When homing in on how to be happier, it’s easier to concentrate on all the negatives you need to eliminate in your life: Toxic positivity, comparing yourself to others, those weekly phone calls from your mother-in-law. Weeding out unpleasant things can help, but it’s just as important to take an additive approach and think of small things you could add to your life to boost your spirits. With that in mind, we recently asked our readers to share the one thing they started doing daily (or in some cases weekly) that made them considerably happier.
See what they had to say below. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Picking up the phone at least once a day to call a family member.
“I always check in with my Grandma Gail. Even if the conversations are lighthearted, they deepen our bond and understanding of each other. It’s amazing how something as simple as connecting with a loved one in this way can bring such joy and fulfillment to my life.
” ― Kim Murstein, co-host of the Excuse My Grandma podcast Before I go to sleep, I put my phone to bed, too. “I established an electronics curfew! No social media, internet scrolling or any device for the hour before I go to bed.” ― Stacy B.
“About three years ago I stopped plugging my phone in next to my bed at night. It has made a world of difference in my sleep and mental health. Now my phone gets charged in the kitchen next to the coffee pot and I don’t look at it right before bed or first thing .