Happiness is within reach; it just boils down to how willing we are to make any necessary changes in our lives to be truly happy.

Although there can be many steps involved in the process of pursuing and achieving happiness, these three will help you start feeling happier today

Step One: Embrace Forgiveness

As long as you’re alive, people will rub you the wrong way. Some people will hurt you intentionally, others unintentionally, but either way, you will get hurt – it’s just a part of life.

It’s human to hold grudges and treat people exactly how they treat us. If they treat us nicely, we treat them nicely; hurt us, we hurt them. That’s how the world seems to work most of the time, unfortunately. But a wise teacher once said, “Treat others how you would like to be treated.”

Bitterness and grudges make the world a very unforgiving place. But who says that’s how we have to live?

Forgiveness increases health and happiness. Psychologists and physicians all around the world preach the wellness and longevity benefits of forgiveness.

Forgiving yourself and others is essential to health and happiness. In fact, you will never be truly happy or fully healthy until you forgive.

Embrace forgiveness.

Forgive people even when they don’t “deserve” it because even if they don’t, you do. Even if they won’t benefit from it, you will.

In addition to being forgiving, try to be less judgmental and critical; you’ll be happier with yourself and others. Have fewer rules and expectations. Offering grace and patience to others makes it easier for you to forgive yourself, letting go of any shame or guilt that’s been haunting you all these years.

Step 2: Take Better Care of Your Health

Health and happiness go hand in hand. It’s so hard to be cheerful and happy when you’re in pain or fatigued.

You can increase happiness simply by drinking more water, increasing physical activity, eating healthier foods, and getting enough rest because these habits boost health.

Being healthy means you have the energy and vitality to live the kind of lifestyle that allows you to do the things that make you happy. Less pain and hurt equals more happiness and joy.

Here’s something else to think about. Being healthier means having more money in your bank account because you’ll be spending a LOT less of your hard-earned cash on medical bills.

Step 3: Spend Time with Other Happy People

Happiness is contagious. The quickest way to be happier is to spend time with happy people.

It’s hard NOT to be happy and optimistic when surrounded by laughter and positivity.

Researchers have found that happiness spreads through three degrees of separation. This means that the happiness of your friend, your friend’s friend, and your friend’s friend’s friend affects your quality and quantity of happiness. So, who are your friends? (and, is it time to consider making some new friends?)

Happiness is attainable; in fact, happiness is already here. We can all be happier starting today by embracing forgiveness, taking better care of health, and surrounding ourselves with happy people.

The post 3 Steps To Jump Start Happiness appeared first on Lifestyle.

Still, Thanksgiving offers something beautiful: a chance to pause and focus on what really matters. Gratitude doesn’t just make us feel good; it’s actually good for us. Science says it boosts mood, improves sleep, and even strengthens the immune system. Not bad for something that doesn’t cost a dime.

So this year, instead of just surviving the holiday, let’s make it nourishing for your body, mind, and spirit.

Step One: Practice Gratitude on Purpose

Gratitude isn’t just saying “thanks” before the mashed potatoes hit the table. It’s taking a real moment to appreciate what’s in front of you.  Look around you at the people, the small wins, the messy-but-beautiful life you’re living.

Try this: before the day gets hectic, jot down three things you’re grateful for this year. They don’t have to be deep…maybe it’s your morning coffee. Gratitude doesn’t have to be profound to be powerful.

The more we notice what’s good, the less space stress and frustration have to take over. It’s mindful living.

Step Two: Eat with Joy (Not Regret)

Thanksgiving food is comfort, tradition, and nostalgia all rolled into one delicious carb-fest. And yes, you can absolutely enjoy it and stay kind to your body.

Slow down. Savor the flavors. Eat what you love, not just what’s there. Maybe go for a walk after dinner, not to “burn it off,” but to breathe, digest, and maybe escape dish duty (hey, no judgment).

Step Three: Connect (and Maybe Laugh About It)

We all know it; family gatherings can be… entertaining. There might be differing opinions, awkward pauses, or unsolicited advice. But connection is one of the healthiest things we can invest in.

Put your phone down for a while. Ask questions. Listen. Laugh. Even when things aren’t picture-perfect, choosing connection over perfection does wonders for your mental and emotional health.

And if all else fails? Remember, gratitude and humor go hand in hand. Sometimes the best way to get through a chaotic holiday is to find the funny in it.

This Thanksgiving…

Health isn’t just about what’s on your plate. It’s about what’s in your heart, your relationships, and your outlook on life.

Wishing you peace, joy, love… and maybe an extra slice of pumpkin pie.

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Overanalyzing is like yeast; it makes things grow and grow and grow until something cute and small becomes monstrously huge with fangs and claws.

Overanalyzing turns positive situations and relationships into negative ones by focusing on faults, shortcomings, and drawbacks, all of which pile ever higher as the overanalyzing continues.

People who are prone to overanalyzing never fully allow themselves to enjoy the moment. Everything in their life must be scripted for them to feel safe and happy.

Their feverish need for security, which is driven by fear, compels them to overanalyze and deconstruct everything before it happens.

Paralysis by analysis robs them of precious life.

Very little gets done, and dreams are left at the starting gate.

These dear people remain stuck, trapped, and frustrated, but at least they’re safe (which is usually just a self-imagined illusion).

There is a HUGE difference between thinking things through and overanalyzing.

A wise person thinks through the situation, relationship, or opportunity from all angles within reason.

Here’s the main difference: People who think things through actually move forward once they’re research is completed, whereas people who overanalyze stay frozen by inaction because of all the scary “what-ifs?”

Overanalyzing kills your dreams, joy, and happiness.

Here are four ways to overcome overanalyzing and start living your life.

 1) Expand Your Perspective – Consider The Big Picture

One of the best things you can do is to ask questions like these:

Will this really matter in five years from now?

What will I lose if I don’t do this? What will I gain?

What will I miss out on if I don’t move forward?

What are some possible consequences? What are some possible rewards?

How might my life become worse? How might it become better?

If it’s clear that you will gain more than you will lose, and your life will be better, then it’s probably time to move forward, so get on with it already!

 2) Create A Launch Window For Go/No-Go

When NASA reaches for the stars, it uses a launch window for when it’s safe to launch; after the situation is analyzed, it’s either go or no-go. Simple. Effective.

Create your own go/no-go launch window by giving yourself a limited amount of time to make your decision.

People of inaction give themselves an unlimited amount of time to make a decision.

An easy way to start practicing a decision window is at a restaurant; give yourself thirty seconds to look at the menu and decide what you want.

For bigger decisions, take a few hours.

For life-changing decisions that might affect you greatly or those closest to you, consider limiting your decision window to a few days or a week; don’t let it drag on.

Disclaimer: These time frames are random and for example only. Don’t follow them blindly; create your own.

Consider your life, situation, personality, and temperament in crafting your own set of decision windows for making small, medium, and large decisions.

Setting a time limit makes you come to a decision one way or the other.

3) Reduce Stress

Stress can have a negative influence on the decision-making process. If you’re not a quarterback in the NFL, as a general rule of thumb, you will make your best decisions when life isn’t blitzing you. You perform best when feeling relaxed and calm.

Here are some ways to reduce stress:

• Start your day unhurried. Do what you can the night before to be better prepared in the morning or get up twenty minutes earlier.

• When you open your eyes in the morning, list three things for which you’re grateful; start on a positive note because this sets the tone for the rest of the day.

• Chunk down big to-dos into smaller tasks. Even Tom Brady chunks a one-hundred-yard drive into forty downs (4 downs per ten yards).

• Take time-outs. Give your mind and nervous system a break for a few minutes throughout the day. Breathe, laugh, or go outside for five minutes of fresh air and sunshine. Upon returning to work, you’ll see things more clearly and be more positive.

• STOP information overload. Only check emails once you get to work, midday, and before going home for the day. Otherwise, it’s death by in-box, and the very things you should’ve gotten done remain undone at the end of the day, which creates all kinds of crazy for your life and relationships (and your next pay raise or promotion).

• Take five minutes to create/review your schedule for the next day before leaving work. It creates momentum, clarity, organized thinking, and action. You will hit the ground running the next morning. Say goodbye to spinning your wheels and being the constant victim of that person who walks in and says, “Do you have a minute?” No. You don’t. You’re in the middle of living your life and have important things to do. Ask if they can meet after work for a few minutes, or later once you’ve completed your deadline.

4) Acknowledge That There’s Only So Much You Can (or want) to Control

Focus your time and energy on what you can control. Don’t waste your life force on what you can’t control or don’t want to control. Trying to control what you can’t control is a recipe for chronic stress, fatigue, regret, and frustration.

In this post, we’ve discussed how and why overanalyzing keeps people from pursuing their dreams by keeping them stuck. Also, we recommended that you create a decision window where it’s a go or no-go. Lastly, we gave you four ways to reduce stress levels in order for you to be calmer and more relaxed, to make better decisions.

Consider everything we’ve shared in this post, what’s one thing you’d be willing to do right now that you KNOW will improve your life? You’ve got thirty seconds, go!

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