There’s a huge happiness movement sweeping Australia right now, and while there are many people jumping on this movement and embracing a happier life, there are many more who feel that happiness is a mythical creature they may never get to cross paths with.

Is happiness really as easy as thinking positive and forcing a smile on your face? Or is it something that can only be achieved when you invest tonnes of hard work and a big chunk of your money in it?

When you’re at the end of your tether and life is looking pretty grim, and you’re watching everyone else around you with their massive smiles and perfectly-put-together lives it really can feel like a slap in the face. Your life feels tough, and the last thing you need is someone else rubbing their own glorious life in your face. And you certainly don’t need anyone telling you to snap out of it and just be happy! Is this helpful? Not really.

However if you’re feeling like you’re in a reasonably good place in your life, but feel like happiness is still eluding you, these impressions from the people around you can be helpful! They can be inspiring and motivational, they can put a smile on your face and help you realise that happiness CAN be achieved, especially if the person has overcome some serious adversity to get to their current state of bliss / good health / true love / dream job / happy family / spiritual enlightenment / insert any of the ‘goals’ we are all striving for here. You also feel open to suggestions, you are willingly seeking advice from others and are keen to try anything.

Regardless of which scenario above rings true for you, keep reading because I have channelled some guidance from my Spirit Guide Gabby to put together five useful tips to either get you on that elusive happy train, or keep you moving forward with your happiness-seeking adventures!

1. Get outdoors

If you only do one thing on this list, make it this one.

Are you stuck inside at a desk all day? Are home duties your full time job? Or are you constantly indoors for other reasons? Promise yourself you are going to take a few minutes out of your day to get outside in the fresh air or the sunshine or even the rain to recharge. And do it consistently! Work it into your daily routine, so you are committing to taking a break and getting outside.

Why? Gabby says Mother Nature is THE ULTIMATE healer for humans because she too is of physical and spiritual matter, just like we are. Her energetic presence is equally as powerful as her physical presence which is super handy! This means it doesn’t matter where you are on your spiritual journey, or how energetically connected you are, because you are always going to be tapping into that other-worldly amazingness whenever you connect with Mother Earth. And even if you are just connecting with her on a physical level (eg, sitting out in the sun for 10 minutes while you read your book), energetically speaking you are having a huge win!

When you give yourself the opportunity to recharge in nature – whether that be spending a day hiking in the bush or whether it’s just sitting in your garden for a few sneaky minutes in between chores – and when you do it consistently, you are doing so much more than recharging! You are also destressing, you are taking some ‘me’ time, or perhaps it’s some quality family / friends time, you are getting that much-needed vitamin D from the sun, you are balancing your body’s internal systems and functions, and all of this plus much more adds up to feeling happier within yourself.

2. Practice gratitude

I honestly believe that one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself is practice gratitude. And as I write this, Gabby is nodding her head in agreement. And, as I always say, keep it simple! If you overcomplicate something, it can spiral you back into that state of unhappiness because you either end up spending loads of time on it (that you didn’t have spare in the first place), or you’re left feeling incompetent because the whole thing seems unachievable.

All you need to do to get the happiness ball rolling, is send out a silent ‘thank you’ to anything and everything wonderful – or even just marginally good – that comes your way as you go about your day. Acknowledgement of all the little snippets of goodness in your life (and yes! I promise you there are many!) is pretty much sending a message to the Universe that you do see it, you do appreciate it, it does makes you feel good, and you wholeheartedly want more of it.

And when you start to notice the little things that you’re grateful for (and that make you happy!), you are starting to change your perspective and you’ll begin to notice more of them. You know that time when you had a new pair of winter boots on your radar, and suddenly every second person you passed in the street was wearing winter boots – with some even being the exact colour, style, brand you had in mind? It’s like that, but even better!

Here are some common occurrences that often go unnoticed and unappreciated:

• When someone lets you in to that giant line of traffic you’ve been waiting to merge into
• When the clouds part, even just for a second or two, and the sun peeps through on an overcast day
• When someone else makes you a cup of tea / asks how your day was (they care!) / invites you to lunch (even if you don’t want to go, they were thinking of you!)
• When a stranger passing you in the street smiles kindly at you

Notice all the little blessings in your life, and feel that gratitude wash through you! Showing gratitude for the little things is so quick and easy and takes no skill whatsoever, but the rewards happiness-wise (never mind all the other benefits!) are massive.

3. Write a happy list

Grab a pen, then grab a piece of paper, and make a list of everything that makes you happy. Things like:

• something from your past that brought you immense joy
• your favourite colour / movie / song / activity / person / food / season / place
• anything on your ‘one day I want to…’ list
• any creative outlets (draw, paint, clay, dance, sing, construct / build / make, craft, write, garden, design, fashion, anything that helps you to express yourself)

Stick your list on your fridge, or somewhere you will see it often, and keep adding to it! Don’t worry about whether you will actually get around to doing any of it – for now, just acknowledge everything that makes you happy. One day you will act on some of them because the time is right and you’ve got the means to be able to do them. Or you may even act on something right now because the only thing stopping you before was that you just hadn’t thought of it until now!

Gabby says, no matter what you do with your happy list, just the act of creating it and acknowledging all the things that bring you joy is going to manifest more happiness into your life. Try it and see!

4. Create your own happiness mantra

Say it with me!

“I am always open to and always welcome every happiness into my life.” (Thanks, Gabby!)

Get creative and make up your own happiness mantra – it has to feel right for you. As long is it is a statement (not a question) and it is positive in nature (as in, “I am / I do…” and not “I don’t want…”) you can’t go wrong. Write your mantra down, put it on repeat, say it aloud and in your head, say it before you go to sleep each night and when you wake each morning, include it in your meditation practices or in your prayers, put it as the screen saver on your phone or laptop, print it out and stick it on your fridge.

In doing this, you are taking action to bring more happiness into your life. You are energetically opening yourself up to happiness and to everything else it brings.

5. Pump up the volume

Music music music. Turn up your favourite tunes, and immerse yourself in the music. I use music (and sound in general) as a tool that serves so many different purposes. I play music to stimulate my emotions, if I want to feel happier or if I want to have a good cry. I play music to assist with healing my mind, body and soul during energy healing sessions. I play music to spark my creativity. I play music to elevate my own vibration, or the vibration of the space I’m in. I play music to help me tune out from the noise of the outside world, and just be in the moment.

Music is extremely powerful, and is a sure-fire way to boost your mood.

Gabby wants you to know that music is the conduit to the soul. It gets right in there, deep, into every cell, every fibre of your being. Gabby says music really is ‘of the gods’. Like any creative, musicians are tapping into something that goes beyond the human realm (some are aware of this, and some aren’t – either way, this is fact.)

Happiness may seem elusive at times, especially when the going gets tough, but with a few little tweaks to your mindset and to your daily routine, you can get yourself in a happier state than you were yesterday or last week or last month. A deep sense of happiness is something that can’t be achieved overnight. It needs to be worked on – nourished and nurtured, and it does take time! I don’t think we should be focusing on a final end goal of ‘total bliss’ – we should instead be focusing on the journey. And remember to keep it real – you’re going to have crappy days, just ride through them as best you can. Throw on some music, get outside for a minute, do something kind for yourself. Remind yourself that it will pass. Remember to relish in those sneaky little moments of happiness, because Gabby says that’s where some of the really powerful magic and healing takes place and if you can acknowledge even your fleeting glimpses of happy, this magic will amplify ten-fold.

What some things that make you truly happy? Share in the comments below!

Jo x