In the article “How to Be Happier,” the author identifies ten steps that are necessary for improvement of mood and satisfaction in life. They include understanding meaning of happiness, managing time, making connections between work and leisure, getting adequate sleep, exercising, developing close relationships, helping the needy, being grateful, and nurturing one’s spirituality. These steps are useful and effective because they aim to increase happiness through improvement of mood and satisfaction.
An important step is realization that financial success does not determine an individual’s level of happiness. Even though financial instability brings misery and suffering, it does not guarantee happiness. Time management is an important aspect in improvement of mood and satisfaction.
It increases happiness by creating a feeling of control over one’s life. Proper time management makes achievement of goals easy, as it facilitates dedication of adequate time to different goals and activities. Mental disposition applies as a predominant factor to human happiness. Therefore, it is important to act happy and maintain a positive outlook on life. Acting happy, staying positive and smiling, triggers production of hormones that improve mood.
Engaging in physical exercise is an excellent way of achieving satisfaction. It reduces stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, it gives individuals energy to complete tasks and achieve goals. Getting adequate sleep is another way of improving mood. Happy people are always active and busy, thus need adequate sleep for rejuvenation. Inadequate sleep leads to fatigue, reduced alertness, and stress that result in gloomy moods.
One of the most important aspects of increasing satisfaction in life is establishment of close relationships. Friends are needed during difficult times when life is depressing and unbearable. In addition, close relationships are important for socialization and development of a sense of belonging.
It is important to appreciate and value friends because they play an important role in achievement of happiness in life. It is imperative to have compassion and a caring heart in order to be happier. Helping the needy makes people feel good and satisfied. In addition, it gives them peace of mind.
Research has revealed that gratitude is an important condiment for happiness. It inculcates a positive outlook on life by concentrating on good things, as well as ignoring unfavorable situations and circumstances. It is important to be grateful for good health, family, friends, and freedom because it increases one’s well-being, mood, and satisfaction. Lastly, it is important to nurture one’s spirituality. Spiritual affiliations give people reasons to live, help others, and do good deeds.
These steps are important for improvement of happiness and satisfaction in life. I think that they should be followed by anyone who wishes to be happier. Depressed and stressed people usually harbor sadness and bad moods. This is because of emotional and psychological challenges that they face. However, following the ten steps could improve their situations. It is important to share these steps with clients because happiness is everyone’s desire.
Quality of life depends on how happy an individual is. In particular, I would share these steps with people undergoing difficult times in life. Improving mood and satisfaction is one of the ways used to deal with difficult times in life. Since everyone faces challenges in life, these steps could be useful to all people regardless of age, race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic class.