5 simple things that will help you be happy

Today I happened to read an article on what negative habits or thoughts make an unhappy person. This got me thinking about a few things. Some of the things were solitude, not broadening our horizon, not enough 'me time'.The Indian society looks down or frowns upon so many things that are so necessary that we often in our effort to conform to society do not realise that we are walking down the path that leads to unhappiness and possibly depression. So here are a few that are really common - 

Hobby 

A passion that to pursue, simply because you like doing it. It may be something that is done just for fun (like I do with writing), or something that may earn then some extra moolah (like I hope to with writing). A hobby is something that we do for ourselves, our very own personal pleasure.

Time out

We simply do not take time out for ourselves. There is the pressure of work, responsibility of a family, children have studies to do and the list goes on. Somewhere along the way we lose sight of ourselves as individuals, it ends up being, a mother or father, a daughter or a son, an employee. An individual who needs to get recharged is pushed to the background, time out with friends just laughing and talking nonsense. This is not selfish, it does not make you a bad parent or a bad child, just helps with recharge.

Travel

Travel opens our eyes to new cultures, lifestyles and most importantly new experiences. What better way to learn about the how and why of a culture than to visit the place itself. But there are always other priorities, why spend that money just to visit a place when it can be put to such better use, that extra zeros on the fixed deposit is so much better. 

Take a walk

Just a stroll in the park, or the beach early in the morning, allow the peace and quiet of the surrounding seep into you. This will calm your mind, put a better perspective on things. A time to ruminate on life, goals or even love. 

Do a good deed

This is the most important one. Strive to attempt for at least one a day. Can be as simple as a smiling greeting to the cleaner in your office, or addressing a waiter by name. We do. To realise how much difference these little things make to a person. The cleaner, waiter and such are people that we simply do not even acknowledge their presence when we see them. Small actions make big impact.