So many people are constantly searching for happiness outside themselves, instead of within.

They look to outside forces to try and fulfill the lack of joy they feel inside. They’re just surviving—not living.

Five reasons why you may be struggling to feel true happiness:

1. Lack of Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most important practices you can take the time to do every day.

This practice will have you living in a higher vibration and seeing life from a thankful perspective, and not in a lower vibrational “victim” state consciousness.

Practicing gratitude in each moment is super-dooper amazing, but when you’re starting out, finding just one thing a day can help you shift your thought patterns and consciousness to a more positive and high-vibe state.

It is helpful to do this in the morning when you wake up and also at the end of your day—to consciously acknowledge what you felt you were truly thankful for. Starting simple is key here. The simpler the things we feel grateful for, the more humble and grounded we can become.

So many of us lack a healthy gratitude practice. There is so much to be thankful for all the time, and when we fail to recognize this, we stay stuck in fear and negativity.

Just the fact that you’re able to read this with your functioning eyes, while connected to the internet, in your house is a start. It’s a luxury a lot of people don’t have.

When you start this practice, you will notice so much wonder around you constantly, and you’ll shift your consciousness to a more loving, peaceful state.

2. Unhealthy Perception of Life

It is easy to let life get you down, and it takes effort to turn it around.

Seeing terrible things happen all over the world is definitely upsetting. Things happening in your own life that feel unjust are also upsetting.

But contrary to that, there are infinite amazing things happening all around us that we choose not to look at.

It is good to have some idea what is happening in the world; however, watching the unhealthy and constant looping of drama and negativity in the news is one thing that could be making you stay in an unhealthy perception of reality.

We need to find a way to shift out of the unhealthy perceptions of life.

Here are some tips on how you can shift:

>> Stop watching a lot of news.

>> Find a good cause to support by donating or, better still, volunteering.

>> Occasionally research online what good things have happened that day or week or year.

>> Having a gratitude practice.

3. Having Unresolved Trauma 

If you haven’t made peace with it by now, you may need some help to shift it. Find a trusted professional who can help you process your past so you can get on with your life in a positive way. Yes, it’s hard, but what’s harder? Staying there or going there, ripping the Band-aid off and releasing it to become free?

We may sometimes feel a false sense of security in the way we are living, just because that’s what we are used to, but the truth is we are suffering every day anyway. This affects our mind, body, and spirit. It becomes a multilayered issue and chips away at your joy bit by bit.

So when you are ready to move on, draw a line in the sand, roll up your sleeves, and say, “I’m ready to be free.” It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

4. Lack of Positive Mindset Training

Like going to the gym for the health of our physical body, we need to go to the mental gym for the health of our minds. You deserve a healthy, happy mind. 

Many of us have learned unhealthy perceptions, conditioning, and programming from our families, peers, and society, so it is important to be open to expansion and growth.

If we look at children and their childlike ways, we can learn so much from their effortless joy and presence. They naturally know how to be light, carefree, and happy.

We learn corrupted thoughts over time, and the goal is to undo all that and eventually get to a place where we are teaching our kids to stay as they are as much as possible.

Building brain muscle by attending seminars, doing minicourses, reading, listening to podcasts, following inspiring people on social media, and even gratitude helps to build our brain muscle by consistently tapping into positive resources that can help us reinforce positive perspective and thought.

If we aren’t learning, we aren’t growing. There is a plethora of free information out there to tap into.
How blessed are we with the internet?

So get searching, learning, shifting, and growing. 

5. Not Living in the Present

Living in the present means that we don’t think about yesterday; we don’t think about tomorrow; we don’t even think about five minutes from now. We just live in a state of pure presence, squeezing the life-juice out of every moment.

This is living.

A good tip when practicing this is to practice meditation. Meditation can be practiced by a sitting or lying down, guided practice, or just living in presence and noticing every detail of that moment to its fullest.

For example, when going for a walk, you can try and notice as many sounds, smells, feelings, and sights as you can.

The more of this you practice, the more you will learn to live in joy because you are noticing everything life has to offer you in each moment.

Living in the moment, along with the other points listed above, will help turn that inner frown upside down.

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