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As a happiness coach, one of my main focuses is to shift your mindset into a more positive one and fill your life with as many daily happy feelings as possible. This implies intentionally adding more sources of joy into your life! In this post, I’m sharing 25 easy ideas on how to attract joy and happiness and make them stick.
Experiencing unexpected happy moments is amazing but their main problem is that they don’t last. Today we’ll focus more on the lasting change as well as positive habits that you can add to your everyday life to sprinkle more joy into your routine.
We live in unprecedently challenging times, and worldwide events add a lot of weight on top of the personal struggles we all have at different stages of our lives. If you don’t make an effort to find yourself some joy, it’s easy to drown yourself in negativity, give up on your big dreams, and settle for an okay life that you know deep down doesn’t fulfill you.
But don’t worry! If you are reading this, it means you are on the right track to happiness, and giving up is not an option for you. You are doing yourself a big favor by intentionally looking for joy, and I admire you for that!
So let’s start by understanding what brings you joy in the first place.
Also Read: Fun stuff to buy to smile more
What brings joy in your life
The most common sources of joy in your life are your personal environment, daily self-care activities, time spent with loved ones, and inspiring events that remind you of your big exciting goals. Regularly engaging in fun activities that make you feel good is also a contributing factor to your overall happiness.
Let’s talk about all of these and look into 25 easy ways to attract joy to you!
25 easy ways to attract joy into your life
1. Surround yourself with joy
The first step for attracting joy into your life is to literally show it the way! It might be decorating your room or your workspace with little things that make you smile, finding new like-minded people to be friends with, or moving into another district where you can have peaceful walks in the park whenever you want.
The more paths you create for joy to come your way, the more doors you open around you where joy can enter, and the more hints you give to the Universe regarding what happiness means to you, the easier it is for joy to naturally flow into your life.
2. Spend time in your happy places
This one is different for everyone depending on where you live, what you enjoy doing, your personality type, and the things that always inspire you. It might be inside or outdoors, at home, or at your favorite coffee shop.
For example, one of my happy places is a local bookstore where I can spend hours exploring new books and admiring (or buying) cozy seasonal decor. The atmosphere alone brings me joy whenever I enter that place, and even the thought of going there makes me smile right now.
For my best friend, the mountains are a happy place. She jumps at every opportunity she gets to go on a hike, and she is ready to go snowboarding the moment she sees the first snowflake touch the ground.
If you don’t have a happy place, go find it ASAP! And spend time there whenever you decide you need more joy.
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3. Enjoy the little things
We always think that we need these huge things like marriage, a big salary, a new car or a house, and all kinds of ambitious achievements in order to be happy. While they can all contribute to your daily joy, don’t base your happiness on the big things only.
Allow yourself to feel joy when the sun touches your face, when you see an act of kindness, or when you simply feel warm in the moment thanks to being wrapped in a soft throw blanket. Let these, and the rest of the deep and little things we take for granted, be enough for you to be happy, regardless of your life’s big picture.
4. Take good care of yourself
It’s hard to feel joy when you are exhausted. By neglecting your mental health and putting yourself last, you allow the stress to take the reigns over your life, which can easily lead to illnesses. And sadly, there is no way you can be truly happy when you are sick, as it always affects your quality of life.
Self-care is not selfish! It’s actually essential for your well-being, as well as for the happiness of your loved ones, as you can only take good care of others when you yourself are taken care of, nourished, and loved.
5. Steer clear of toxic people
Negative people in your life have the tendency to ruin every bit of joy you manage to attract.
Staying in a toxic friendship or unhealthy relationship for too long can gradually destroy your self-esteem and hold you back from becoming the most amazing version of yourself. The sooner you realize that a person like that brings you more pain than love and accept the idea of letting them go, the happier you will be.
Be with people who support you no matter what, who love you unconditionally, whose affection you don’t need to earn, and who push you forward toward a better future instead of pulling you back into a miserable but familiar past.
6. Buy experiences, not things
While a new dress can bring you joy and make you feel beautiful, it’s usually the experiences and happy moments that we remember and reminisce on, not the things we have.
Next time you decide to treat yourself, think about a new experience instead of a new outfit!
Note: Right now you might agree with me that it’s a good idea, but in a moment you’ll keep reading and forget all about it. Don’t be that person who always reads and gets inspired but never implements anything!
Take a pause from reading this, jump to Viator or GetYourGuide, and look up the events in your area. See something that might be fun? Book it right away instead of adding it to the graveyard of forgotten browser bookmarks! You deserve that joy.
7. Learn to be in the present moment
When you are constantly worrying about the future or overthinking past events, you are missing out on so many happy moments in the present! Learn to be more present in everything you do: put away your phone when you are having a conversation, and stop multitasking all the time.
All the good things and people in your life deserve your full attention, don’t take it away from them by doing other seemingly important tasks at the same time, whether on your computer on in your head.
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8. Practice positive self-talk
If you have been a reader of the Utterly Positive blog for a while, you know I talk A LOT about the benefits of positive self-talk. If you aren’t familiar with the concept of positive affirmations or think they don’t work for you, I invite you to browse my 2500+ affirmations catalog where I have affirmations for literally everything, as well as answer the most common questions about them.
Or just start with these 50 Positive Daily Affirmations For Joy And Happiness!
9. Give presents for no reason
I don’t know about you, but I’m usually more excited about giving presents than about receiving them. It brings me so much pleasure to hunt for the perfect gift that shows how well I know this person and how much I care about them. And the look on their face when they are pleasantly surprised and genuinely love my present is always worth it!
And what brings us both even more joy, it’s the out-of-the-blue gifts nobody expects. It’s nice to “do your part” and come with a present to a birthday party, but why not cheer your favorite person up with a fun little something on a random day?
You May Also Like: 50 Positive Energy Gifts | The Ultimate Collection To Spread Joy
10. Smile more
The feeling of joy rarely comes without at least a hint of a smile on your face.
Make it a habit to show your beautiful smile to the world every day! Even if the world means the walls of your apartment on some days, or if you are the only one who sees it. Even if it means smiling through the pain.
It’s scientifically proven that smiling makes you happier and healthier, as well as does many other good things for you, so don’t hesitate to add this new habit to your everyday life. It’s so easy!
If you don’t know what to smile about, here is a list of things that make me smile that should inspire at least some smiling on your side!
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11. Declutter your workspace
You might have heard the idea that a cluttered desk leads to a cluttered mind.
Too many unorganized things around you create a lot of informational noise that makes you fatigued and less productive. Aim to keep your workspace clean at all times so your eye only catches two kinds of things: the ones you need for the current task and the ones that bring you joy, as mentioned in the first point.
12. Keep your dreams alive
Your dreams are important! They give you enough fuel to keep you working every day so your current life can transform into the best-life-ever.
Don’t ever let yourself give up on your big dreams by making ridiculous excuses about why you can’t have them. Don’t deprive yourself of the joy of fulfilling your dream. Enjoy the journey!
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13. Meet with people who inspire you
There are only limited sources of joy inside of you right now. By meeting new people, you can uncover new ways of being happy you never knew existed, and even reach the happiness levels you never thought you were capable of.
Positive-minded people not only inspire you to be your best self, but they also help you reinvent yourself and come up with an action plan whenever you feel behind in life.
14. Fill your heart with gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful feeling that can make even the poorest person feel joy.
Check out these resources I have created for you to tap into the power of gratitude:
- 100 Things To Be Grateful For: The Ultimate Gratitude List
- 10 Best Gratitude Journals With Prompts To Feel Grateful Everyday
- 99 Gratitude Affirmations To Transform Your Life For The Better
- 100 Best Quotes For The Attitude Of Gratitude
15. Challenge yourself
Sometimes even the most interesting life can feel boring and you get sick of your routine. When it happens, find a way to wake yourself up with some kind of personal challenge.
If you get stuck inside too much, challenge yourself to have daily walks for 30 days in a row. If you notice you eat too much junk, challenge yourself to not eat anything with sugar for 30 days. If you don’t appreciate your life at the moment, try my free 7-day gratitude challenge.
Find something that sparks your interest and stick to it for 30 days, even if just for kicks. It might be enough to get you out of a rut and inspire some fresh ideas.
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16. Say Yes more often
How many times have you ever said No to new things or invitations because you were “too busy” or didn’t feel like it? How many potentially interesting experiences have you missed out on because you convinced yourself that you better do something else instead?
Being an introvert, I know the feeling of being left out when I see my friends on social media having fun together without me. I also know that whenever I push myself and say Yes to something, I end up having a great time, even if I didn’t wanna go at first.
Maybe next time you think of an excuse to not go, shove that thought back to where it came from, say Yes, and see what happens?
17. Say No more often
You might think that this one contradicts the previous one, but it doesn’t.
Saying No is a very important skill for all people who value their time. It’s especially crucial if you know yourself as a people-pleaser.
Maybe next time someone asks you a favor, try putting yourself first and saying No, even if you don’t have a good reason or something else to do. Let them judge you however much they want, but don’t blame yourself for a moment! Taking care of yourself doesn’t make you a bad person.
You May Also Like: 7 Positive Affirmations For Self-Care And Self-Acceptance
18. Make a vision board
Creating a vision board for myself is no doubt one of my favorite exercises to attract more joy!
I create a new one every year, and sometimes update it or make a new one mid-year if life changes its course. I have it clipped on the wall grid panel in my home office, as well as use it as a desktop background on my laptop. I also have an inspiration board where I keep all my big dreams and really exciting goals as a reminder.
The process of making a vision board and looking at it every day both bring me joy. And taking down the pics of an already achieved goal gives me a whole wave of happiness every time!
19. Listen to guided meditations
You might be familiar with meditation as sitting quietly and counting your breath but guided meditations bring a whole new level to it. A good guide takes your mind places you are unlikely to take yourself and helps you relax your body more deeply.
Staying focused on someone’s voice prevents your mind from wandering around as much, which is a very common issue among meditation beginners (and the reason people think meditation isn’t for them!).
Some guided meditations I find on Youtube leave me feeling magical and super inspired afterward. Others aren’t so good. Try different guides, find a voice you enjoy listening to, and you’ll unleash a whole new magical world upon yourself!
20. Plan fun activities in advance
One good way to attract joy is to give yourself something to look forward to.
But an even better way is to actually attend that thing you’ve looked forward to for so long!
If you are someone who is always busy and always postponing fun activities, it’s time to prioritize yourself. Block the time in your calendar for a relaxing bubble bath, a walk in the park, or a fun date with yourself. Make it non-negotiable, and don’t do anything else in that time period.
You deserve some fun!
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21. Sing like nobody is listening
I’m not saying you should go on stage and perform, unless you enjoy that.
I’m saying turn that music on and set yourself free every once in a while!
Find some alone time, sing in the shower, or sing in your car if you are never alone. Or make it one of the activities for a self-care party with your best friends. Whichever way you like it, put your favorite playlist on and sing along!
It’s scientifically proven that singing makes us happy, so don’t deny yourself those several minutes of pure joy. Let your hair down!
Which leads me to the next best thing.
22. Dance it out
I learned the concept of “dancing it out” when stressed from Grey’s Anatomy, and what a great idea that is! Whether or not you have ever watched these series, try and dance it out the next time you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or stuck in a slump.
Dancing brings you joy in the process and also helps manage stress in more ways than you can count!
23. Hug more
They say you need at least eight hugs a day to feel happy. Personally, I would recommend more than that.
Hugging your favorite people instantly releases a bunch of neurotransmitters in your brain that are also known as “happiness hormones”. I can’t even imagine hugging my husband and not feeling joy at that moment.
And if you don’t have anyone to hug, get yourself a body pillow! They come in all kinds of shapes and forms, from a cute cat and a peaceful llama to a freaking funny baguette! Choose the one that instantly makes you smile, and you’ll have double joy!
24. Make a bucket list… or several
If you don’t know what a bucket list is, it’s originally the list of things you wanna do before you die.
Think skydiving, running a marathon, visiting every continent, meeting your grandchildren, and so on.
Making a bucket list makes you think deeper, understand what you really want to do in life, and maybe recall some forgotten big dreams from your childhood.
Other than the traditional bucket list, you can have seasonal bucket lists, a food bucket list to try, or a travel bucket list of places you wanna visit.
Of course, don’t just list it and forget it. Start adding all those things as goals one by one and start crossing them out today! You never know how much time you have left, so why risk never doing any of that?
25. Try daily journaling
Accumulated negative emotions and self-inflicted limitations often block us from attracting joy the way we deserve it. Journaling can help release all your worries from your head onto paper and let it all go.
It also helps you put things into perspective and understand yourself better by writing answers to some deeper questions.
You can try it out with my positivity prompts or gratitude journaling prompts, or grab a guided journal that walks you through the prompts and exercises to create a happy life like this one.
Final thoughts on how to attract joy into your life
These were my 25 ideas for attracting joy and happiness into your life! I really hope that you found something you haven’t tried before and that I gave you some ideas for bringing more joy into your own life.
Let me know in the comments which way of attracting joy is your favorite, whether from this list or something that you do yourself to be happier.
