Do you know how you can be happier?
How to increase happiness by doing nothing
How often have you got up in the morning and gone straight to your phone to check for e-mails or to check Facebook or other social media sites? According to “Mediakix” these are the statistics on how much time we spend each day on social media:
YouTube: 40 minutes
Facebook: 35 minutes
Snapchat: 25 minutes
Instagram: 15 minutes
Twitter: 1 minute
Across a lifetime, this amounts to the following breakdown across popular social media platforms and apps:
YouTube: 1 year, 10 months
Facebook: 1 year, 7 months
Snapchat: 1 year, 2 months
Instagram: 8 months
Twitter: 18 days
Cumulatively, this adds up for a total of 5 years and 4 months spent on social media across a lifetime
What can you do to be more relaxed?
When spending so much time on social media sites we are missing out on so much time we could spend just sitting chilling or meditating. Learning the art of meditation can provide an opportunity to relax and become de-stressed.
If you are of an optimistic nature life is probably manageable most of the time for you.
Being optimistic can help you to take positive action when you need to make decisions about health or life issues. However, if you are a “half empty glass” person it is more likely that you will be influenced by the negative side of life more often than the positive side.
The consequences of a poor lifestyle
If you are prone to feeling “stressed” you are more likely to not look after yourself very well. This can lead to poor diet, a lack of exercise and an increased likelihood of drinking and smoking.
Life doesn’t have to be a chore. We can all learn to live in a more relaxed manner avoiding living on a treadmill.
Take time out of your day to reflect on the positive things in life. Take the time to sit and become aware of your surroundings. Observe the wildlife outside and take note of the flowers and trees around you. Observing nature can be a great way to improve happiness while doing nothing of significance. Slow your breathing down when doing nothing.
When you do nothing you become aware of your feelings. Your ego disappears and you are able to notice how much more meaning life can have. Your levels of happiness are likely to improve. Just let your emotions be at one with nature. Let your body relax and feel the stresses and strains of everyday life ebb away. Look up at the sky and smile. You can’t be unhappy when smiling!
Let the noise in your life disappear and feel the benefits of relaxing. Fight the urge to go online or rush to the next chore that needs doing. Time will wait for you if you let it wait. Enjoy the peace that comes with doing nothing and be grateful for what you have in your life. When you learn to relax, take a positive view of life and learn to do nothing your well being is likely to improve and your life will become more worthwhile. Enjoy the peace and tranquility that life can provide, be at one with nature and make the most of the rest of your life.
This blog post was written by Charlotte Cheetham Lifeinsights coach
Charlotte's background is in nursing and occupational health.
She has helped many people to develop more clarity, confidence and freedom in their life using life coaching tools.
Charlotte trained to be a coach and NLP Master Practitioner so she could help as many people as possible, develop themselves and look forward to a brighter future.