There are a hundred ways to bliss once you get out of the rut of going through life, fulfilling obligations. Rachna Bisht-Rawat talks of a few.
"If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are."
— Charles Montesquieu
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If you are the kind of person who goes around with a smile on the lips, a spring in the step, a song in the heart and thinks life is an intriguing oyster that you can't wait to break into each morning; then, my friend, this article is not for you.
But if you happen to be the kind who wakes up each morning with an unknown sadness and crawls back into bed each night hoping you never had to get up again; stop right there.
Put away that razor blade, that bottle of sleeping pills. Here are some easy ways to be happy and one of them is sure to work for you. In case it doesn't, feel free to roll up this page and choke yourself by swallowing it whole.
Get a dog
One of the easiest ways to be happy is to get a dog. Other pets might help too but dogs bring with them wagging tails, sparkling eyes, unconditional love and acceptance; all of which are qualities that humans seldom have. World famous Mexican American dog handler Cesar Millan says dogs have the ability to change the human state of mind in a second. "You don't have to pay a psychologist if you have a dog". It doesn't matter how you look like or how you feel, when you come back home to a dog you always get a warm welcome.
Grow a plant
If you don't like animals, go and cultivate a garden. Plant a pot of pansies, grow a patch of vegetables, bring home a bamboo bush from the nursery. Can't do that either? Buy a string of jasmine from a child on the road; pick up a rose from the florist near your office, place a potted palm in your sitting room. Find time to plant, care for and smell the flowers. Not only is the exercise good for you, it is good therapy as well even if you are only growing a sprig of coriander in an old bread box. It brings you closer to nature and keeps you more in tune with yourself.
Avoid bitching
If criticising a colleague behind his back, calling the boss bad names at lunch time, relating horror stories about your mother-in-law is your idea of fun; stop doing it. It's probably harming you more than anything else. "The way you think of and treat others often tends to be how you think of and treat yourself too. By being more accepting towards others you not only stand to gain better relationships but it becomes easier to behave that way towards yourself too," says Swedish writer Henrik Edberg, who blogs about simplifying life. One quick tip to find more self-acceptance and an environment of happiness is to simply be more accepting of others. You'll find you become more compassionate about yourself too.
Get out of the rat race
Unless you enjoy running with rats (read you're highly ambitious), get out of the rat race. Don't spend your life competing with crazy, cut throat people willing to kick, shove, push and knife you in a race to get ahead. Life has only one eventual destination, and we all know what it is. It makes more sense to enjoy the journey, spend time with people you love doing the things you like, rather than work up a blood pressure and bad cholesterol hyperventilating at the work place for another promotion or transfer or raise. And it's always good to be reminded every once in a while that even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.
Switch on the radio
What was it that you loved doing when life was not so stressful and you were not as caught up in the tedious business of making a living? If music brought a song to your lips, sing, switch on the radio, get a music system, push a CD into the comp, get your favourite songs recorded on a pen drive. If painting made you chill, go and buy yourself a canvas, some paints and a set of brushes. If cooking made you smile, download a new recipe and wipe the dust off that wok. Find time for things you once loved to do and see how they usher in happiness.
Sit under a tree
Find the pleasures of that glorious word in the English dictionary called solitude. Sit under a tree and meditate, gaze at the stars from a quiet balcony, find a peaceful corner in your own house and shut your eyes. For at least a few minutes every day, do nothing. Step back from all your responsibilities and make time for yourself. Find some peace.
Switch off your mobile
If you walk around talking to your cell phone all the time, check social networks first thing in the morning and answer SMSs while you eat; give yourself a break. For an hour/a day/a weekend; switch off your mobile, unplug your laptop. Instead, focus on the real world and the real people around you. Your spouse, your children, your friends. Your email can wait, the world won't fall apart if you don't comment on your friend's picture on Facebook or you don't return a funny message on Whatsapp. Live in the here and now, as Osho would say. Get a life that's rooted in the real.
Don't believe Facebook illusions
Happiness is impersonal in a way that pain is not. This is why we mostly see deliriously happy people on Facebook uploading pictures of great parties, gorgeous partners, beautiful babies, adorable pets, achievements and accolades. No one puts up status messages about the ugly spat at home, depression, disgust with children's behaviour, and a thousand other issues that are a part of everyday life. In the process, people contribute to the illusion that their life is going great. According to a research out of Stanford, this convinces us that we are the only ones lonely, unhappy, saddled with a boor and a fat paunch while everyone else is leading a perfect life. Take what you read on Facebook with a pinch of salt. It's just half the story. And a photo shopped one at that.
There are a dozen other tips to staying happy and you can discover them for yourself once you get out of the rut of going through life fulfilling endless professional and personal obligations. Simple things like spending time with a friend, walking in the park, getting lost in a good book, learning something new, getting wet in the rain add to the quality of life. You don't need this writer to spell them out for you. Just sit down for a moment and find your own happiness. It really is a choice you have.
"If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are."
— Charles Montesquieu
If you are the kind of person who goes around with a smile on the lips, a spring in the step, a song in the heart and thinks life is an intriguing oyster that you can't wait to break into each morning; then, my friend, this article is not for you. But if you happen to be the kind who wakes up each morning with an unknown sadness and crawls back into bed each night hoping you never had to get up again; stop right there.
Put away that razor blade, that bottle of sleeping pills. Here are some easy ways to be happy and one of them is sure to work for you. In case it doesn't, feel free to roll up this page and choke yourself by swallowing it whole.
Get a dog
One of the easiest ways to be happy is to get a dog. Other pets might help too but dogs bring with them wagging tails, sparkling eyes, unconditional love and acceptance; all of which are qualities that humans seldom have. World famous Mexican American dog handler Cesar Millan says dogs have the ability to change the human state of mind in a second. "You don't have to pay a psychologist if you have a dog". It doesn't matter how you look like or how you feel, when you come back home to a dog you always get a warm welcome.
Grow a plant
If you don't like animals, go and cultivate a garden. Plant a pot of pansies, grow a patch of vegetables, bring home a bamboo bush from the nursery. Can't do that either? Buy a string of jasmine from a child on the road; pick up a rose from the florist near your office, place a potted palm in your sitting room. Find time to plant, care for and smell the flowers. Not only is the exercise good for you, it is good therapy as well even if you are only growing a sprig of coriander in an old bread box. It brings you closer to nature and keeps you more in tune with yourself.
Avoid bitching
If criticising a colleague behind his back, calling the boss bad names at lunch time, relating horror stories about your mother-in-law is your idea of fun; stop doing it. It's probably harming you more than anything else. "The way you think of and treat others often tends to be how you think of and treat yourself too. By being more accepting towards others you not only stand to gain better relationships but it becomes easier to behave that way towards yourself too," says Swedish writer Henrik Edberg, who blogs about simplifying life. One quick tip to find more self-acceptance and an environment of happiness is to simply be more accepting of others. You'll find you become more compassionate about yourself too.
Get out of the rat race
Unless you enjoy running with rats (read you're highly ambitious), get out of the rat race. Don't spend your life competing with crazy, cut throat people willing to kick, shove, push and knife you in a race to get ahead. Life has only one eventual destination, and we all know what it is. It makes more sense to enjoy the journey, spend time with people you love doing the things you like, rather than work up a blood pressure and bad cholesterol hyperventilating at the work place for another promotion or transfer or raise. And it's always good to be reminded every once in a while that even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.
Switch on the radio
What was it that you loved doing when life was not so stressful and you were not as caught up in the tedious business of making a living? If music brought a song to your lips, sing, switch on the radio, get a music system, push a CD into the comp, get your favourite songs recorded on a pen drive. If painting made you chill, go and buy yourself a canvas, some paints and a set of brushes. If cooking made you smile, download a new recipe and wipe the dust off that wok. Find time for things you once loved to do and see how they usher in happiness.
Sit under a tree
Find the pleasures of that glorious word in the English dictionary called solitude. Sit under a tree and meditate, gaze at the stars from a quiet balcony, find a peaceful corner in your own house and shut your eyes. For at least a few minutes every day, do nothing. Step back from all your responsibilities and make time for yourself. Find some peace.
Switch off your mobile
If you walk around talking to your cell phone all the time, check social networks first thing in the morning and answer SMSs while you eat; give yourself a break. For an hour/a day/a weekend; switch off your mobile, unplug your laptop. Instead, focus on the real world and the real people around you. Your spouse, your children, your friends. Your email can wait, the world won't fall apart if you don't comment on your friend's picture on Facebook or you don't return a funny message on Whatsapp. Live in the here and now, as Osho would say. Get a life that's rooted in the real.
Don't believe Facebook illusions
Happiness is impersonal in a way that pain is not. This is why we mostly see deliriously happy people on Facebook uploading pictures of great parties, gorgeous partners, beautiful babies, adorable pets, achievements and accolades. No one puts up status messages about the ugly spat at home, depression, disgust with children's behaviour, and a thousand other issues that are a part of everyday life. In the process, people contribute to the illusion that their life is going great. According to a research out of Stanford, this convinces us that we are the only ones lonely, unhappy, saddled with a boor and a fat paunch while everyone else is leading a perfect life. Take what you read on Facebook with a pinch of salt. It's just half the story. And a photo shopped one at that.
There are a dozen other tips to staying happy and you can discover them for yourself once you get out of the rut of going through life fulfilling endless professional and personal obligations. Simple things like spending time with a friend, walking in the park, getting lost in a good book, learning something new, getting wet in the rain add to the quality of life. You don't need this writer to spell them out for you. Just sit down for a moment and find your own happiness. It really is a choice you have.