23 things to give up to live happily
Achieving happiness involves, among other things, giving up toxic habits.
Being happy is one of the main objectives that human beings have, which is why many studies have been conducted to find out what makes people happy. Well, science is clear: there are activities, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes that determine how we feel.
Many times, without realizing it, we fail to be happy because we make mistakes or perform toxic habits that affect us negatively. Happiness consists, in part, in renouncing.
Things we must give up to live happily
In the following lines you can find a list of thoughts and behaviors that we must correct to enjoy greater well-being and be happier.
1. Renounce perfectionism
Perfectionism may seem like a positive thing because we may associate it with the idea of wanting to do things in the best possible way. But perfectionist beliefs cause great discomfort in people, since they cause us to have expectations that are too high, often unattainable.They cause us to have expectations that are too high, often unattainable. Extreme perfectionism and happiness are not compatible, because this way of thinking produces anxiety, depression, low self-esteem...
You can learn more about this phenomenon in this article: "Perfectionist personality: the disadvantages of perfectionism".
2 Renounces hatred, anger and revenge
It is normal to feel hatred and anger at some point in our life, for example, when our partner leaves us. But this feeling, which can be part of the breakup phases, cannot control our life. There is nothing positive in feeling hatred towards others. and wanting revenge can actually complicate things and make us feel even worse. Don't let hate and anger control you.
3. Give up letting others decide for you.
Humans are social beings, and we often want to make a good impression on others. But you cannot let these thoughts dominate you, as they will make you tremendously unhappy. Happiness is achieved by knowing yourself and fighting for what you like.
4. Give up the idea of always having the absolute truth
Although sometimes it is hard to recognize it, we are not always right. If we want to be happy we must be tolerant with others and respect their opinions and freedoms, which allows us to create a climate of tolerance necessary for everyone to express themselves without getting frustrated. We must also be self-criticalin the sense of recognizing our own mistakes when we make them.
5. Renounce the past
To be happy it is necessary to connect with oneself in the present moment. We can no longer live in the past, so it does not make much sense to live anchored in previous moments of our life if not to learn from them. Being in the here and now with all our senses is crucial..
6. Give up being too hard on yourself
It is also normal that many people are very hard on themselves, that they blame themselves for everything and that, in the face of failures, they recreate themselves in what could have gone wrong. It is possible to learn from mistakes, and things will not always turn out well for us. To have the certainty that there are ways to get up after a fall is what will help us to be happy.
7. Renounce negative thinking
When we do not accept that sometimes we can fail, negative thoughts invade our mind. We value ourselves negatively and our self-esteem and self-confidence are shaken. This causes us to be paralyzed instead of moving..
8. Give up complaining
Complaining out of habit does not solve anything. If we don't like something about ourselves or a situation, we have to do our part to deal with the problem. Simply complaining is nothing more than a way of not confronting reality and, therefore, makes us unhappy.
9. Give up your need for control
People who are obsessed with controlling all the events in their lives suffer from what is known as generalized anxiety. suffer from what is known as generalized anxiety, and it is that it is not possible to be happy if we want everything to be perfect. Imperfection is important in our life and, therefore, it is necessary to let go of excess control.
10. Give up the fear of uncertainty
Too much control can lead us to fear uncertainty, to be uncomfortable in those situations in which we are far from our situations in which we are far from our comfort zone.t. If we want to grow as people and be happy, we need to take a step forward and not be afraid of uncertainty.
11. Give up avoiding to face problems
The resistance to face problems is one of the characteristics of a weak personality, because it is easier to blame the environment or others than to assume that perhaps something we did could have worsened our situation. Facing problems is the key to happiness and to set ourselves in motion to solve them.
12. Give up thinking about what others think of you.
Spending the day thinking about what others will think of you can be very tiring, so avoid continually thinking about what others will think of you. avoid continually thinking about how to give a great, flawless image to others. in the eyes of others. For example, uploading pictures of your vacation to get other people's admiration.
- This behavior can be negative for many reasons. You can check it out in this article: "Tips to stop thinking about what others think of you".
13. Give up the barriers you impose on yourself to change.
Resistance to change is a phenomenon that people can experience and that is also closely related to the comfort zone. is closely related to the comfort zone and the anxiety produced by uncertainty.. Likewise, low self-confidence is also related to resistance to change. That is why you can follow a series of steps to improve your self-confidence and empower yourself to transform your life.
14. Give up blaming others
Excusing yourself by blaming others is a waste of time, because it does not allow you to move forward. When you blame others for your failures you do not take responsibility and you do not steer your life in the direction you want to go. To be happy you must be in charge of your life, and this means possessing the ability to be responsible.
15. Renounce self-blame
Just because you don't blame others doesn't mean you should blame yourself and crush your self-esteem. You should be aware that there are good and bad moments in life, which will allow you to adopt a positive attitude.This will allow you to adopt a positive attitude towards change.
16. Relinquish emotional attachment
Emotions have an adaptive function in our life, and that is why they are and have been useful for the development of our species. But not knowing how to manage these emotions correctly can have a negative influence on our well-being. That is why it is necessary to know how to identify and regulate them. it is necessary to know how to identify and regulate themWe must therefore know how to identify and regulate them, so that we can live in harmony with ourselves and with others.
Emotional attachment in itself is not a bad thing.However, individuals do not only become attached to other people, but also to objects and, even worse, to our own narratives, which is called the "conceptual self". Knowing how to detach from emotions is possible if we have the ability to observe, live in the present, adopt a non-judgmental mindset and treat ourselves with compassion.
17. Renounce fear
Fear is a very adaptive emotion, but when it is irrational it can be incapacitating. when it is irrational it can be disabling and cause tremendous discomfort. and cause tremendous discomfort. Overcoming fear is necessary to be happy.
18. Renounce procrastination
Procrastination is the opposite of the phrase "don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today". It is an excuse and, therefore, it makes you an unproductive person. an unproductive person.. This can cause problems for your well-being. For example, when you feel stressed because you have accumulated tasks for not doing them in due time.
19. Renounce prejudices
Prejudices can make you a miserable person, especially in cases where you are sexist, racist, etc. According to a study by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), people with prejudices are at a disadvantage, people with prejudices are at a social disadvantage.They do not learn anything new and often miss out on opportunities.
21. Refrain from judging others
Some individuals spend a lot of time worrying about what is going on in other people's lives. This behavior is harmful and a waste of time. Better to spend time on ourselves and our happiness, as well as developing as a person.
22. Give up irrational expectations.
If living in the past is bad, so is living in the future. Moreover, if we have irrational expectations, the consequences for our emotional health can be devastating. However, having goals in life is motivating, as long as they are realistic.as long as they are realistic.
23. Renounce social impositions
Social impositions (not laws) can cause a lot of suffering to people. The canon of beauty, getting married almost by obligation, not being able to have liberal relationships... are some of the predominant beliefs of society.... are some beliefs that predominate in society and are labeled as "good". The behaviors associated with these beliefs are socially accepted. But social impositions do not let us be ourselves and can affect our well-being. As long as you don't do anything to anyone, you reflect on these beliefs and act based on your true desires.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)