15 Things that will make you Happier – Without Shopping

In today’s society we too often purchase ‘things’ as we think about the happiness that they will inevitably bring us. Unfortunately, they often bring us a false sense of happiness for a very short term and then after the novelty has worn off we forget about them and then return to our former state. This is when we often go looking for something else to purchase to make us happy again.

I wanted to write this post as a way of showing you that there are so many other options out there other than purchasing ‘things’! Happiness comes from within and the way we spend our time, rather than how we spend our money. Continue reading for 15 different things you can do that will ultimately make you happier! 14 of them do not include buying anything!

// Eat a Good Nourishing Meal
This doesn’t have to be any specific style of cooking, the act of simply preparing a good nourishing meal is both therapeutic as well as has great health benefits because you are fuelling your body with everything it needs to feel happy. Sure fast foods may feel to good to eat while you are eating them, however if you are anything like me then you will feel sleepy and far too full once you have finished the meal! Pull out a healthy cookbook or have a look for a recipe online and spend the time to create a nourishing meal, filled with plenty of different coloured vegetables.

// Exercise for Happy Endorphins
If you’ve ever seen Legally Blonde then you will know that exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t. As hilarious as this scene is, it’s definitely true! Exercise releases endorphins which in turn make you happier. While it may not feel like it at the time if it’s cold, dark and wet outside and the T.V sounds like a much better option. You will never regret getting in a good workout and increasing those endorphins.

// Practice Gratitude
I’ve been an avid fan of practicing gratitude for a number of years now and I truly believe that it does make a huge difference to how happy you are. The simple art of spending a few seconds a day thinking about all the things you are grateful for really does help make you feel happier as you can appreciate how good your life really is, even if you are in a dark space. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, simply write down at least three things you are grateful for each night before you go to sleep.

// Connect on a Personal Level
Studies have shown that physically connecting with another person releases serotonin which is the hormone which elevates our mood and makes us feel happy. This could mean any number of things depending on your current situation. It may simply mean hugging your cat (see the next point!), or it could be holding that hug for a split second longer with someone you care about. It could be as deep as a sexual connection, heck it could just be cuddling up on the couch together watching a movie.

// Have a Pet!
Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that people who have animals, or cuddle animals often are happier than those who do not have a pet?! I don’t know about you but this is a perfect excuse to have a cat! Bella (pictured) never looks happy  unless she is asleep and doesn’t really like hugs which is a shame (although I do sneak them every now and again!) so it goes without saying that she would be fussy with her food. We’ve been trialling Bella on the new Fancy Feast Inspirations multipack with great success. She actually finishes a packet, something she never does with other brands, I guess the variety and tasty broths really do help! Moral of the story; hug a cat (or dog) today! Bonus points for serving yourself (and your cat) a Nourishing Meal then snuggling up on the couch for a movie!

// Sleep More
Sorry Night Owls, but getting more sleep is a sure sign to be happier. You may function okay with less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but inside your body is struggling. You know that frustration you feel when someone cuts in front of you on the way to work, your partner leaves a wet towel on the floor or your kids make an even bigger mess than normal? Those who get enough sleep have an easier time controlling that frustration and are less likely to lash out at the ones they love.

// Buy an experience
This is the only item on this list which includes actually going out and physically buying something. I contemplated excluding it from the list but I do think it’s an important way to feel happier so it’s staying. Do you remember that amazing concert you went too, the first time you did a bungee jump or sky dive, that awesome trip you took? These are the kinds of things that really do make us happy as they create memories that we can look back on time and time again.

// Review Past Photos
This is something I’ll put my hand up and say I’m guilty of forgetting to do! How many photos do you take over the course of a year? How many trips have you been on that you took thousands of pictures and after loading the best ones on Facebook and maybe gotten a few printed, you never looked at again? Grab a cup of tea and sit down for 20 minutes or so and flick back through some of the photos you’ve taken over the years and remember how you felt! I can almost guarantee you’ll be sitting there smiling to yourself by the end!

// Smile & Laugh more often
It may seem like a no-brainer but smiling and laughing more often really do have an effect on your happiness. Too often we go through the motions in our day to day life and forget to make sure we smile and laugh enough. Think back to the last time you laughed until you started snorting or couldn’t breathe, or the last time you smiled so much your face hurt? When was it? Was it a long time ago? Take small steps in order to smile and laugh more and see how much happier you feel. Even watching those funny cat video’s will do!

// Spend time with Happy People
You know those people who ALWAYS seem to be happy, no matter the day of the week, no matter the situation? Spend more time with them! These are the kind of people you need in your life! Happiness can spread like wildfire and being around happy and positive people truly can help make you feel happier in the long run.

// Teach Someone
Have you ever taught someone something they didn’t know? It could be an adult or a child, it could be big or small, it doesn’t really matter. The art of teaching someone how to do something they couldn’t do before, or teaching them a fact is a lost art. It could be as simple as teaching someone how you do your hair or makeup they always compliment you on, you could teach a child how to tie his shoelaces or teach someone how to add a little bit more happiness in their life by sharing this post (see what I did there ;)).

// Make a Gift
We all have people that we buy gifts for each and every year. Have you ever thought of making a gift for those special people in your life? Last year we were trying to think of what to get our Bootcampers (approximately 50 of them!), that would show we appreciated them supporting us but obviously didn’t cost the earth as that’s a lot of people to buy for! We settled on making homemade no-grainola and popping them in milk bottles with cute decorations. Whilst it wasn’t a huge gift they were well received and I think the hours we put into them were well appreciated. I certainly felt great passing them out!

// Keep in touch with loved ones

Okay, I’m guilty as charged here. There are a number of people I care about that I really haven’t kept in touch with as much as I should do. Especially over this past year as life has been so busy. That’s always the excuse though isn’t it, being busy. Stop and spend two minutes thinking about the people you care about that you haven’t made time to connect with lately and make it your mission to contact one person each day for the rest of this week. It might be a simple text, e-mail, Facebook message or snapchat to say you’re thinking about them or a phone call to have a good catch up.

// Volunteer or donate to Charity
Along the lines of teaching someone, volunteering is a great way to give back to others and giving back to others almost always makes you feel happier. Whether you decide to volunteer at a local sporting event, school gala or by donating to Charity it doesn’t really matter. So long as you feel a connection to the cause and enjoy helping out. We’ve done a number of events for charity this year for Bootcamp which is an awesome feeling when you take in a whole bunch of pet food to the SPCA or take over $100 into the Cancer Society.

// Forgiveness
There are two parts to forgiveness, and I’m not going to lie, it’s hard! In life it’s kind of inevitable that at some point someone will do something to you, either inadvertently or on purpose that will really grind your gears. It’s so easy to hold on to this hurt and carry it around with you but carrying this around really does nothing for us and to be truly happy we really do need to forgive and let go. The second part of forgiveness is to forgive yourself. Yes, yourself. Often we think back to the past to things we would change if we were given a chance, to things we wish we had done differently or to how we wish we looked or acted different. Sorry to say, we can’t change the past we can only learn and move on. It’s really important to forgive yourself for these types of things as holding onto the resentment can eat away at you and limit your happiness.

This post was made possible thanks to Fancy Feast, if you want a great treat for your fussy cat then definitely give the new Fancy Feast Inspirations Multipack a try! Fancy Feast believe that Love is in the Details, and so do I! The small details you do to make someone’s day and show them you care,  or the small things you do for yourself to nourish your body and soul! As usual, all opinions, words and images are my own. #fancyfeastnz

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