10 Simple Habits to Enjoy Life More

Imagine if you had a button that you could press for more happiness. Just a simple button. Wouldn't that be nice? The thing is, we can actually add very simple habits into our life for more happiness. They may not be as simple as pressing a button, but they are still simple and very doable. And the greatest thing is, is once we intentionally add these simple habits into our life, they eventually become autopilot and part of our identity. I'm going to cover 10 of these simple habits today that will enhance your mental clarity, reduce stress, and cultivate a more positive outlook on life. Number one, a simple trick to reducing stress is looking for the horizon. So think about it. If you have been very stressed and you've been sitting, looking at your phone, looking at a TV screen all day, looking at a computer screen all day, inside the house all day, the moment you step outside, stop looking at those screens, look out to a horizon, look far, you know that you're going to feel a little better. There is actually science and proof behind why this works, which I'll speak about in a moment. But sometimes you don't even have to leave the house depending on where your house is located. But even just looking out the window and trying to find the furthest point that you can see and just focusing your eyes. So for me, I have some houses and some trees out the window, but I have this palm tree that's really far away and up quite high. And I can see it blowing in the wind now. So when I focus my eyes on that, it really helps to calm my nervous system. So basically what we want to do is take ourselves from having tunnel vision into panoramic vision. So we can look out and far, and we can also look wide and sideways. And what this does is when our body is in that fight or flight, that stress response, we go into this tunnel vision kind of mode, because we're trying to focus so much on whatever we are stressed about. So it's all about our eyes. Our eyes have two main functions. Focal vision, which is really sharp and detailed vision, and then panoramic vision, which encompasses a wider view. So when we're stressed, our eyes automatically go into that focal vision, which is like tunnel vision. So research suggests that when we switch our focal vision to panoramic vision, like looking out at the horizon or looking out at a beautiful view, it can then trigger that relaxation response. This wider view helps to relax the nervous system, reduce your stress response, and might even help with your focus as well. That's why it's so calming when you go see a beautiful view, or you're going to look for the sunset at the beach, even when you're overlooking a beautiful cityscape. So it can be really great to set up a desk near a window so that you can look out. But that's also why it's so important to come off screens, go outside. So next time you're stressed, think about your vision. Have you had a lot of focal vision? And can you somehow, in that moment, find some sort of panoramic vision? Even if it's just a little bit more than where you are at the moment. That might mean stepping outside. It might simply mean just looking outside of a window as well. Okay, the second simple habit to enjoy life more is to start and end your day the right way. So what is the right way? The right way for everyone is going to differ. But let's talk about what is the wrong thing to do when you wake up in the morning, and the wrong thing to do when you go to sleep at night. Can you take a guess? I'm pretty sure you know where I'm going with this one. And the wrong thing to do when you wake up in the morning, and the wrong thing to do before you go to sleep at night, is to be looking at our phones. This is a lot easier said than done, right? So you have to figure out how you're going to make this work in your life. It doesn't mean you can't be on your phone before bed, but maybe give yourself that half hour before you actually go to sleep, to do something that's a lot more healthy, a habit that's a lot more healthy. So be on your phone, do whatever you need to do, get back to the people you want to see, look at your Instagram reels, whatever. But maybe dedicate a half hour before you actually go to sleep to something that's a bit more healthy. So just make sure that phone isn't the very last thing that you do and see before you go to sleep at night. Other things can be reading a book, doing a meditation, doing some stretches, doing some visualizations on your dreams, anything like that. Something that's a little more healthy as opposed to a screen. When you wake up in the morning, what do you want to do first? Reach for your phone. I know, this is me too. And there are lots of different things that you can do to set in place, trying to not reach for your phone. One thing is just having it charging in a completely different room, and maybe having an alarm clock for if you need to wake up in the morning. If you don't want to do that, if you prefer to have your phone next to you, maybe setting up some blockages on certain apps that you usually reach for in the morning. So you can use an app called Opal, which will block out your Instagram, YouTube, things like that. So that when you wake up in the morning, you are not grabbing that straight away. The other thing you can do is just be really disciplined to not reach for your phone and get up out of bed and go do something else instead. You're going to know what's right for you. So bring some different ways that you can make this work for yourself, but your aim is to just not be looking at your phone when you first wake up in the morning and not be looking at your phone right before you go to bed at night. The third simple habit for a happier life, possibly my favorite one, and most important one that can make such a massive impact on your life is talking to yourself more kindly. The key to a happier life is not just what you do externally and what changes externally, but more importantly, what you do internally, what changes internally. So we all talk to ourselves in our head and the way that we talk to ourselves can determine what we think about ourselves. It can determine our beliefs and then it can determine our actions and how we follow through and how we behave in life. I would argue that internal work is the most important work we can do for a happier life. I talk a lot about this on my channel, so please explore more of my videos on this, but take some time to notice how you talk to yourself in your head. If you notice that you do tend to judge yourself quite a lot, or if you are just simply cruel to yourself in your head, notice it and make a commitment to yourself that you are going to change the way that you talk to yourself in your head. You might need some help and guidance on this and there is plenty of stuff on the internet about changing your self-talk, so definitely look into that because it is one of those things that will change your life completely and definitely help you to lead a happier life. Not sure what number we're up to now, maybe number four or five, but the next thing we want to do for a happier life is to take mindful walks. So this is something that I've recently started and I'm absolutely loving it. I tell you what, people told me to do this for so many years and I never did it and I'm kind of like, damn, I wish I did this sooner, but basically mindful walks are ones that you go on a walk and you are not listening to music and you are not listening to a podcast or a YouTube video. So you don't have headphones on, you are mindfully walking and there are so many benefits to doing this. I am, so I am the type of person that just I'm moving about my house during the day and I love to have something playing, whether it's music or a podcast, I love to be listening and learning to something, learning about something. So when I go on a walk, of course I want to get my steps in and I also want to learn something or I also want to listen to some music. Every now and then go on a walk where you don't do any of that. Come back to me and tell me how you felt. Even if you just do it for five or 10 minutes of your daily walk, what that time does is it actually allows your brain its own time to think. It gives your brain a little bit of a freedom from all of that external noise and stimulation that we have nowadays where we can always be listening to something. It gives your brain a little break and your mind will wonder and that's a good thing. So, you know, when you're in the shower sometimes and you all of a sudden have this brilliant idea and like, oh my gosh, I got to write that down. Like, I got to get out of the shower and make a note of that. Or like, don't forget that until I get out of the shower. That's because, you know, you're in there and you're like, you're letting your mind just wonder. You're letting your mind imagine and dream and brainstorm in a way. And what you want to do on those mindful walks is let your mind wonder, but not wonder too far into you not being aware of your thoughts. So let your mind wonder, but notice your thoughts. Be aware of your thoughts. Notice when you start saying something bad to yourself and say, oh, let's not talk that way to ourselves. Let's go back. Let's think about this instead. And maybe you can use the walk to brainstorm something in particular that you're working on at the time. So if you've got a goal or something that's bothering you, think about it and brainstorm on it. But be aware of your thoughts and don't let yourself ruminate. So you're going over and over and over, say, a conversation or a bad thing that's happened. And when you're doing these mindful walks, pay attention to things like the smells that you smell, the things that you see, the people that you pass by. Say, hello, good morning. How are you? If that's like something that you like to do. I always love doing that. Puts me in such a good mood. And just pay attention to how you're feeling on that walk, how your body feels, how the ground feels under your feet. Get immersed in nature if you're walking in nature. If you're not having a walk where you're brainstorming something that's important to you or practicing your inner thoughts, make your intention for that walk just to be really present and get connected with nature and all the things around you. But yeah, go into that walk with whatever intention is important to you on that particular day. But just do it without any stimulation from music or podcasts. The next little habit for a happier life is to keep a joy list or even a list of things that you are proud of. So just something where you write down little things that make you happy that you can do when you are feeling like you're in a rut. Or if you have a little list of things that you are proud of, you can go back to that list and read it when you're just feeling like maybe you're not getting anywhere or you need to remind yourself of all the things you have accomplished and that you're proud of. Keeping these little lists can be really nice to refer to when you are feeling like you're in a little bit of a rut. The next little habit I love to do is to celebrate your tiny wins. Like tiny, tiny, tiny things, celebrate them. And what I mean by celebrate is you don't need to go out and have dinner and pop a bottle of champagne. Just celebrate in any kind of way possible. So that could literally be you saying, Congratulations, Emily. Woohoo. Yeah, you did it. Giving yourself a pat on the back and just verbally saying out loud, Well done. Congratulations. You accomplished that. You've worked really hard. I'm really happy for you. And if it's even something really simple, like if you've been having a really, really hard time and your house has just been a mess for weeks or months, you have not been enjoying getting up out of bed in the morning. If you just get yourself up and turn your day around and turn your mood around. I mean, that sounded little when I said it at the start, but that's actually a really big accomplishment. If you have been in that state to turn yourself and turn your mood around, if you do something like that, take a moment to tell yourself how amazingly brave and strong you are for getting yourself from that down, depressed state up and out into the real world again. Another little way that I like to celebrate myself is sometimes I'll buy myself a bunch of flowers and it's not like an $80 bunch of flowers. It's like a $12 bunch of flowers from the supermarket, but going out and buying myself the flowers, putting them in a vase, putting it on my table and just like feeling all excited and good. When I started this channel, I congratulated myself, went out and bought myself a bunch of flowers. So every time you celebrate a tiny win, your brain gets a little hit of dopamine. And when you get that hit of dopamine, that then boosts your mood, your motivation and your focus, which then makes it easier to keep going. So it's like it accelerates this positive feedback loop in your brain. So don't underestimate celebrating those little things. You know that feeling of when you tick something off on your to-do list that you've done and you're like, yeah, I feel good. Or like when you write something on your to-do list that you've already done just so you can tick it off. You want that feeling. Like that's the feeling you get when you celebrate. It can be as simple as ticking off something on the to-do list. Like I said, it doesn't have to be this huge, huge celebration. But celebrate those tiny things. Just congratulate yourself and watch how your mood, your motivation, your energy and your focus changes. And you feel more motivated and ready to tackle the next thing. Another little habit for a happier life is to get sunlight first thing in the morning. It can boost your mood, your energy and helps your body kick into that natural circadian rhythm. So according to studies, getting sunlight in the morning can also impact how you sleep at night. Even if it's like a grey day like it is here today, just getting out, getting that light into your eyes can really help you sleep better that night and just improve all your focus throughout the day. The next little habit for a happier life is to always be working on yourself. So I think if you're here on this channel, you are probably that type of person that likes to work on yourself. And something that I didn't realise up until maybe last year was that the personal growth and self-awareness journey is lifelong. And when I first heard that, I was like, oh, so I'm just going to be like learning about myself my entire life. Like, when's the end? Like, when do I know that I have finished this goal of learning about myself? But it's not. The more and more I learn about myself, I've realised is the more beautiful things keep getting. And I'm like, oh, I want to learn more. I want more. I just want to, I want to be more aware. I want to understand myself more. I want to set goals and accomplish them and progress in life and just feel that incredible feeling of understanding how it is that I work up here. Because the more I do it, the more beautiful life gets and the happier my life becomes. And when you are going on this like self-awareness, personal growth journey, and you start undigging things about your future, it can get a little painful throughout it. And that can push a lot of people away from doing this work. And I just want you to know that if you are afraid to do the work where you dig into your past and figure out why you are the way that you are and learn more about yourself, it's okay. You will hit a part where you're like, whoa, this is heavy. But it gets so incredibly beautiful after that part. Like, you have to keep going. You have to push through that part because it opens up so many doors in your mind and you just see the world in a completely different way once you do all that work. And I saw this reel yesterday. I'm going to try and get it up. Okay, here it is. Isn't it strange how paradoxical your world feels? Learning something new makes you feel dumb before it makes you feel wise. Working out makes you feel weak before it makes you strong. Facing your fears makes you feel terrified before it makes you brave. In order to heal, you have to suffer. In order to have peace, you need chaos. And that goes back to my point with when you are on this healing journey, you do have to suffer a little bit throughout it. And it's so good on the other side. So please don't stop doing the self-awareness work and the personal growth work and working on yourself because it will get better and it will lead you to living a much happier life, even if it is hard journey, even if it is a hard process. The next little habit I like to do for a happier life is to stretch daily. I think when we enter our thirties, I'm mid thirties now, and you just feel these like kind of creaks and cracks with your body a little bit more. And you get out of bed in the morning and often there's like an audible sound like, there's a soundtrack to all of your movements because our bodies are just a bit stiff and we do so much sitting down at desks, at tables, in cars, on public transport, and our bodies evolutionary weren't made for this. We have to keep our bodies moving. I think we all know this. And the easiest thing I think to add into your routine for movement is stretching because you can do it anywhere, anytime. You don't have to set up some routine. You don't have to get into your active wear. You can literally do it when you're lying down in bed. You can do it when you are boiling the kettle. You can do it when you're making dinner in the kitchen. You can do it when you're playing with your kids on the floor in the living room. You can do it while you're watching TV, watching a movie. Stretching can be incorporated into your life in little moments all the time. So it's super easy habit to add in. And it doesn't mean that you have to be vigorously exercising every day, but just stretching your joints out, keeping your joints moving and a little bit flexible, like not too flexible, just a little bit flexible will just help remove that stress and tension from your body that you've been holding in. Now this next habit is something that I've recently introduced into my life as I felt like I wasn't living my life for myself. And I spoke about it in this video, which is up on the screen now. And that habit is to ask yourself every day, what do I want? This question is not a selfish question. This question allows you to live your life intentionally, give your body what it needs at the time. Does it need to rest? Does it need food? Does it need water? Does it need entertainment? Does it need socializing? What do I need right now? Gets you to focus inwards and gets you to make sure that you are continuing to look after yourself as you continue to look after everyone else in the world. So if you want to know more about that, definitely watch this video, which is up on the screen now. And thank you for watching this one. There'll be some more healthy habit videos coming out. I am grateful for you watching today. I'd love to know what are you grateful for? Bye.