Techniques for Sustaining Happiness in Challenging Times

You wouldn't know joy without tough times. If your every experience was great, could anything truly be great? The challenging times we go through make us grateful for our wonderful experiences.

That can be tough to remember when you are in the middle of a difficult experience. Fortunately, there are things you can do to add joy to your life reliably. Here are four techniques for promoting happiness and other positive emotions.

Your home should be your refuge. It should be a place you can turn to every day to relax and de-stress. Create a safe space and fill it with memories of the happiest times of your life.

Treat yourself to comfortable furniture that fits you like a glove. Clear the clutter. Give your home a thorough cleaning. If you have possessions or other items that remind you of times when life wasn't great, get rid of them. Create an inviting space in your home to visit whenever you need to experience more happiness.

Embrace a regular exercise routine and get in shape. Eat right. Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep every night. Hydrate daily. Develop good grooming habits. Enjoy activities that make you feel good. Communicate regularly with the people you care about deeply.

Take time to practice self-care every day. It's an easy way to enjoy more happiness in challenging times.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey, and JK Rowling believe in the transformative power of positive self-talk. They have used it to reach the highest levels of their respective professions. They understand that of the thousands of thoughts we have daily, most are negative, and we can't control them.

So, it's necessary to battle those negative thoughts with positive statements. Consciously making statements in the present tense that affirm positive aspects of your life, even if they are not a reality yet, offsets those automatic thoughts that threaten your happiness. Practice positive self-talk daily, and you'll see more positivity.

Science tells us that we can trick ourselves into feeling happy. Smiling promotes joy and fulfilment, even when our smile isn't genuine. Laughter works the same way, so make sure you laugh and smile daily when transitioning through a difficult time.

When facing difficult times, apply these techniques to add a little more joy to your day.