Maura Sweeney spends her time teaching others how to be happy, stronger and more confident. You can find Maura on her blog, Maura 4 U, where she asks insightful questions to help you discover your hidden talents.

How to be Happy Again

[clickToTweet tweet=”“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi” quote=”“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi”]

Are you happy and in harmony or do you suffer from the anxiety of discord? Looking for how to be happy again?

If the forms and substance of your world spiral out of synch, perhaps it’s time for a Happiness Reset. A Happiness Reset restores personal harmony even as it reminds us to be emotionally empowered adults.

Recently I was moved by the image of two people whose faces and, more importantly, emotional unease, inspired my latest musings.

I last bumped into this attractive, affluent couple at a social event several months ago. As we chatted over wine and cheese, I was struck by their unease. They grappled with recent news reports that challenged their world and its institutions. This otherwise upbeat pair was visibly and verbally upset.

Though I don’t know them intimately, I’m sufficiently acquainted with their idealism. Their childlike trust in experts and authorities was called into question. They suddenly sought external help for an internal problem.

At some level they struggled to come to terms with a revised version of reality. Fear and anxiety brimmed over. Feelings of betrayal and the awareness that their ordered cosmos possessed some serious chinks. They wanted a stabilizer to assuage their sense of imbalance. They needed a leader who could bring order to their feelings of vulnerability.

These two people reflected the increasingly shaky sentiments I’ve encountered from others of late. Confronting a disconnect between forms they’d trusted in and the apparent lack of substance behind them, these individuals hoped to find a quick salve for their present unease.

3 Tips to a Happiness Reset

We suffer when our established world, the one in which we faithfully believed, begins to unravel or fray. Whether encountered in public arenas or within the confines of our private lives, discordant factors can cause us to feel victimized or motivated to blame and attack others.

But we can alternately use such moments of disharmony as a launching pad. Viewed through a more positive lens, we can employ them as opportunities for personal growth and empowerment.

Here are my three tips for creating internal peace and harmony when the world around us splits into its latest levels of distress.

Find Focus

Focus on what you have control over, not what you don’t. If you are a reactor to life’s curve balls, use your current unease as an opportune time to gain control over your thought life and your outlook. Instead of feeling disempowered, focus on your blessings, your available opportunities and the creation of fresh ideas.

Find Forgiveness

If you’re a blamer, choose forgiveness instead. Most of us avoid looking life squarely in the face. A willingness to open our eyes to neglected areas of life can help us off-load heavy burdens and free ourselves to enjoy greater well-being. Take time to reflect upon the sources of your discomfort. Be bold enough to forgive yourself, forgive others and forgive life circumstances, too. Though not easy, your willingness to forgive will return light to your darkness and restore equilibrium to your foundations.

Find Fun

Fun is your fast track button to happiness. When confronted with fear, anger or frustration, we often react with destructive, rather than constructive, behaviors that keep us in the murky spaces we loathe. Instead, choose to engage in activities that enliven your spirit, remove you from the mire and make you laugh out loud. Find fun in simple things like an impromptu dance, play a board game with friends or take a bike ride in the fresh outdoors. When initiated, fun will restore your smile and naturally raise your emotions.

The next time you feel the world around you rage or like the cosmos will split in two, be encouraged and empowered by activating a Happiness Reset.

As Mahatma Gandhi notes (shared above), you’ll find personal happiness when what you think, what you say and what you do are all harmonized within you!

Watch this piece on these three tips, as well, for a more personal perspective.

I wish you a better world from the inside out.

For further discussion about a Happiness Reset and how to be happy again, watch this episode of Women Unscripted.

In need of a serious life adjustment? Check out my Foundations of Happiness eCourse.