How Do You Become Happy Again?

There are days when you wake up in a good mood. Days when you have more energy to take on the day, have a greater urge to laugh and are more eager to take everything you see. You may think this just happens for no real reason. However, the truth is that your thoughts and neurotransmitters play a vital role in this. So how do you get happy again when you’re constantly down?

Those gray days when you have no energy and you just want to close off from the world or even disappear, don’t happen by accident. Being grumpy, or just not feeling well in general, usually happens for a reason, and it’s always something that interrupts your normal life. But the only right way to confront that gray cloud over your head is to understand what it’s made of.

Normalizing, accepting and learning from your most depressed days is absolutely essential. All emotions and feelings are important, not just the joyful ones. It is just as bad to be in a bad mood all the time as it is to be in a state of euphoria all the time.

Why it’s important to be happy

Starting from the idea that not all days can be good, that emotions are adaptive, and that our moods fluctuate according to some established rules, you can come to the conclusion that it is impossible to be happy all the time. Still, trying to maintain a good mood is a fundamental part of achieving your goals. But other things can also help, such as:

• Keep going until you reach your goals.
• Keep yourself healthy.
• Avoid anxiety, stress and depression.
• Nurture your personal relationships.
• Be happy and promote your personal well-being.

As Marcus Aurelius said, “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” Although he omitted the neurobiological part of that statement, neuroscience has proved him right. Every time you have a thought, a biochemical reaction takes place in your brain, releasing specific substances that send messages to the rest of your body. When your body receives these messages, it initiates a series of physical reactions to realign your physical state with the original thought.

One way to change your mood is to change your thoughts. That is, of course, much easier said than done, because our subconscious mind controls most of our thoughts. Trying to avoid your negative thoughts can actually backfire. Don’t boycott yourself and don’t feel guilty if you ever feel trapped in these thoughts. After all, it takes a lot of practice to change them.

How to cheer yourself up

To make a habit of the things that can make you happy again, you need to start by making  sure you’re ready, and that it’s the right time to get out of the emotional state of mind you’re in. After analyzing things and taking a good look at yourself, you can take the following steps:

• Make sure you move more. Exercising, playing a sport and signing up for activities that interest you can improve your well-being.

• Go for a walk. Some studies show that walking stimulates parts of your brain that improve your mood.
• Contact Friends. Forming deep bonds with other people helps people stay happy.
• Listen to music. Music has the ability to arouse emotions such as joy, motivation and good mood.
• Give yourself a break from some tasks. Organizing your to-do list and stopping worrying about the least important (or even pointless) things will help improve your mood.
• Organize your time well. Proper planning is key to focusing on the most important tasks and giving yourself time to rest.

In addition, cognitive restructuring, a technique used in cognitive behavioral therapies, is a great way to change your beliefs by asking yourself various questions about yourself. By questioning the way you see the world, you can adjust your mood and that way it can also help to cheer yourself up again. As always, the best way to do that is to consult a specialist professional.