When you find it hard to be happy it can be downright - well, depressing. Nobody likes to be unhappy and feel down and no one wants to get stuck in that feeling for a long period of time. That's why finding ways to be happy is important.

If you want to be happy then you have to do something to make that happen. You can't just sit around and dwell on wanting to be happy! Sometimes you have to go out and force yourself to be happy, and sometimes all you have to do is change your focus to be happy. Either way, take action and get yourself out of the non-productive funk of sadness and find a way to start to feel better.

10 Different Ways to Be Happy

1. Change the Way You Think

If you are constantly thinning about the future or the past then it can be easy to get stuck in a rut of being unhappy. Why? Because living in the past puts your focus on regret and living in the future puts your focus on anxiety and worry. How can you be happy when you are regretful, anxious, or worried?

The solution is to focus on the present. Live in the moment. Take joy in the day that you are living and appreciate that there may not be a tomorrow to worry about. When you live in the present you focus on things that bring you happiness and you recognize the blessings that you have right now.

Many people who experience near death or a tragedy will automatically pick up this mind-set of living in the moment. They enjoy what they have and they stop taking life for granted. Don't wait until tragedy strikes to get into this mind-set. Enjoy today...today.

2. Use a Journal or Gratitude Journal

I personally think that any kind of journal writing is good for you. It lets you see your thoughts on paper and judge whether they are really worthy of being upset about. Sometimes after a horrible day I'll write down the things I thought made me upset and I will end up laughing about how silly they really are. Writing in a journal can put things into perspective.

A gratitude journal on the other hand should not be about the bad things in your day, but rather it should only be about the things you are grateful for in your day. It can allow you to quickly see how many blessings you have that you didn't notice before, and the effect of that awareness can overfill into your next day and the next day after that.

3. Decide What Matters Most in Life

A great way to really see what's important in your life is to picture yourself at the end of your life. Decide whether that little misunderstanding or that rude person is going to matter when you look back at your life. Chances are that they are not.

The things that matter in life are happiness, love, and peace. Feeling good about yourself and treating others with respect and love should be things that you strive to do every day. When you look back on your life wouldn't you rather see a life full of purpose that was enjoyed to its fullest? In the end that's what really matters - that you saw the good and enjoyed it while you could.

4. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

It's so easy to get worked up over little things and let them drag you into a pit of unhappiness, but if you want to be happy in life you have to learn to let go of the little things and move past them. If you hold onto them too tight then they can turn into bigger things or wasted time in your life.

For example, if you get cut off in traffic do not make it into an issue of gigantic proportions. You are not doing yourself any good by blowing up over the incident and it may cause you to waste your time complaining about the situation. You don't know if that person was racing to see their dying father or if they were just a jerk. Either way, don't let them affect your day, week, or life.

5. Get it Over With

If you are not happy because you have to do something that you don't want to do, and there is no way out of it, then don't drag it on forever - instead get it over with! Procrastination can drain your energy and exhaust your mind. When you think and worry about something that you have to do you are causing yourself to be unhappy. Take action, avoid procrastination, and be happy.

6. Change up Your Life

If you are not happy with your daily life then try changing up your routine. Life can become somewhat of a chore when you are doing things that don't make you happy day after day, but if change up your life and do things that cause you to be happy then you don't have to worry about that.

If you ever find yourself saying "I hate doing this" then you may need to stop doing whatever you are doing. So many people say that's easier said than done, but that's not true. If you hate doing your job then why can't you go out and find another job? Why do you have to stay in your job for your entire life if you hate it? You can't be happy if you hate doing what you are doing - in any area of your life, so don't do what you hate. Only do what you love.

7. Don't Compare Yourself

Do you find that you feel like you are not good enough? This is probably because you are comparing yourself to other people. For instance, if your neighbor gets a new boat do you feel as though in order to be happy you need to get something similar if not the same? This is common. It's called trying to keep up with what we think will make us happy.

The truth is you will not be happy because you are like someone else or because you have what someone else has. That's not happiness. That's called cloning. Happiness is enjoying what you have and understanding that you are perfect the way you are. When you understand that, and feel it, you will really be happy.

8. Add No To Your Vocabulary

This has allowed me to be happy in ways I couldn't understand before. Instead of saying yes to something that I absolutely did not want to do or have time for I've learned to say no, and this has reduced my stress, allowed me to feel like I'm standing up for myself, and most importantly gotten me out of some dreadful situations. Don't be scared to say no if you don't want to do something. People will understand that you are not always at their beck and call, and if they don't then they are probably yes people themselves and are jealous of you being able to say no.

9. Appreciate Your Relationships

Whether you are married, in a relationship, or just have some of the best friends in the world, appreciate your relationships. Your closest allies are there to help you be happy and feel good about yourself and the more you appreciate them and nurture those relationship the happier you can be.

10. Don't Bottle Up Your Emotions

There are a lot of people who don't react to situations that demand reactions. If you are one of these people then you have to know that bottling up your emotions so that nobody has to deal with them but you is not the way to be happy. Trying to pretend that you are dealing with everything okay is not going to make everything be okay! Holding in emotions is a good way to raise your stress level and blood pressure, and it can also cause health problems in your life if you do it too often.

Instead of bottling up your emotions try writing them down in a journal, crying, screaming into your pillow, or just talking it out with a close friend. You will feel better the instant you get the emotion out of you and you will find it easier to be happy after an emotional event.