brain has an off button, you will be able to stop the worrying more easily.
Read a happy book. A book that makes you smile. For one person, that might be a hilarious comic book, while another might reach for a good self-help book. Whatever the book, lose yourself in it completely.
Take a problem break. Give yourself a day off from your most intense brain teasers. Even if you are worried about a certain life topic, park those thoughts for one day. Decide that you are not going to worry about your job, your relationship or a difficult situation for one day. If necessary, ask someone to be your back-up in case something really happens. Problems are always there. They do not change whether you worry about them today or not. So give yourself that break.
Take a small step that makes you happy. Happiness is not always about ticking off big goals, but also about taking steps towards them. That one goal may seem far away, but you can take a first step towards it today. Think about what the first small step is achievable today and take it before midnight.
Write down your regrets. Are your regrets getting in the way of your happiness? Work on them. Dump them on paper and look with compassion at who you were when you made that mistake. You were just doing your best and probably thought you were doing the right thing. Realize that you can’t undo things and that it helps to forgive yourself for how you handled things back then.
Follow, unfollow, follow. Clean up your social media list. Unfollow accounts that make you feel insecure or that try to sell you unnecessary purchases every day. Mute accounts of people you don’t necessarily need to see in your feed every day. And follow new people who inspire you in a good way. I believe that social media is not bad and can actually make you happy. As long as you follow accounts that inspire you instead of making you feel bad.
Get a mascot. Buy something that can remind you of a beautiful message at any time of the day. A message that you choose completely yourself of course! For example, I have a butterfly necklace that reminds me that I am always free . Apart from getting a piece of jewelry, you can also put the text on a piece of paper in your bag or, for example, drag a stone or a lucky charm with you everywhere to remind you of those words.
Slow down. Take your clutch off fifth gear and do things a little slower. Walk at a slower pace, eat mindfully instead of gobbling up food, and leave early so you can relax on the journey to somewhere. Life is better when you’re not rushing through it.
Bonus tip: discover your own cocktail of happiness
And apart from those 33 things: sit down with a notebook. Make a cup of tea, turn off the TV and ask your housemate kindly but firmly to put it away for a moment. Take a moment for yourself and write down 5 things that make you happy. That is different for everyone. It helps if you know what is in your happiness cocktail. Then you can always administer it at the right time.
