HOW TO BE HAPPY IN LIFE: 8 PRACTICAL AND SIMPLE TIPS - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

Learning to be happy in life, with or without a partner and whether or not you have money, is one of the best decisions you can make in your life. Being happy with yourself, without depending on anyone is important, since external circumstances always change irremediably.

Many people consider the pursuit of happiness to be the ultimate goal in life, although very few know how to describe it. In general, we could say that happiness is a feeling of general satisfaction with our life, as well as the ability to enjoy everything we have -material and spiritual-.

Types of happiness

Following Seligman, an author who has extensively studied the concept of happiness, we can find 3 types:

Hedonistic happiness

It refers to everything that temporarily brings you happiness, such as a pleasant dinner, an afternoon at a spa, a day at the

beach, etc.

For some, this is the only type of happiness pursued, thinking that by achieving it, they will become happy. However, it is something ephemeral, whose consequences do not usually last over time.

If you want to have a more lasting happiness, you must combine this with the following types:

Happiness due to your abilities

You have surely experienced a feeling of pleasure and well-being when someone has congratulated you on your work. Being competent in a specific area, and putting this ability into practice, gives you a more stable and lasting degree of happiness than the previous one.

To make it clearer, some examples could be: having a good command of new technologies, knowing several languages, being good at sports, etc.

Happiness that comes from giving meaning to your life

This type is the most complex. It is about the well-being produced by valuing the sacrifices you make in your day to day, with the aim of improving that of others.

You can obtain this type of happiness by contributing your help in social works, being an attentive father / mother, defending the rights of animals, among others.

What does happiness depend on?

Some studies have estimated that happiness depends 50% on our genetics, that is, on the predisposition we have at birth to be people who view life with optimism or pessimism.

Does this mean that we can do practically nothing to change our happiness? Absolutely. In fact, another large percentage - 40% - depends on yourself, on everything you do to pursue your happiness.

We therefore have 10% left that these researchers attribute to events around us. Therefore, although many times you think that you are happy or sad about what has happened in your life, circumstances are not the only cause of how you feel.

Practical tips to be happy

1. Plan enjoyable activities in your free time

According to Seligman, there are numerous activities that bring you immediate happiness in your day-to-day life. Learn to value everything that makes you feel good, that brings you satisfaction, and do these activities more frequently.

Surely, if you stop to think about it, you can think of infinite examples of pleasant activities:

A bike ride to work (instead of enduring the obnoxious traffic jams), enjoy reading a good book, preparing your favorite food, doing sports (running, Pilates, spinning, swimming, etc.).

As you can see, there are numerous options that you have in your day to day to increase your personal satisfaction.

Take advantage of all the opportunities you have during your free time, since if you spend it sitting on the sofa in front of the television, your satisfaction and happiness will be much less.

2. Make your activities a habit

If doing activities is important, making them a habit is even more so. It is not enough that you do physical exercise sporadically. In fact, this will not contribute to increasing your sense of well-being.

However, doing some type of activity on a routine basis, such as going for a run, going to Pilates or practicing yoga, will bring you numerous physical and emotional benefits.

Commit yourself to what truly brings you well-being, focusing your attention on the activity you are doing at that moment, focusing on the here and now to fully enjoy it.

Therefore, it is not enough to go for a run, you have to pay attention to your surroundings, enjoy nature, feel how clean air enters your body, the pleasant sensation after the shower, etc.

3. Spend more time with friends and family

It has also been mentioned before that one of the factors that contributes the most to perceived happiness is having satisfactory social relationships. If you carry out any of the activities mentioned in the previous point together with friends or family, your satisfaction will be even greater.

Humans are social beings, so enjoying the company of others is a basic need. Spend a little more time enjoying the company of others, especially the most important people in your life.

For example, if you are a parent, you could propose to spend more time with your children in the park, read them a bedtime story (instead of watching TV).

If you are a student, spend time with your classmates after class, where you can talk about your concerns, interests, etc.

4. Accept what you cannot change

Throughout life, you will always encounter obstacles, difficulties and unforeseen events that can negatively affect you and that are beyond your control. The death of a loved one or your partner leaving you are examples of things that do not depend on you.

The only thing you can do about it is to carry out an adaptation process, so that you can move on and make your life as satisfying as possible, despite the circumstances that surround you.

Face your emotions and learn to manage them in a positive way, such as through writing, relying on the people around you, etc.

Although this cannot be achieved immediately, you have to learn to recover from adversity, accepting everything over which you have no control and focusing on what you can change.

5. Learn to know yourself

Having a greater self-knowledge of yourself, keeping in mind your abilities and defects, will help you to become a better version of yourself. To achieve this, take time to reflect on your concerns, your fears, your personal goals.

Write from time to time about the things you would like to change about yourself and point out those with which you feel satisfied. Don't feel weak by showing yourself as a sensitive person, but as a person with enough strength to accept yourself for who you are.

6. Spend money on people around you

Another interesting study that analyzes the relationship between money and happiness shows that sometimes money does bring happiness. This occurs when, instead of spending money on yourself –which is usually used on unnecessary objects-, you spend it on people around you.

Thus, when buying a gift for a friend, relative or your partner, you will achieve a state of well-being that will increase your perceived level of happiness.

Put this advice into practice by surprising one of the people closest to you, even if you don't have a specific reason -such as a birthday, anniversary, Christmas, etc.-, and even if it is a detail that is not very expensive.

See for yourself how good it feels to make such a generous gesture.

7. Sleep the hours necessary to feel good

There is no number of hours of sleep that is suitable for all people, although in general about 7-8 hours per night is recommended.

Try to keep your sleep rhythm regular, avoiding staying up late or sleeping excessively, since in both cases, you will be less rested the next day, so you will not be able to appreciate the little pleasures of day to day.

Some tips to be able to sleep better are: do not have dinner too late, do not eat heavy meals and do not have distractions in the room - television, electronic devices, etc.-.

8. Set goals in your life

This point is especially important if you want to be happier. Sure there are many purposes you have in mind but you never find the time to carry it out.

Don't wait for the next Monday or to start a new year. Start fighting for what you want to achieve today.

Having something to fight for will encourage you to get out of bed every day and you will be able to sleep peacefully at night, thinking that you have gotten a little closer to your dreams.

The big goals will take time to achieve but they are the ones that are really worth it and will contribute the most to your feeling of well-being and happiness.

Set clear goals for yourself, such as quitting smoking, learning to ski, starting English classes, etc. The important thing is that you set your own goals based on your personal interests.

If you propose to start a new activity to please a friend or your partner, the activity in question will not bring you anything, so you will end up abandoning it.

If it is a difficult goal, break it down into different steps, so you will have a better understanding of where you are and it will be easier to direct your behavior.

For example, if you want to improve your level of English, you should think about choosing a good academy, then attending classes to obtain a basic English certificate, then another intermediate and so on.

Setting an unrealistic goal will increase your frustration, you will feel overwhelmed and you will choose to abandon your goal.

And what other tips do you think are important to be happy?

Here is a video summary:

References

1. Contreras, F., & Esguerra, G. (2006). Positive psychology: a new perspective in psychology. Diversitas, 2 (2), 311-319.
2. Bolinches, A. (2011). Personal happiness: keys to an inner change.
3. García, M. (2002). From the concept of happiness to the approach to the variables involved in subjective well-being: a conceptual analysis.

   Digital Magazine, 8 (48), 652-660.

4. Gómez Baya, D. (2012). Review of Sonja Lyubomirsky's book, The Science of Happiness: A Proven Method for Well-Being.