After pondering this a lot (after all, that’s what we counsellors and psychotherapists tend to do!), I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s not one single thing alone that makes for a happier life – it’s about a combination of factors. Most people strive to be happy or at least contented but it’s not always easy to achieve. So how do some people often seem to have a happy disposition, despite setbacks?

Having strong, supportive relationships is one part of it; better to have a few close friends and family members that you can rely on, than a lot of acquaintances that you might pass off as friends sometimes.

Taking part in social activities so that you connect with other people, even if they’re sometimes quite causal, can help you feel better too.

Most of us need a sense of purpose which is partly about a feeling of contributing something to our communities or friends. One of the sadnesses for older people is that they no longer feel that they can contribute much and they feel ‘invisible’. Having a goal, even a small one, helps most of us feel that we’re needed, whether that’s through hobbies, work or friendships.

Resilience is, I believe, a big part of happiness and fulfilment – it’s the ability to recover from setbacks and is essential for regaining or maintaining happiness.

Gratitude is a big part of happiness and wellbeing. Focusing on that, rather than what’s wrong with life helps most of us to feel more optimistic. Alongside that, it’s important to be kind to yourself, not expect too much of yourself every minute of the day.

A lot of the above partly depends on our physical health and sometimes, having an ongoing condition, makes life more difficult; much more difficult in fact. It can be restricting as well as isolating and I intend to cover that in a different blog but for those who are reasonably healthy, a healthy diet, exercise and enough sleep help our physical and emotional wellbeing enormously and that affects our happiness too.

Lastly, managing stress with techniques like yoga, meditation, spending time outside in the natural world and deep breathing helps a lot with coping with difficult situations and emotions.

Hopefully you’ve found this blog helpful and interesting – if so, I’d love it if you bought me a coffee ☕ (see tab at top of page). Thank you so much.

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