Happy People Have These Ten Habits

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Career Advice


The workplace is often a stressful environment, but you don't have to succumb to the stress. By tweaking your attitude and adopting some healthy habits, you can increase your level of contentment and feel more energized throughout each day. Consider using these 10 habits of happy people to help improve your mood.

1. Get Plenty of Sleep

Happy people are not sleep-deprived. Getting sufficient sleep helps to improve your mood and your focus. Make sure you get enough sleep at night to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

2. Take Work Breaks

Even if it means stepping away from your desk for a cup of coffee or a walk around the block, give yourself a break at some point during the day. When your brain has an opportunity to rest, you come back feeling energized.

3. Exercise Regularly

Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Just 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day can help reduce stress levels and boost brain activity.

4. Associate With Positive People

Happiness is often contagious, so surround yourself with happy people. Being around people who are positive also helps boost confidence levels and may spark creativity.

5. Engage in Intellectual Conversations

Avoid the urge to gossip or judge others. Happy people connect on a deeper level, carrying on conversations of substance that help build meaningful relationships.

6. Spend Time Outdoors

Be sure to get soak up some sun rays for at least a few minutes a day. If your desk isn't near a window, take a walk outside during your break or eat your lunch al fresco. Natural light improves your mood and provides energy.

7. Focus on Growth

Happy people don't become complacent. Look for ways to improve yourself. Don't become discouraged by challenges; view difficulties as an opportunity to learn.

8. Take Screen Breaks

If you spend most of your day behind a computer screen or staring at a smartphone, step away at regular intervals throughout the day. This helps ward off eye strain and fatigue, which can boost your mood.

9. Help Others

When you help others, you increase your own happiness. If possible, provide support to co-workers who are overwhelmed, as this also helps reduce their stress.

10. Eliminate Stressors

Take note of the stressors you face throughout your day, and eliminate as many as possible to feel happier and more productive. Close your office door if co-workers are talking loudly, or turn down the ringer on your office phone if it serves as a distraction.

By adopting any of these 10 habits of happy people, you can feel a greater sense of satisfaction with your job. This happiness spills over into your relationships with co-workers and may even help you reach new levels of contentment in your personal life.


Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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  • Weneeke M.
    Weneeke M.

    great list-helpful

  • Lamont H.
    Lamont H.

    Thank for the tips , I have to work with many Discouraged people and its tough not hard to stay Focused .Power through avoid problem people by staying on point and getting the job done well.

  • Alicia P.
    Alicia P.

    Greats point, some I have already adopted in my life, others just need to work on but one thing is true, we need to be always positive !

  • Lane Barrett
    Lane Barrett

    Stay Focused and Be Happy. !!!! -- LB

  • STEPHEN BINTINGER, JR
    STEPHEN BINTINGER, JR

    Too bad just plain common sense is not too common and even easier to forget.

  • JAMES A.
    JAMES A.

    This list of positive ideas reminds me of the can-do attitude that Shrike employed during Three Days of the Animal Olympians. Though against insurmountable odds, Shrike not only finds a way to win, but she keeps up an incredibly positive attitude, which appears to be the main thing that gets her by.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    Thanks for the comments. @Ken Akerman it would be unfortunate to be in a company where the people you work with are not very well educated. You would need to find other outlets in order to engage in intellectual conversation. Maybe at a networking event in your area. Maybe there's a club you might be interested in such as Toastmasters. That would be a great place for stimulating conversation. Worth a shot. As for the issue of getting some sun - it's tough when you live in a place where the sun only shines for a handful of days. Have you considered light therapy? Sitting under a special light for 15 minutes a day is supposed to be the same as sitting in the sun. Not sure - never tried it but I know that doctors prescribe it for patients with seasonal disorders (SAD).

  • Mary K.
    Mary K.

    Good advice,thank you.

  • Douglas E.
    Douglas E.

    A real help

  • Douglas E.
    Douglas E.

    Great to know

  • BARBARA B.
    BARBARA B.

    AWESOME! THANK YOU!

  • Senaite   A.
    Senaite A.

    It is a very good info. Thanks.

  • Senaite   A.
    Senaite A.

    Interesting, thank you.

  • Ken Akerman
    Ken Akerman

    The author writes, "Engage in Intellectual Conversations." However, what do you do if the people you work with are not well-educated, or if many of them don't speak the language that your speak?

  • Ken Akerman
    Ken Akerman

    The author writes, "Be sure to get soak up some sun rays for at least a few minutes a day." However, if you live in the greater Seattle area, the sun rarely shines for a large portion of the year. What do you do if that is the case?

  • Patrick A.
    Patrick A.

    That is very true! Even soaking up the the Sun does help ! It really work!!

  • Gemma D.
    Gemma D.

    Thanks for the advice

  • Julie D.
    Julie D.

    These are all great thoughts, I would add though that eating healthy was left and very important. A recent study found that poor eating habits are directly associated with depression.

  • mary g.
    mary g.

    True

  • Jeff H.
    Jeff H.

    Good advice !

  • Eric E.
    Eric E.

    All true

  • Leslie B.
    Leslie B.

    YES!

  • Alexis Graves
    Alexis Graves

    Great reading. I do half of this and need to work on the other half.

  • Christopher G.
    Christopher G.

    Great reading. Looking forward to go to work the next day is one way, one feels happy. I did feel that way, and cannot get away from my daily stressor, so I decided to leave even if the pay was good.

  • ENRIQUE B.
    ENRIQUE B.

    great......

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