Whether you’re someone who sings in the shower or someone with a more reserved disposition, contentment isn’t something that just happens to us.
However, we all have the ability to adjust our habits to deliberately create the conditions and to invite more of it into our lives.
Here are few tips for a happier 2025.
Do the Tibetan rites
The Tibetan rites are an ancient yoga practice that consists of a sequence of five exercises. These are simple exercises that, combined with breathing, increase the energy in your body, greatly improves your strength and coordination.
Make a habit and do every morning the 5 Tibetan rites.
Look forward to the day
Okinawa, an island in Japan, boasts the highest concentration of centenarians in the world. According to the locals, having a clear and distinct “ikigai“—a concept that translates to ‘the reason we get up in the morning’—is one of the key factors contributing to their happiness, contentment, and sense of purpose in life.
Make a daily plan based on your “ikigai”. Having a day plan when you wake up provides clarity and direction, helping you stay focused on what matters most. It reduces stress by giving you a sense of control over your time and responsibilities.
Make new friends
People often narrow their social networks, focusing on spending time with those who they know well. However, staying open to new friendships can be valuable, as they give us slightly different benefits to our relationships with family, which can be based on obligation.
If you are the sort of person who finds making friends or socialising difficult, consider joining a club that aligns with your hobbies, such as a photography or yoga club. Sports clubs can also be an option, but keep in mind that sport people often seem isolated in sport schools. Have you noticed how many people there wear headphones and focus on their phones instead of being conscious of the exercises or interacting with others? This environment may encourage isolation rather than fostering new friendships and socialisation.
Do volunteering
Giving something to others makes you feel better than rewarding yourself, as it creates a strong sense of connection and purpose.
Maintain a humble attitude and refrain from openly discussing your charity activity. Showing off your charities typically attracts bad energy from others (e.g. envy), reducing the personal rewards of volunteering.
Practice compassion
Compassion is derived from the Latin for “shared pain”. This empathy helps us to build strong bonds when our friends are in need of support.
Relatively unknown, the opposite state of “shared happiness” is equally important. Actively celebrating a friend’s good news and showing genuine interest is the basis of a strong friendship. A cold or passive reaction to a friend’s accomplishment, on the other hand, may harm the friendship.
Harmonise with Nature
Take regular walks in nature and immerse yourself in the surroundings. Pay close attention to the seasonal changes in the environment, noting how the landscape transforms throughout the year. This observation can deepen your connection with nature and help you harmonise your internal rhythm with the natural world. By attuning yourself to the environment, you not only enhance your awareness but also cultivate a greater appreciation for the subtle shifts and cycles of nature. This practice can be a grounding and rejuvenating experience, offering moments of peace and insight.
Do introspection
Daily introspection is one of the best methods for becoming conscious of our harboured elementals.
Every day, perhaps before going to sleep, mentally replay your day from morning to evening as if watching a film. Ask yourself with sincerity what thoughts, emotions and actions (e.g. words) you had and you should not have had. What thoughts, emotions and actions you did not have and you should have had.
Make a habit and write a list of good things that have happened to you. Whether that is a life-changing event like passing an important exam, or something seemingly inconsequential, like bumping into an old friend, or enjoying some beautiful evening light while out for a walk. These help to boost your mood.
Do nothing
Looking too much for being happy can actually limit your from experience it. You might have experienced this yourself during a much anticipated event or party you have been looking forward to that doesn’t quite live up to your expectations.
The desire and pursuit of happiness can also increase feelings of loneliness and disconnection. Better to adopt a more relaxed attitude and being more accepting of life’s ups and downs.