10 Ways to Permanently Increase Your Happiness

Here are 10 ways to permanently increase your happiness in the long run. Compared to the 10 quick ways to improve your happiness that I wrote about before, those are changes that require you to work on them over a more extended period.

Let me get started now for you.

Reduce daily commuting time

That’s almost like a no-brainer. Commuting for several hours a day can be stressful. Taking into account that you have an 8-hour work day and a commuting time of at least one hour back and forth quickly adds up to 10 hours when you are away from home.

A few things can stress you more: the noise level, the increased concentration you would need to drive safely, and the additional time you spend away from home. Ask yourself whether you want to live like that and think about what you can do about it.

When you are not in the situation to change it, you might consider treating yourself with one of the best wireless headphones that I have tested over many years. I use one of those every time I am on a commute, may it be by train, subway, or airplane.

When driving, I obviously can’t use any of those. I then tend to listen to either one of my favorite podcasts or some music. I don’t listen to the news because it has no impact on my life. Why should I listen to something that is always disturbing or bad?

If you are in the lucky situation of being able to work from home potentially, now is the time to ask for it. Every wise department lead or CEO will understand that you could be more productive for the company when you work from home.

I am in the lucky situation where I can work as a managing director working from home and leading our office from there. I also firmly believe that if an employer trusts you as an employee, there is no reason for them to deny you the wish.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep can be a tough one. I am still working on this, even if I have made significant improvements over the past year. I tended to sleep only between 5 – 6 hours during the night for too many years. So, I developed a habit out of that, entirely unintentionally.

For me, getting more sleep was essential to improve on some of the “issues” I felt during the work-from-home-time due to the COVID pandemic started. I gained so much weight during that time because of three things.

First, I had no more chance to train daily in Aikido and Iaido. Second I did not adjust my eating habits and my calorie intake. Third, I started to sleep irregularly because of the home office and the opportunity to work all day long!

Getting back to improved sleep quality, I was able to lose weight, significantly bring down my stress level, and concentrate even better at work.

Regular meditation to permanently increase your happiness

I wrote a lot about general meditation and different types of meditation that I recommend you to use. If you haven’t meditated yet, please give it a try, and if you don’t feel comfortable with one kind of meditation, please consider trying a few more for a few days. Sometimes you will need time to adjust and get comfortable.

Meditating regularly is beneficial not only for your mindset but also for your overall physical condition. You will feel more relaxed, get better sleep at night, and feel less stressed.

Get a pet companion

Pet companions are a difficult decision and not something you should take lightly. I only recommend you get a pet if you believe you will have enough time for it as long as their time on earth lasts.

I had five cat’s almost at the same time; I had to put to sleep 3 of them because they had cancer. One got five years old, the other 8, and the next one was 12 years old.

Both remaining cats are still healthy, but with one being almost 13 and the other being 10, I can hope for another 7 – 9 years to live with them. Dogs usually have a shorter lifespan, but I know some dogs are still 15 years old.

Before getting a pet, please make sure that you can provide everything they need for them. This also involves medical treatments, especially when they get older, vaccines, regular checkups, visits to the pet dentist, food, and other things.

You must be committed; otherwise, please refrain from getting a pet. They are no toys but companions, friends, and living beings, and they should not be in the situation ever that you have or want to give them away just for some selfish reason. Thank you.

Based on my own experience, pets can help to permanently increase your happiness. There are already too many pets living in shelters, and you don’t want to add a single one.

Spend time with happy people

When you surround yourself with happy people, their moods will also reflect yours. I want to take that even one step further. For me, this naturally also involves getting rid of people who only think negatively about themselves or what you do or plan to do.

This is the same when you want to achieve a specific goal. Imagine the situation you want to become an entrepreneur and people with a 9-to-5 job only surround you.

Most of them believe in the established system and do not have any other real goal in their life besides staying employed, piling up some savings for retirement, and that’s it. Please don’t get me wrong here; there is nothing wrong with that.

But if you want to achieve more or become a successful entrepreneur, this may not be the crowd you want to stick around with. They won’t positively influence your mindset.

The same applies to your feelings and your overall happiness. So please choose the crowd you hang out with wisely.

Eating habits

Certain types of food can have a positive effect on your state of mind.

Carbohydrates release serotonin. Make sure to choose carbs that are low in sugar and starch. The more complex the carbs will give you an energy surge that lasts longer. Examples of good carbs are whole grains, vegetables, beans (like soybeans), and others.

Lean meat, poultry, legumes, and dairy products are high protein sources. Vegetarian protein-rich foods include natto, tofu, and harz cheese.

Omega-3-rich acids have anti-inflammatory effects and a positive effect on your brain health. Make sure to replace the Omega-3 fats with vegan alternatives in case you don’t eat fatty fish like salmon or if you don’t like krill.

Deep-fried dishes or highly-processed foods should no longer be on your dining plan.

The most important macronutrient

While so many speak about micronutrients and the question of what kind and how many of those you need to consume, many forget to talk about the most essential macronutrient: protein.

The recommended minimum protein intake should be no less than 1.2 grams per kilogram. But more on that in a separate article.

But please ensure you do not forget the other macronutrients, carbs, and fat. You will almost instantly feel a change in your mood that may help you permanently increase your happiness.

Practice gratitude

Simply being grateful can boost your mood, among other benefits. For example, a two-part study found that practicing gratitude can significantly impact feelings of hope and happiness.

You might try starting each day by acknowledging one thing you’re grateful for. You can do this while brushing your teeth or waiting for that snoozed alarm to go off.

As you go about your day, consider keeping an eye out for pleasant things in your life. They can be big things like knowing someone loves you or getting a well-deserved promotion.

But they can also be little things, such as a co-worker who offered you a cup of coffee or the neighbor who waved to you. Maybe it could just be the sun’s warmth on your skin.

With practice, you may become more aware of all the positive things around you.

Keep a journal to permanently increase your happiness

Please, don’t think that keeping a journal is for kids only. No, not at all! Journals can help you write down all thoughts you have during the day. Focus on everything that went well, good ideas you had, goals you achieved, and things you did.

Don’t forget to write down the things you could not accomplish and situations where you did not feel good, and reflect on both. If you have depression, journaling can help as well, according to a 2013 study by the University of Michigan. It also decreases stress and anxiety.

Learning from your journal helps you become more self-aware

Not everyone feels happy about the same things. You can know from your past journal entries what made you feel good and happy during the day. A journal also helps you keep track of your life.

I recommend not overdoing it and letting the journal take control of it. Better focus on ways to permanently increase your happiness that truly help you.

Journaling will help you to permanently increase your happiness.

Declutter your life and mind

Decluttering your life is beneficial for decluttering your mind as well. Decluttering always means letting things go that you no longer need or constrain you in any other way.

In general, decluttering is about tidying your personal space, your house, or your apartment. But decluttering does not necessarily mean minimalism either. You should make sure to get rid of things that you no longer need.

Overall this will improve your happiness a lot – and it also helps you focus on everything you do daily.

Let go – one of many ways to permantently increase your happiness

As much as decluttering your life is about stuff you own or are considering buying, letting go is more about your emotions.

Learn to let go of negative thoughts in your head. This will significantly and permanently increase your happiness. Also, learn how to deal with negative energy from the outside.

I believe everyone has a person around them that spreads negative vibes whenever possible. Sometimes it may be a coworker; sometimes, it’s a friend or even someone in your family.

I have those people around me, but I keep a reasonable distance from them as I feel they are draining my energy.

Conclusion

I hope that I was able to give you some ideas about things you can do to improve your happiness in the long run. I can advise you to take care of yourself first before starting to care about others.