Being happy comes in many different forms. We all achieve this feeling in different ways, which makes each person different and amazing to learn from. Happiness, however, is not always easily found in our everyday lives. We have to learn to train the human mind to actively seek healthier ways to seek a more positive lifestyle. There are thousands of ways to stay positive, but finding what’s best for you is how you will become an all around happier individual. With times like these, especially among the COVID-19 pandemic, we have found new ways to seek happiness. With not being able to see our friends and family, we found virtual ways to stay connected with happy hour over zoom, weekly bible studies on skype, a casual facetime to catch up with a friend while safely being apart. It’s not easy, but it’s the little things in life within this past year that we needed to make us smile.

When it comes to staying positive, there are many people and articles to read and learn what we can do. Healthline wrote an article on an experiment conducted on women between 2004 to 2012 and found these women who were more optimistic in their daily lives had a significantly lower risk of dying from several major causes of death, including: heart disease, stroke, cancer, including breast, ovarian, lung, and colorectal cancers, infection, and respiratory diseases. Researchers have also found that thinking positive also leads to better qualities of life, less sickness including colds and the flu, faster recoveries from illnesses, better stress management and even longer life spans. With this comes practice of how to think and act more positively in order to be happier. A few ways include keeping a gratitude journal. Writing simple thoughts each day of what you are thankful for is a great exercise for the brain. Start each day with a positive mindset, such as when you wake up, and tell yourself how great the day already is. Also try eating a great breakfast and spend some time alone reflecting. It is never wrong to think the negative, it is better to realize and identify your negative thoughts rather than bottling them up. Talk to friends or family and do not be ashamed of how you feel! It is okay to say things out loud.

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