If you want to banish anxiety and live a happy life, theres good news. You don’t have to do anything dramatic or overly challenging to regularly put a big smile on your face.

After the past 3-4 months of 2020, who couldn’t use a little cheer right now and a lot less anxiety? Only a few simple things are needed to experience greater levels of happiness.

Though your anxiety may have increased due to concerns about lockdown ending, its much easier than you think to banish that anxiety.

Use these ideas to enjoy greater happiness in your day-to-day life:

1. Experience gratitude

Gratitude puts your mind in a positive state. Imagine the difference between feeling gratitude a few times each day versus focusing on your anxiety and challenges several times each day.

• Gratitude reminds you that things aren’t as bad as they seem. This can be enough to keep you going and banish anxiety. And allow you to build resilience in the process.

2. Exercise

Its good for your body and mind. It reduces stress and has so many other benefits. If you don’t have a physically demanding job, exercise is necessary for maximum happiness. It provides the extra bonus of reducing your anxiety.

3. Look forward to something

It could be a weekend getaway, buying a new book after work on Friday, or seeing an old friend next month. Big or small, give yourself something you can look forward to.

4. Live in the present

Avoid spending too much time thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Life can only happen right now. If your mind is somewhere else, you’re not really living, and this makes it difficult to banish anxiety.

5. Get an early start to your day

A good morning leads to a good day. A good day leads to a good week, and so on. One of the best ways to have a good day is to have a good morning. Give yourself enough time to have a great morning on a consistent basis. This will lessen the anxiety that comes from rushing.

• Most of us dont use the late evening hours productively, so go to bed and convert those late hours to early hours. Seize the day!

6. Deal with the things that sap your happiness

Being happy isn’t only about positive things. Its also about removing the negative. What are the biggest hassles and annoyances in your life right now? Take steps to minimize or eliminate them. You’ll be surprised by how much better you feel.

7. Help someone else

Its not all about you. Theres a part of you that instinctively knows this. If everything in your life is about you, you’ll never be as happy as you could be. Regularly spend some time doing something for someone else. You’ll be happier with yourself.

8. Take action toward a goal

When you pursue a goal, you’re taking control of your life. This is very different from just responding to life’s curveballs. Set a goal and begin working toward achieving it.

9. Forgive quickly

We don’t like to forgive others. We feel they dont deserve it. Unfortunately, most of the people that have wronged you aren’t especially bothered by your opinions of them. You’re only hurting yourself by holding a grudge. Making it difficult

• Forgiveness just means youre not going to have negative thoughts over the issue anymore. It doesn’t have to mean giving the other person another chance.

10. Learn something new

It should be unthinkable to live an entire year and not learn something useful or interesting. Each year should bring some personal growth. Get started. What do you want to learn? Sites such as Edx.org and Coursera.org offer hundreds of free online courses.

The first six months of the year have truly challenged us. COVID19 caused increased anxiety and unhappiness. The recent spate of police deaths increased that anxiety. With many taking to the streets to protest . Now, some may feel guilty about having the drive to be happy again.

It has been argued by many philosophers that its the only true drive we have, that everything we do is an attempt to feel better about ourselves or our lives.

Spend some time implementing these ideas. Start small and go from there. Ask yourself what you need to be happier. Set a goal to increase the happiness in your life.

ALWAYS RISING ABOVE!

xoxoxo Dr. Twanna