By: Stephanie Heino

Did you know that approximately 121 million people across the globe have some form of depression? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a long-term, clinical ailment…We’ve all experienced some form of depression, and it’s never any fun. When asking people what they want to achieve in life, the most common answer is happiness. We all want to be genuinely happy. We all want to have that feeling of happiness that is  independent of loss or gain. What stands in the way is our negative beliefs, thought patterns and our way of believing in and acting on the negative.

Here are some ideas to help you achieve genuine happiness and strengthen you inner faith:

1. Live in the present moment

Don’t waste time worrying about things you can’t control. You can’t control the past, and there are only some aspects of the future that you have any influence over. Make an effort to focus instead on the present moment, and what you can control! We all go through ups and downs in our lives, and by being adaptable and more present right now you will also feel more comfortable. Worrying is almost like praying for what you don’t want, since you focus so much on the bad things. And according to the law of attraction, you will attract all kinds of negativity by focusing on it!

2. Don’t overthink, follow your heart

When you overthink things you begin to listen to your fear and believing it is real which will keep you from reaching your full potential in life. We are all experts on listening to what other people thing instead of asking ourselves how we feel about a certain situation in life. When I feel with my heart rather than with my brain, then I truly act on my intuition, which helps me tap into this amazing unlimited source of happiness that I know I can feel.

3. Stop numbing yourself.

I have written before about the danger of numbing your true feelings with different addictions. It is an endless, destructive cycle wherein we use  food, shopping, drugs, alcohol and over-analyzing to keep ourselves from feeling anything negative.  Often times the act is triggered by a negative emotion we want to suppress (loneliness, boredom, anger, stress, etc.). In order for us to be truly happy, we need to learn how to deal with our emotions, and not just cover them up.

4. Delete other people’s opinions

We all have different opinions about pretty much everything and that is what makes us all unique. But, what we have to remember is not to take what other people say as our truth because this can harm our confidence, self-esteem, and lead to all kinds of unhappiness. What has helped me a lot is to understand that what other people say is a reflection of them, and not you.

5. Take care of your health.

How you treat your body will make a huge difference on your happiness and well-being. If we do not  take care of ourselves and our bodies, nothing else will matter either, so it is very important to make changes in order to eat better, exercise regularly and make your body the best version it can be.

While you’re at it, take a look at these tips too:

• Recognize your unique self.
• Let go of what no longer serves you.
• Love yourself and get comfortable in your own skin.
• Be open-minded.
• Feel your feelings.
• Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want.
• Release attachments.
• Practice forgiveness.
• Follow your heart.
• Stop engaging in drama.