Steps to becoming a happier person

[Cheesus333]

I don't know if it's been the weather, or GCSE's, or falling out of touch with friends but lately I've been struggling to make myself happy. Usually, just sticking on some music and sitting down with a game, or a book, or a pen and paper would do the trick pretty nicely but now even that's only exacerbating the problem if anything. What I'm asking you Escapists, if you'll indulge me with a little wisdom, is how I can make myself a happier, more optimistic and more pleasant person.

Like I mentioned, I'd got a lot of GCSE exams coming up in quick succession so time is something of a limited resource for me, but I'll accept any helpful suggestions that don't require a particularly massive amount of time. Things I do for hobbies at the moment are gaming, writing, drawing and reading if you've got something I can build upon.

Thank you very much in advance for any help you can give.

 

[Erana]

Number 1: Take care of yourself. Eat right, get sleep, get some excersize, etc. Its hard with tons of studying, but by how efficient one can be in good physical condition can out weigh the time spent on it.

Also, what helped me in college was to get a change in scenery. Go to a new coffee shop, study in the library, hang out at a friend's place. I don't know why, but it would improve my mood every time.

 

[Robin Williams]

Number 1: Take care of yourself. Eat right, get sleep, get some excersize, etc. Its hard with tons of studying, but by how efficient one can be in good physical condition can out weigh the time spent on it.

Also, what helped me in college was to get a change in scenery. Go to a new coffee shop, study in the library, hang out at a friend's place. I don't know why, but it would improve my mood every time.

Definitely strong advice. If you find you are leaning more and more towards negativity, you need to find ways of reseting your brain. For example, if your about to sit down and read go take a shower and then go out and read at the park (Or if you live somewhere that is fucking cold like I do half of the year go to the newest library in driving distance as it will have lots of space to read and plants and such) Depending on your finances go pick up some new clothes/rearrange your furniture/clean out your room, rearranging furniture actually helps a lot because it resets your settings and gives you a different view on whats around you so the back of your mind doesn't dwell on negative things from the past.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Heroine and bitches my friend, heroine and bitches.

Get out of here.

As for OP... chances are, you're going to be bummed out for a bit. Stress induced unhappiness is not uncommon, but its a ***** and a half to shake.

My suggestion would be to just grin and bear it. Push through, get what you have to do done, and then sit back and relax. Stress is the human response to a job not yet done, and satisfaction is the response to a job well done.

 

[Palindromes]

Heroine and bitches my friend, heroine and bitches.

Oh man that made me laugh quite a bit, hehe.

Seriously though; try getting out and doing something. I know it can be difficult with exams and the like. Try to do something with your friends, take care of yourself and socialize more.

I was in an awful mood several months ago due to some girl problems. I spent a few nights over at a friends house with some people I could trust. We had fun and I left feeling back to my normal self again.

Also, do what Robin Williams and Erana said, try to change your enviroment.

 

[dmase]

Stop giving a fuck. Now its hard to stop giving a fuck about everything and some people don't know how to use it correctly but if you don't give a fuck life will... present itself to you.

This happened in your social life, oh fucking well. Bad grades, fuck, egh next time. Bad day at work, shit, at least i can go home now.

Problem is you need to learn to combine this with motivation to do stuff. Like still wanna go out, still wanna study, and still wanna work hard. The consequences just need to stop having so much sway over the big picture because its only one mistake or step back in a life that is constantly progressing.

 

[Brandon237]

Sleep, that is incredibly important. Without enough sleep, I get irritated very fast.
Make sure you are comfortable and looked after, eat well and relax a little.
See people who you know you will have a good time with, that always leaves me feeling better.

I hope that helps

 

[kaioshade]

Exams are always tough on a person. There is tons of studying, much less socialization, and you generally feel like crap. Once the exams are over, celebrate, treat yourself to a game, go out with some friends, go see a movie. Go take a walk in a park. Nature can be very calming.