How To Feel Better And Happier Right Now

Here is something you can do right now to feel better and happier about your personal life. It costs nothing. And although you can see immediate improvements, you'll find the benefits are cumulative over the next few days, weeks and months.

The first thing is to see yourself in your mind's eye, as if you were looking at someone else. Then try to see the situation that's bothering you as if that belonged to this other person. Taking this detached view, look at the cause and the possible remedy of a particular concern you have. Perhaps you can even talk to this other you, offering advice as you would to a friend in that same predicament. If you are able to see which aspects of your life you can change, and which you simply have to accept, you are already a long way to creating the life you want.

If, for instance, you accept that you cannot change other people, you can dispense with one enormous cause of frustration. Sure, you can lead by example, you can ask for change - but that's as far as it goes. If you find other people's behaviors irritating - and who doesn't? - you need to decide whether this is something you can live with, or if it's a relationship breaker. Let's be honest, none of us is perfect. We all have some attitudes that we feel make us who we are, regardless of what others think. If you just can't accept the annoying attitudes of others close to you, does this mean that they can no longer have a place in your life? Now, there's a big question to consider!

If you can look at all the aspects of your life which you are currently less than 100% happy with, and answer the question "can I change this?" with either a yes or a no, you can start improving your personal life straight away.

As soon as you accept that some things are out of your control, you can start to use your energy productively by tackling the things which you do have control over. And as for the things you can't control - well, maybe you could try to find some aspect to laugh at. Even when a situation is just not funny, there might be one small spot of humor to find. Imagine you were relating the story as a stand up comedian - could you find something ridiculous that might raise a smile? Here's the thing: we always have a choice about how we react to something, as in the old cliche "I had to laugh or I'd have cried".

We even have the option to "act happy". It's not always the easiest thing in the world, but it gets better with practice. And the response we'll get from others is well worth the effort. Make up your mind that you are naturally happy. Yes - you can decide to put your happy hat on today and become like one of those lucky souls Orison Swett Marden spoke about: "Some people are born happy. No matter what their circumstances are, they are joyous, content, and satisfied with everything. They carry a perpetual holiday in their eyes, and see joy and beauty everywhere. When we meet them they impress us as having just met with some good luck, or as having some good news to tell."

Expressing yourself in such a way guarantees you will feel better in the long run - it's a bit like the old adage "fake it till you make it". And people around you will act happier, too - which will add to your own sense of well being.

As soon as you start to take action on the things you can make a difference with and begin to appreciate the fun in everyday life, you'll feel better inside. It can start right now - or have you got something else to do right now, more important than improving your enjoyment of life?