The Secret to True Happiness (And How You Can Find It)

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be truly, deeply happy? If so, there are many things you can do to discover happiness and maintain it in your life. By taking the time to really look at how you think, feel, and interact with others, you’ll be better equipped to make changes that will help you find true happiness—and keep it! Here are 10 ways that can help you find true happiness and then stay there.

Gratitude can make you happier
Our days can often be filled with shoulds and have-to's, which leaves little time for reflection. Instead of asking ourselves, What should I do? or What should I have done?, we should ask what we are grateful for. Gratitude can make us happier by helping us focus on the positives in our lives and live more in the moment.

Laughter makes you happier
Laughter is the best medicine for a variety of ailments, including stress and depression. If you're having a hard time finding your happy place, try cracking a joke. And if that fails, find someone who makes you laugh and do something fun together.

Stress management makes you happier
Stress management can make you happier. When you are stressed, your body responds with an adrenaline rush that causes your heart rate and blood pressure to increase. In the short term, this makes you feel energized, but in the long run it can lead to chronic health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. Practicing self-care is a great way of reducing your stress levels and improving your overall happiness. Try these tips:

Having meaningful goals in life makes you happier
Studies have found that people with long-term goals are happier than those who don't have anything they're working towards. And even if you don't know what your long-term goal is, there are still plenty of ways you can find happiness in the meantime.

Looking on the bright side makes you happier
Research has shown that people who are able to look on the bright side and see what's right in front of them, rather than focusing on the negative, tend to be happier. Here are some ways you can find happiness and stay positive: 
- Keep a gratitude journal. Make sure you write down three things you're grateful for every day. Doing this will help your brain focus on all the good things in your life instead of dwelling on the bad.

Helping others helps you be happy too!
Research shows that the most effective way to combat feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression is by helping others. Helping others can be as easy as volunteering your time at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter in your area. Not only will you help people in need, but you'll feel great too!

Learning new things makes us happy too.
One of the best ways to experience happiness is by learning new things. When you learn something new, your brain releases a cocktail of chemicals that can help you feel good and keep you happy for hours.

Self-acceptance is key
Achieving happiness starts with accepting yourself for who you are. When you can do that, everything becomes easier. Self-acceptance is the key to success in every area of your life and happiness is just one more benefit.
Let's say you have a job interview coming up and you're feeling nervous and uncertain about whether or not you'll get the job.