As Spring arrives, it's tempting to wonder why you aren't feeling happier. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and yet, you still feel gloomy and depressed. If you're struggling to find your happiness this season, let's look at a few tips for feeling happier.
Find a Work-Life Balance
It's incredibly important to make sure that your time between working and spending time with your family, relaxing, and doing leisure activities are balanced. Working for too many hours a week can lead to burnout. You'll find that you're tired and overwhelmed, don't have the energy to accomplish activities that you previously enjoyed, and may not feel rested even after a full night's sleep. These feelings can happen after working for too many hours a week, and physical burnout is just one of the reasons that the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in 1938. This legislation established a 40-hour workweek, ensuring that workers had time to accomplish personal tasks, as well.
Practice Gratitude
Another way to dramatically shift your mood is to spend some time each day focusing on gratitude. Spending time writing down a list of the things that you're grateful for, no matter how large or small they are, can help you focus on the positive things in your life. Often your mood changes based on what you focus on, so spending some time zooming in on what you're grateful for can really help improve your situation.
Write in a Journal
Spend some time each day or each week writing in a journal. When you're feeling stressed or depressed, it's easy to keep all of your thoughts in your head, ruminating about negative things constantly. Writing these thoughts down helps get them out of your head so that you can organize them and process them more effectively. Journaling also helps you express negative emotions in a safer space so that you can process them on your own privately, without worrying about how they may affect others if they are shared.
Display Lively Art
Display beautiful, lively art around your home and the space that you occupy throughout the day. Humans are dramatically affected by their environment, and having art around you can enhance your mood and help you feel more at ease. Global art collections contain paintings, most commonly, consisting of 83% paintings. Collage, drawings, and other types of art on paper only make up 15% of these art collections. Adding a touch of color to your environment is a great way to improve your mood, especially if you select a subject matter that you find interesting or attractive. Spend some time researching artists that you like, so that you can pick out the perfect prints for your space.
Consider Therapy
Another excellent tip, if you're experiencing sadness throughout Spring and aren't having any luck treating it on your own, is to consider setting up a therapy appointment. Professional therapists are highly skilled in assessing and treating the issues that you're experiencing, and they can help you with coping skills and techniques. A therapist can teach you skills that you may not be familiar with, so that you can begin to feel better quickly.
It's disappointing to expect to feel happier only to find that you're not quite able to get there. These tips can help you improve your mood and your mental health this Spring. Working on your overall life balance, keeping a journal, making sure that you're focusing on what's important, and considering therapy are all great ways to improve your mood. Don't be afraid to reach out for professional help if it seems like you're struggling to get your happy, chipper personality back - they have the experience and education that you need.