Notes on: 10 Small Ways to Boost Your Happiness This Year, According to a Psychotherapist

'10 Small Ways to Boost Your Happiness This Year, According to a Psychotherapist' is an article by Jonathan Alpert and was originally published on thriveglobal.com.

A simple mindset shift can go a long way.

Some of us have a variety of goals that can include themes like health and wealth, but how many of us have a goal that is simply to be happy? Some people may feel happiness is out of reach and since it is not attainable it is not a worthy pursuit. Sometimes we have a nagging thought, perhaps an unrealized dream, or a problem that keeps surfacing in our minds, and these things make us feel unhappy and unfulfilled.

There are some simple changes we can implement that will allow us to think a bit differently and become aware that happiness can be attainable after all.

Habits from some of the happiest people:

1. Maintain a positive and optimistic outlook. You cannot avoid negative situations, but focus on any silver linings or learnings and ensure you meet negative thoughts with positive ones.

2. Focus on what you can control. When we worry about things outside of our control we are draining valuable energy that could be applied in more productive and positive ways, instead focus on taking action.

3. Surround yourself with happy people. Unhappy people can be energy drainers whereas happy people tend to be kind and generous and these qualities will influence your happiness as well.

4. Enjoy your work. Of course you need to pay the bills and perhaps support your family, but since work can take up so much of our time, balancing that with a job that you find meaningful and can look forward to will impact your overall happiness.

5. Focus less on money and more on time and how you spend it. People on their deathbeds or who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness rarely wish for more money, but more time to spend on the things that matter.

6. Be flexible. Change happens, so anticipating it and adjusting to it to help prevent disappointment.

7. Sleep healthy, eat healthy and exercise. Sleep is vital for restoration, eating healthy fuels our bodies and minds, and exercise helps release endorphins that ease depression and enhance your mood.

8. Let go of grudges. Grudges lead to anger and resentment and prevent happiness from breaking through.

9. Cultivate and nurture social relationships. People are a great source of happiness for us as we are naturally social creatures (see point 3 on what kinds of people).

10. Create meaningful experiences. When we think of times in the past when we were the happiest, we tend to think of memories as opposed to things, and focusing on creating delightful experiences will provide you with a lot of happy memories.