Things That Make Me Happy: 100 Simple Joys in Daily Life
I wish someone had told me this when I started my healing journey, that it doesn’t always have to be about unlearning something or constantly fixing yourself. Part of the journey is also about letting yourself enjoy your life and allowing good moments to exist without overthinking them.
When you grow up in dysfunction and working towards unlearning some patterns, it can feel like you always have to be working on yourself and constantly unpacking, always unlearning, and always healing. But part of being a cycle breaker is learning to engage in and savor good moments.
This is a list of 100 super simple things that make me happy. They aren’t goals or checklist items, but just a reminder that joy and growth can both coexist. Noticing the small moments is part of the work, too.
It is liberating to know that happiness doesn’t have to be this big thing you constantly have to work towards. Sometimes it’s just something that you can create and let happen for yourself.
Despite the circumstances, you deserve to feel moments of happiness (and relief). This isn’t about escaping the challenges, but helping you navigate them more effectively. You may wonder how a list of things that make me happy can help you. Reading someone else’s list can sometimes help you realize your own sources of happiness without forcing it.
It’s the little things that can make the most difference, and as you read this list, I encourage you to consider what brings you happiness and how to weave small pleasures into your daily life.
So, let’s get into the list of 100 things that make me happy.
Why I Made a List of 100 Things That Make Me Happy?
These 100 things are like a big self-care hug- my personal happiness toolkit. It helps my mental health, and when I am feeling down, I look at this list for inspiration.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family, I was conditioned into survival mode. My focus was always on what I needed to get through, what needed fixing, or what I needed to manage. Now, as an adult who is no longer in survival mode, I realized I need to practice something different.
I started small by just keeping a list of what brought me joy. When I was overwhelmed, anxious, or simply wanting to make space for joy, I came back to this list. It helps me slow down, shift gears, and get used to doing things without a goal.
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Things That Make Me Happy List:
Here are 100 little things that make me happy:
1. Morning silence
2. Spending time with my sisters
3. Lifting weights
4. Going on a drive with the windows down
5. Randomly finding money
6. Random act of kindness from a stranger
7. Taking a nap without setting an alarm
8. Reading a good book
9. Working on a Puzzle
10. Playing with dogs
11. Listening to the sound of rain
12. Journaling
13. Hugs from my partner
14. Harry Potter marathon during the holidays
15. Not setting an alarm
16. Candles
17. Hot pilates class
18. Being appreciated for my efforts
19. Pizza nights
20. When someone compliments my outfit
21. Iced coffee
22. Gym clothes
23. A good therapy session
24. Learning about my parent’s upbringing (especially happy ones)
25. Changing colors of fall leaves
26. Homemade meal
27. Trying a new hobby
28. A warm bowl of ramen
29. A clean space
30. Compliment from a stranger
31. Going to a support group
32. FaceTime with my best friend
33. Tea time with in-laws
34. Playing a game on my phone
35. Meditation
36. Reading a positive comment on my social media
37. Getting handwritten letters
38. Feeling the warmth of sunshine on my skin
39. Sun sparkling on the water
40. Binge-watching a good show
41. Cooking a meal for someone
42. Sounds of ocean waves
43. Listening to uplifting music
44. Watching a funny movie
45. Listening to a motivational speech
46. Being able to manage my emotional response
47. Practicing affirmations
48. Setting a small goal and achieving it
49. Practicing self-compassion
50. Digital detox day
51. Being in nature
52. A day without plans
53. Daydreaming
54. Going to bed without setting an alarm
55. Hitting 10k steps
56. The feeling of letting go
57. Seeing my clients make positive changes and progress in their personal growth
58. Having a healthy work-life balance
59. Planning a self-care day
60. Sleeping through the night
61. Playing card games with my family
62. Creating a routine
63. Learning a new skill
64. Listening to music while riding a bike
65. Long walks with my husband
66. Cooking with my mom
67. Strolling through the library for a new book
68. Witnessing little things that make people smile
69. A deep breath
70. Tea time with my sisters
71. Going to an ACA meeting
72. Taking a weekend trip
73. Going to my pilates class
74. Tidy spaces
75. Taco Tuesdays
76. My mom’s rice and dal on a cold day
77. Solo date
78. Watching a childhood favorite movie
79. Watching Koffee with Karan
80. Uno cards with my husband
81. Life chats with my in-laws
82. Buying candles
83. A good book with coffee at a cafe
84. Going through old photo albums
85. Hitting a PR in the gym
86. Buying a new journal
87. Organizing my calendar
88. Being able to observe my thoughts without judgment
89. Practicing a new coping technique
90. Engaging in regular self-care
91. Flipping to the last page of a good book
92. Being able to empathize
93. Gratitude
94. Making mindful choices
95. Setting a boundary
96. Soothing my inner child
97. Sitting in my blue chair
98. My office
99. Coping with my emotions in a healthy way 100. A long bath
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Why You Should Explore Things That Make You Happy?
So why should you explore what makes you happy? Simply explained, it makes life better. When you explore mood-boosting activities, like watching a beautiful sunset or journaling, you feel good. And those moments that feel good are the moments that make your life better.
When I was dealing with difficult family situations more regularly, finding and doing things that made me happy was a valuable escape.
Think of it as a journey to discover your unique flavors of happiness. It’s not only about what helps you feel good in the moment but also helps you learn more about yourself and what really matters to YOU. When you are happier or able to move yourself closer to being happier, you are more prepared to cope with difficult and unpredictable situations.
How to feel happy again? Engage in activities that bring you joy.
So, go ahead, start by writing down five simple things that make you happy.
How To Discover What Makes You Happy
There are SO many things you can do to create your own personalized list of ‘happy’. Here are a few steps to get you started:
1) Reflect on Past Experiences
Reflect on past experiences when you felt incredibly happy. What were you doing? Make a list of all the memories. For example, something weird that makes me happy is watching people clean and organize their space. It is visually satisfying and gives me plenty of ideas to try out.
Similarly, reflecting on past experiences helps me realize that the things that make me unhappy are clutter and unorganized spaces in my home. It gives me a cue to improve my mood.
What makes you happy on a bad day?
2) Explore Different Activities
The fun part of the self-discovery process is exploring and experiencing. In this step, you will experiment with activities you THINK you may like and that will bring you joy. These could include hiking, a new hobby, or learning a new coping skill. If you need help figuring out where to start, here is a list of hobbies that make you happy to help you get started.
What three things make you the happiest?
3) Track Daily Experiences
The answers are hidden in our patterns. When you start tracking your daily experiences and how they make you feel, you will notice a pattern. For example, when I started tracking my everyday experiences, I noticed I was watching crime shows more often, which triggered fear. I created a list of ‘5 things that make me happy’ to shift my mood from fear to something happier to focus on during my day.
You want to focus on experiences that bring you happiness and joy. If that isn’t a part of your daily experience right now, go back to step 2 and think about what activities you can explore and simply track experiences by tracking- it makes me happy when_______
4) Experiment and Adjust
Another thing I love about the self-discovery process is that you can adjust what makes you happy as you keep discovering. For example, if you find you enjoy reading more in a cafe than at home, make an effort to do that more often.
As you age, your preferences for what makes you happy will also change. That is OKAY and an essential part of growth. You never stop learning about yourself.
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Final Thoughts….
There you have it- 100 things that are important to me and make me incredibly happy. If you are ever wondering, ‘What things will bring me happiness?’ or ‘How to feel good in bad times?’ pull out this list and try out a few things to see what brings you joy and help improve the moment by creating your own list of ‘100 things to do for myself’.
What are some simple things that make you happy?
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Nisha Patel
Founder of Brown Girl Trauma