43 Simple Ways to Make Yourself Happy
You know when you wake up in one of those moods where everything kind of annoys you? We’ve been there. Sometimes we just want to give in and indulge in these feelings like they’re chocolate cake. But other times we’re like, “screw THAT, I want to be happy as a clam today.” Now what?
The last thing you want to hear when you’re all irked is the phrase, “just be happy!” as though your happiness is a t-shirt you can shimmy into. We know it’s not. But if you’re looking to pull yourself out of a temporary funk, there are some small, simple steps you can take to get your joy juices flowing again. For starters:
1. Buy (or make) yourself a bouquet of flowers.
2. Make a cup of coffee or tea and read a book in bed. Don’t do anything else for at least thirty minutes.
3. Make a playlist consisting solely of songs you liked in 7th grade.
4. Put on your sneakers and go on a long walk. Stop every now and then and people watch.
5. Go through your entire closet and donate anything you haven’t worn in the last year. You will feel so much lighter.
6. Turn on some dance music, and make dinner entirely from scratch.
7. Take every tangible item that is making you unhappy, and toss it into the dumpster.
8. Buy a kid’s coloring book and color with a brand new pack of Crayola crayons for an hour.
9. Clean out your e-mail inbox.
10. Give yourself a facial.
11. Paint your nails bright orange, or do something new, like gold chevron or polka dots.
12. Wake up an hour before work and journal your thoughts and any dreams you may have had.
13. Treat yo’ self to a new lip balm/nail polish/funky pillow case/book.
14. Plant something.
15. Buy yourself a brand new notebook.
16. Put on a fancy outfit and go buy yourself an extravagant beverage.
17. Write a poem.
18. Rearrange your furniture (feng shui can really do wonders).
19. Watch ‘90s music videos.
20. Delete anyone from your Facebook who gives you bad vibes.
21. Look through old photos of your parents.
22. E-mail an old professor/teacher you were close to, and say hi.
23. Listen to Rainy Mood and read a magazine from cover to cover
24. Buy something totally wacky, cool, or adorable on Etsy.
25. Try a new beauty regimen out, like dry-washing.
26. YouTube cheesy ‘80s workout videos instead of going to the gym.
27. Create your perfect office space on Pinterest.
28. Go on Facebook and leave a friend a genuinely nice comment on a picture.
29. Put together your outfit the night before (trust me, this makes for a way less stressful, terrible morning).
30. Take a long bubble bath.
31. If you don’t have a bath, take a long shower and slather yourself with a luxe soap bar or shower gel.
32. Light a lavender candle and re-watch favorite TV episodes.
33. Eat a big pile of veggies for dinner.
34. Make yourself your favorite bad-for-you snack, like a bologna and American cheese sandwich.
35. Declutter your phone of any apps you don’t use.
36. Make your own granola.
37. Play Monopoly with a friend, sibling, or partner.
38. Plan out what you’re going to eat for the week and make it as healthy as possible (also, try out a couple new recipes).
39. Make yourself a dense, extravagant breakfast (like banana pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and sliced strawberries).
40. Google “old-school love letters.”
41. Go to the local bakery and get a freshly baked baguette and eat it with real butter.
42. Explore new cities using Google Satellite.
43. Make an origami fortune teller (you know, the one everyone used to make when you were a kid). Create your fortunes, and make them beautiful.
