Learn how to be happy again: 13 things that prevent you from being happy without even realizing it.
Aren’t you happy with the current state of your life? And you’re not sure why? Keep reading, this article is for you.
There are certain things we do that prevent us from being happy without even realizing it. You often blame external factors, but ultimately the only person who has control over your happiness is you.
Being happy is one of the main keys to success. It’s the one thing everything wants, and we spend our lives pursuing it.
It’s always tough to change our perspective on life. But if it’s going to make things better or perfect, then it’s worth it, right?
To get you started, here are 13 common barriers that prevent our happiness.
BARRIER #1: You’re constantly complaining about things.
Are you the kind of person who constantly complains about almost everything but takes no action to change it?
Most people complain about their job and how it makes them feel exhausted, but they never make any changes to it. Also, many girls complain about their body types while taking no action to become a better version of themselves.
Although complaining can somewhat release your stress it can be pretty annoying to constantly complain about the same thing every now and then.
Instead of complaining, try looking for something that is a better fit. Try any alternate method that will make a positive impact and improve your mood and situation.
BARRIER #2: You’re comparing yourself to others.
Since childhood, we grew up comparing ourselves to others. We compare our physical appearance, salaries, performances, professions, etc. However, it makes us nothing but worried. It’s just a waste of effort, time, and emotions.
Comparing constantly to others and seeing the happy lives they live is one of the major sources that make your life doomed. Especially with social media, this is getting worse day by day. You’ll never be happy if you view yourself in a negative way.
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Keep in mind that everyone is unique in their own way. Living someone else’s life will not do any good for you.
Don’t compare yourself with others. Instead, compare yourself with your past self. Analyze what you have gained, what goals you have achieved, and move forward.
BARRIER #3: You’re not grateful for the things you already have.
Often, we take so much for granted that we forget how lucky we are. Admit it, that most of the time you focus on what you haven’t got instead of all the things that you already have. Pause for a moment, and appreciate the blessings, happiness, love, and everything already in your life.
Gratitude journaling is something you can try for this. Recall 5 things each day that you’re grateful for.
In fact, happiness is not about getting what we want, it’s about loving what we already have.
BARRIER #4: You’re not taking care of yourself.
Do you take care of yourself properly? Always remember, that taking care of yourself, and your body is never selfish.
The commonly seen excuse among most girls is that they don’t have enough time or money which makes taking care of them impossible. This is NOT true! Although some self-care routines require super expensive cosmetics, there are many other alternative ways to take care of yourself that cost far less than that.
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BARRIER #5: You’re constantly making excuses.
Do you easily give up on things or yourself? In such moments, you simply lack the confidence to make something happen, and then you come up with excuses for why it can’t be done.
Your life will never be going to change for the better if you keep making excuses. Making excuses and then complaining will never make you successful and happy.
BARRIER #6: You’re doing things that you don’t like.
Why do you work? I’m sure most of you would say, ‘to earn money’. Now the question is, do you work because you love your job and it’s your passion, or do you work simply for the sake of earning money?
If you hate your job but continue doing it for the sake of earning money, then it can be a reason for burning out which can ultimately affect your mental peace and consequently prevent you from being happy. If you don’t like what you’re doing, then it’s just your duty. It’s just a/the source of your income.
On the other hand, if you do for a living something that your passion is, you hardly even notice the clock ticking. Your sole task would be achieving your dreams. It gives you an intrinsic motivation towards achieving your goal that you put your whole heart and soul in your work.
The truth is working takes a considerable amount of your life. Love what you do; do what you love!
BARRIER #7: You’re seeing negativity in every situation.
How can you ever be happy if you only have a pessimistic outlook on life?
If you see the negative in every possible situation, you hinder happiness and contentment in your life. If you’re negative or unhappy you do the exact opposite of what you need to be doing. It urges you to isolate and avoid people and activities you enjoy.
Try to stop yourself from expecting the worst in every possible scenario of your life.
BARRIER #8: You’re forgetting your purpose in life.
This is about you doing things based on other people’s happiness and not yours. Most of the time putting other people’s happiness before your own prevents you from enjoying your life. If you focus on ensuring your loved ones’ needs are being met, you forget to accomplish your own needs. Ultimately, you’ll be losing nothing but yourself.
For example, you select a career based on others’ opinions (most probably your family’s or partner’s) instead of what you want to do. So, when it comes to choosing the right profession for yourself, you have ignored your own inner voice.
Not living a life that is true to yourself is the top regret of the dying.
BARRIER #9: You’re not trying to work out your problems.
All talk but no action. Sounds familiar?
Most of us read all the self-care and motivational books in the world, listen to podcasts, attend various sessions, share quotes, and read articles like these, but hardly take any action.
Not a single thing will change in our life unless we start converting all that knowledge into practice. Reading, listening, or watching won’t be any help. You have to start doing it. You have to face your problem, so you’ll be able to stop them from getting out of your control.
BARRIER #10: You’re being afraid of something.
Don’t feel like accepting challenges? Yes, we all are humans, and we all have fears. For our own safety and survival, we need to be afraid of things that are meant to be harmful to us. But sadly, many of us have phobias of certain things that only prevent us from living a happier life.
So how to overcome your fears? As the starting point, you must analyze your worries and fears. Once you know the reason behind your fears, you can start working on overcoming them. So as the next step you can understand your stressful factors and find ways to deal with them.
The fewer causes of stress, the less worried we are.
Prove yourself that you’re stronger and more powerful than ever. Live your life to the fullest!
BARRIER #11: You’re not patient.
For everything in the world, there is a perfect time. Learn to trust in divine timing.
Have the courage to change the things you can. Learn to accept the things that cannot be changed. More importantly, learn the difference between what you can change and cannot.
Believe that you’re doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place. you’ll be unstoppable.
BARRIER #12: You’re having unrealistic expectations and being too hard on yourself.
Have you ever had hopes about people and situations around you? What happened to them? I bet most of them failed.
Are you one of those who have expectations forming in their heads while analyzing things around them? Can’t you distinguish your imagination and the harsh realities out there?
It’s true that hopes and expectations play a massive role in keeping our dreams alive, but the point here is that you have to have a good understanding of realistic and unrealistic expectations. If not it’s your imagination that will lead your life towards agony.
Because if you expect from your life the impossible you become disappointed and suffer from it when it fails.
Almost all of us have some kind of illusions about what will make us happy. More money, more fame, more power, more success, and the list goes on.
When you over-expect, you set yourself up for disappointment. Don’t ever let your imagination ruin your life. Don’t ever let them hurt your happiness.
BARRIER #13: You’re living in the past.
We go through different stages in life. Reminiscing about the painful past makes you regret while thinking about the happy past gives positive emotions while. So, we tend to reflect on happy memories only; the victories, the good relations, the happiest moments with friends, romances, etc.
Have you ever thought that living in the past and reminiscing about the happy moments you had can hurt you a lot? You often regret the happy things that came to an end. Literally, you mourn about the happiest moments you had when you’re living in the past.
Things become worse when your past is merrier than the present. You won’t focus on making your present happier. Instead, you just live in the past, regretting it.
Enjoy the present and keep on growing. Don’t let any thought interfere in your journey towards happiness.
Conclusion
Every single one of us should be happy. But there are plenty of things we do that prevent us from being happy, even without knowing.
In this article, I brought out some factors which are common for most people. I suggest you start working on overcoming the above factors if one or some of them ring a bell.
No one but you are in charge of your happiness. Once you identify the obstacles to a better life, you can avoid them and start living a happier life.
Your happiness comes from within. Never be afraid to make any changes for your own good.
If you want to be happy again, take charge of your life.
Do you call yourself a happy person? If yes, what is your secret to happiness? Or what are the things that prevent you from living a happier life?
Leave a comment below!
Thanks for reading!
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