This is a guest post by Bridget Webber.
You want to be happy, who doesn’t? However, you might engage in unhelpful behaviors that thwart your success. Whether you procrastinate, feed negative self-talk, or don’t rest your mind, you lower your potential to create happiness.
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3 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Be Happy
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Procrastination
Putting off mowing the lawn, or not writing a letter, may not seem like a big deal, but every time you don’t carry out tasks you think you should complete, you ignite a mild fight or flight response. Fight or flight happens when you face stress, and, although it exists to aid survival, it isn’t always a helpful response.
You aren’t in mortal danger if you procrastinate, but your system doesn’t always take this information onboard. You still react as though you are anxious and produce stress chemicals. Additionally, as your system constricts physically, your mind also closes off a little.
Just as your muscles tighten when you are anxious, your ability to see the big picture of life is reduced when you procrastinate, so, you don’t see as much joy.
Negative self-talk
Self-talk is a barometer, telling you how healthy you are emotionally. If you have low self-esteem, you probably create critical inner banter. Taking notice of what goes on in your head, and putting positive change in action, makes negative self-talk useful.
Nonetheless, most people don’t recognize negative self-talk as a pointer, they feed it until it grows out of control. Focusing on critical thoughts expands them and keeps them around.
Not resting your mind
Your mind contains an incredible amount of information and is more powerful than any computer many times over. However, if you give it too many tasks, you shut out peace of mind.
Thinking about many things at once generates a feeling of anxiety. Stretching your mind a small amount is healthy, but you can go too far.
Thought-overload results in physical symptoms, like a racing heart and shortness of breath. Additionally, you might have insomnia, digestive problems, and other symptoms of stress that reduce your happiness.
If you want to increase the odds of being happy, don’t procrastinate, complete jobs and you’ll feel less pressure. At the same time, don’t feed negative self-talk. Note what your inner voice tells you then watch it fade. Similarly, don’t overload your mind, give it a rest and you will soon notice you are happier.
If you’d like ways to let go of the negativity in your life, check out our 30 Day Negativity Detox.
