If you want to be happy, start saying no to these 10 things
Every day, we hear advice on how to live a better, more fulfilled life. However, what about the actions we ought to stop doing?
Turning down certain things can be as crucial to your happiness as accepting others.
Here are ten things you should begin to reject to live a truly happy life:
- Saying ‘Yes’ to everything
Being a “yes” person has its advantages.
Yes, you can accept an invitation to enter a world of different experiences where you get to know new people and try out exciting new activities.
But, you might agree to perform tasks or commit to commitments you’re uncomfortable with to spare yourself the embarrassment of ignoring someone’s request.
It’s simple to get caught up in the trap of wanting to help everyone around us to please them, but as we bend over backwards to meet their needs instead of our own, that helping hand not only drains you completely, but it’s a guaranteed way to destroy your happiness.
Thus, start practising saying no. Your future self will thank you!
- Comparison takes away our happiness
In a world where your nose is buried in your phone, it’s a tricky trap to avoid. You watch video after video of people with “perfect” lives, and you feel increasingly disappointed with your own.
Comparing yourself to other people all the time – whether it’s about appearance, a job path, money, or happiness – is a bad habit that leads to insecurity and discontent.
Everybody embarks on a different journey with different starting points and routes.
Celebrate your individuality and shun comparisons.
Focus on your growth, achievements, and the person you are becoming. You will do far more to nurture your growth when you feed it instead of criticising it for not fitting someone else’s meticulously manicured and filtered façade.
- Chasing perfection
Most of life’s fulfilment and enjoyment are thwarted by the pursuit of perfection.
Think about what would happen if everyone reached that degree of excellence.
Everyone would be the same when it came to glossing, grooming, and preening; everyone would tell the same jokes and grow bored quickly; everyone would be pursuing the same objectives.
Recognise and value “imperfections” or divergences and frequently find the greatest happiness and personal development in them.
Even though you detest it, how your nose wrinkles when you laugh makes many people smile. You may not realise this right now.
Your friends take pleasure in your oddities.
So, instead of aiming for an unreachable standard, learn to accept your imperfections and quirks and say no to perfection. Although it won’t be simple, your happiness depends on it.
- Holding onto resentments
Harbouring grudges and feeling sour after being wronged is normal.
But try your hardest to be forgiving in addition to forgetting.
Keeping grudges weighs heavily on your heart and keeps you from moving on.
You do not have to accept or forgive someone if they have harmed you.
But acknowledge that you are not endorsing the behaviour of those who have harmed you by letting go of these grudges.
Instead, on the contrary, you’re letting go of your resentment and bitterness to make room for much greater happiness and serenity.
- Neglecting self-care
It’s simple to overlook self-care in our busy, fast-paced lives.
But our therapist gave us the best metaphor for life, stress, and self-care:
Stress fills your cup if you can compare it to a coping mechanism. Job-related stress. Tension in your relationships. Lack of sleep.
Eventually, the cup will overflow, and you won’t be able to handle it.
But by including self-care practises like mindfulness, your favourite pastimes, family time, healthy eating, and so forth, you can keep the liquid in that cup filled and healthy.
Therefore, rather than neglecting self-care when things get busy, you should always schedule time for it.
- Overloading your calendar
Our fast-paced culture encourages you to put in more hours, sleep fewer hours, and engage in back-to-back meetings.
Sounds wholesome.
Packing too much into a single day can cause stress and burnout and deprive you of happiness.
Happiness has no place in that cup, which is always overflowing as you teeter between exhaustion and breakdown.
Even though it may seem strange, setting aside days for nothing but relaxation will help your body unwind, and your mind drift into happiness.
Allow yourself to decelerate, concentrate on the essential things in life, and schedule some quiet time.
- Disregarding your emotions
We also emphasise repression a lot about our emotional states.
We don’t have time to experience our emotions when we deny ourselves a moment of relaxation.
Your mind is too preoccupied to alert you to the fact that your anxiety is growing because you’re running from the gym to work, attending Zoom meetings, and getting laundry done.
Awareness of mental health issues is indeed growing, but there is still a long way to go.
Ignoring your emotions is one of the most essential things you must give up to find happiness. Feeling depressed, nervous, or angry is quite natural. These emotions are what make you human, not weak.
The above does not mean that you should start screaming at every stranger you see; instead, it means that you should be able to experience healthy levels of rage, grief, or joy and accept every concrete part of those feelings.
The more thoroughly you accept your feelings, the more vibrant happiness you will experience.
- Existing in the future or the past
Happiness, however, is often stolen by the preoccupation with the past or the future.
You cannot alter yesterday’s events or foresee what will happen next.
You do, however, have today.
You can appreciate the present moment by choosing not to dwell on the past or the future.
Thus, preserve the memories but store them for later use. Save your concerns about the future for when that time comes.
Neither of these holds true, so living in the moment is the greatest thing you can do for your happiness.
Be here now.
- Settling for less
You may experience fulfilment and dissatisfaction from settling in your relationships, job, or personal objectives.
Even though we’ve established that there is no such thing as a perfect job or partner, you can still recognise when something isn’t right for you.
When you refuse to settle, there are many more chances for happiness, fulfilment, and life satisfaction.
- ignoring your dreams
You should follow your calling, passions, and dreams to be happy.
It’s easy to become mired in the routine and forget what motivates you.Or to be so consumed by someone else’s fire that you fail to notice what ignites your soul.
Follow your feelings, but also be realistic.
You’ll be sorry you didn’t attempt much more than stretching yourself and seeing where life leads you.
Reduce your time spent on these ten items to be truly happy.
If something is bothering you, click www.hopetrustindia.com for an online appointment with a therapist.