6 Ways To Be Content With What You Have in Life

When we cling to the past, we prevent ourselves from enjoying the present moment.

When we worry about an uncertain future, it distracts us from fully embracing and making the most of what is happening today.

In other words, a glass-half-empty view of life creates an ongoing sense of dissatisfaction that is stressful and depressing, and unhealthy.

Why do we worry about things that haven’t happened and may never happen? Why do we cling to the past and let it shape our present-day experience? And what can we do to be happier right now, regardless of whether things are going well or not so well in life?

Here are six ways to help yourself stay content — instead of constantly worrying, dwelling on past regrets, or struggling to change the future.

1. Focus less on the past and more on the present.

If something negative happened in the past, try not to keep it in your mind or dwell on it. We all make mistakes, but the key is to learn from them and not allow them to bring you down.

The past is over and done with, so there’s nothing you can do about it now. If something happened today that wasn’t so great, try to accept that this one moment in time isn’t going to affect the rest of your life.

2. Use your imagination to picture what you want, not what you have.

The key to being happier is to visualize and imagine having the things you would love to have in your life, like a wonderful relationship or career success. In other words, concentrate on the positive and don’t overwhelm yourself with thinking about all your problems.

And when you look at the future, picture what you want to achieve or how you want your life to be, instead of visualizing how it might not turn out.

3. Spend time doing things you enjoy rather than worrying about others’ opinions of you.

Walk in the park, being mindful of the things around you. Take a relaxing bubble bath or go for a long run. Listen to your favorite music or read a great book.

The point here is to get back in touch with yourself, your surroundings, and your feelings. Doing something enjoyable will reduce the stress you feel and help you absorb yourself at the moment.

4. Give yourself a break.

If you’re disappointed about something, permit yourself to feel sad or upset for a little while, and then move on. Don’t beat yourself up and tell yourself you should be over it by now — this will only make the negative emotions stronger and last longer.

When you feel better, focus your attention on doing something positive that can lead to a happier purpose in life.

5. Share your feelings with others and seek their perspective.

Talk to a friend or loved one about what you’re feeling in your mind, body, and spirit without beating yourself up for thinking badly. You know yourself better than anyone else can — you’ll be surprised at what he or she will say that will help you feel better!

Share your thoughts and feelings with another person other than yourself so they, in turn, can share what they believe would help.

6. Accept what you cannot change.

Don’t let yourself become frustrated about not being able to change something in your life or about anything that’s happened to you in the past. At the same time, accept that changing it would require more than you have right now if something did happen to you.

So just accept and move on with your life — your future is still bright and full of promise.

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You can be content no matter what difficult situation or challenges come your way. It’s not easy, but you can change old habits and thoughts with a little effort, so they don’t interfere with your daily life and cause you more stress.

Greedily wishing for things to be different than in the present moment will only make you unhappy. When we reduce our expectations, we stop comparing the present with what might have been or what might be in the future.

We need to put ourselves into the present moment and focus on the here and now. We can enjoy and be happy in whatever way we choose.

To be content with what you have in life is always better than being discontent and wanting more than you need.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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