Definition of a happy place = favorite vacation destinations, activities, food, or the love of your life. Often times it's doing your favorite activity at a favorite location. I'm sure you already have a few happy places.... but do want to stay in your happy place? The key is to keep your mind rooted in your happy place for more hours during the day.

And to do that you'll need to: use these 26 habits to train your mind to live in a happy zone without physically being at your happy place. And, stay less stressed and more relaxed for better health & happy. Choose among the habits that fit your needs and personality and practice them for 30 days. After 30 days your brain has formed a new habit and will remember to do it.

#1 Habit: Quick Detox

The first habit to practice for a quick detox every time you begin to feel stressed, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Start with a good detox to get you back to your happy zone.

Step 1 Detox - begin by doing 1-2 minutes of deep breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, holding your breath for several seconds before exhaling. Focus on the breath - feel your mind empty. Feel your body relax.

Step 2 Detox - think of your happy place. Imagine yourself there doing what you love to do for 1-2 minutes as you continue to breathe deeply. Are you soaring thru the air in a hot air balloon over waterfalls? Are you snorkeling around an island paradise in the Caribbean? How do you feel now?

#8 Habit: Change it Up

Bored with the same look? Get your happy back and change it up. Change the style or color of your hair, and every morning when you look in the mirror you'll smile with joy. Or, move your living furniture around or plant some flowers around the deck. A small change can put you back in your happy place.

#9 Habit: Throw Out the Negative

If you don't want a stressful situation or frustrating person to take you captive - take action. Take control & turn the negatives into a positives. Ask yourself: is this grumpy person trying to cope with something difficult? Offer to pray for them and ask if they need help. It might be what they're crying out for - it'll put the happy in your heart.

#4 Habit: Healthier Diet = Happier You

Believe it or not, eating healthier helps the body feel good, and shortly after, the mind feels happier and more confident. Eat whole foods, less sugar & salt, and stick with healthy fats & complex carbs. Avoid processed foods which clogs arteries & digestion. More healthy can literally make your happier: Remedies for an Unhealthy Diet.

Many foods are designed to give you that immediate "feel good" feeling.... but it quickly wears off. Then, it's yucksville. You're full yet you're craving more. Manufacturers design food to be addictive so you'll buy more. Also, most processed foods contain chemicals, toxic ingredients, fillers, and sugary and fatty substances.

Don't go on a diet or count calories. Change the way you eat, and still have a couple "cheat meals" every week. Keep the cheat time to 1 hour so you're not eating sugary junk throughout the day - it's so harmful. Within 30 minutes of eating dinner - get up and walk for 15-20 minutes so your body puts the sugars in the muscles to be used for energy instead of storing it in fat cells.

If you love desserts - eat healthier versions. There's so many recipes now that include proteins & healthy fats and healthy sweeteners. Try Fage yogurt for protein, dark chocolate & grinded nuts for healthy fats. To sweeten - add Stevia, Xylitol, or a little raw honey. Add chopped strawberries and freeze for a thick mouse. YUM.... delish & healthy.

#7 Habit: Get Unstuck

If you can't figure out the answer, don't understand the instructions, or if you just can't fix the stupid thing - STOP. Before you get frustrated and stressed out.... walk away. This is a problem I sometimes have, and it can get super frustrating pretty quickly and then POOF.... I lost my happy.

Forget about the problem and go focus on something else for an hour or longer. If you need the situation remedied quickly - a friend might be able to help. If not, leave it and come back tomorrow. You'd be surprised to know that when your mind is relaxed & happy, how much better you're able to solve problems.

Stay in Your Happy Place

#13 Habit: Volunteer

One of the best times to volunteer is when you're a little tired, and maybe not so much in the mood. For me, volunteering is a guaranteed mood booster. Helping others gives you feelings of satisfaction, fulfillment, and amazingly enough.... it recharges you. It puts me in the happy zone for sure.

Even if the volunteer work requires some heavy physical labor - and even though I'm a little tired - I'll leave feeling happy. When I donate financially, I'll feel good as I send the money off, but it never gives me the joy like being there in person does. Seeing how you're helping people, animals, or the environment is AWESOME.

#14 Habit: Exercise & Activity

Many people hate the thought of exercise. Really, it doesn't have to be agony or boring. Did you know healthier people are happier people? Get at least 30 minutes of exercise or physical activity 5-6 days/week. Exercise boosts physical, mental, and emotional health. Even walking briskly is good: Walk to Live a Better Life and Build Muscle/Bone, Stay Youthful.

Stretch after exercising. Inhale thru your nose and as you begin to stretch breathe out thru your mouth. With each exhale, stretch a little farther, then hold. Stretch each muscle you worked for 20-30 seconds.

Stretching helps restore your muscles, and you're less sore the next 2 days. Breathing deeply also brings in extra oxygen & relaxes any tension you have and calms the mind. Learn some proper techniques: Stretch for Mobility & No Pain.

#16 Habit: Don't Chance It

Whether you're going to work in the morning, leaving for the day, or for vacation - get ready the night before and don't chance getting rushed & stressed. Fix your breakfast & lunch, get clothes ready, tweeze & shave, fill up with gas, and pack a bag if needed. Now your morning can be relaxed and happy.

Tidy up a bit the night before - take care of dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor, and mail, newspapers, or magazines scattered around. A clean & organized home is less stressful and will also make the morning relaxed & cheerful.

Finally, don't wait to do that "thing" you're supposed to do. Procrastination usually means something will go wrong and/or something stops working.... then POOF, you're stressed. Take care of it today and get it over with.... and no more worries.

#17 Habit: Laugh it Up

You've got to keep the laughter flowing as often as possible - multiple times daily. The best places to laugh it up is at a comedy club, a movie comedy, a gathering of friends, playing with your pet or little kids. Did you know laughter is actually medicine for your mind & body? If I need a laughter injection - I'll pull up a YouTube video about funny animals or babies. They're LOL hilarious. Need ways to boost your happy? Read this: Make Happy Hormones.

#18 Habit: Prioritize

Learn to prioritize. The priorities are: friends & family time, job, planned events, and YOU time. Then there's chores & errands. Doing the dishes is not a priority over date night for a romantic walk on the beach.

Today, decide what's priority and don't worry about the rest. If you do have a chore like picking up cookies for the school bake sale - add it to the priority pile. Don't get me wrong, my house is clean & organized but here's the secret....

Lightning won't strike if you can't mow the lawn today - don't worry about the Grass Police. It's more important to buy groceries, take the kids to the park, and get ready for the Dinner and Mystery Show. Mow your grass tomorrow or pay the neighbor's kid to do it. There.... don't you feel better?

#20 Habit: Music

Music is universal, and can lift your mood in a heartbeat, keeping you in your happy place. Even if you're feeling sad or lonely, it can be a happy comfort.

Don't just listen, kick it up a notch and do the kumbaya thing and sing along. Can't sing? Then we'd all appreciate your choice to dance! If I hear a good beat, I can't help myself... I just start moving. Plan a night for dancing, dance class or karaoke - to stay rooted in your happy place.

#21 Habit: Live in the Moment

Part of living in the moment means slowing down to enjoy something beyond what you see. If something is beautiful or fascinating - use as many senses as you can. It could be the ocean's sights, sounds, smells, and the feel of sand between your toes. Wouldn't advise the sense of taste though. LOL

Living in the moment makes you happy relaxed or happy excited. Live in today because tomorrow has it's own troubles and there's no do-overs for yesterday.

#22 Habit: It's OK to Say No

Everyone likes to make their family, friends, and work colleagues happy by saying 'yes'. Maybe they asked you a favor to help them - it's OK to say yes, but maybe you're not available until Saturday. Maybe they invited you to a late night event. If you're beyond exhausted it's OK to say no. If they ask why, say: thanks for the invite, but I'm not feeling well.

Sometimes though, you should be willing to compromise and do something just for them. As long as it's not always one-sided, it's worth it especially if you're getting love & companionship from the person you're going with. On the flip side, doing something that places a big burden on you to the point of frustration, anger, or stress - it's not healthy. It's OK to say no.

#25 Habit: Meditate/Pray

Meditation & prayer can bring you comfort, lift your spirits, make you feel safe and loved, provide answers, provide motivation, and give you strength for the day.

Meditation & prayer restores your inner peace, calms your mind, and rejuvenates your soul. That's a very relaxed happy.

#26 Habit: Head Outdoors

Sunshine can always brighten a gloomy outlook. The benefits include fresh air, vitamin D sun, appealing surroundings in nature, chances to meet new friends, and a very long list of fun things to do.

Head outdoors and get what you need. See: What's Always With You?

Less Stressed & More Relaxed

#23 Habit: Try Something New

Try something new every now and then. How do you know a new food won't be the next thing that rocks your happy world if you don't try? Discover new foods, new people & places, and new activities to find more happy places.

The more things you love, the more you live in your happy zone. This applies to new friends, reaching a new goal, and even conquering an old fear.

#24 Habit: Go With the Flow

You easily get frazzled if plans change at the last minute, or somebody's breaking the rules, or they're doing something the wrong way - you might be a little stiff. If you're generally inflexible, chances are you aren't able to stay happy for very long.

Go with the flow to stay relaxed, calm, and happier. Sure, there'll be times when it's good to be unwavering like your moral standards or your child's bedtime on a school night. And don't let other people's behavior upset you.

7. Chores Can Be Happy-ish - Usually chores are a dreaded event. But what if you could turn chores into something a little more happy-ish? Besides cleaning supplies, grab your rockin' happy tunes and crank up the volume. Now, get to scrubbing. It's a little less dreadful now.... except maybe when it comes time for the toilets!

8. Excessive TV - Harvard's 2023 study says that watching TV excessively, 4 or more hours/day has a greater risk of developing brain disorders like dementia, depression, and Parkinson's disease. Nope - we want functioning happy.

9. Frustrated, Upset, Stressed - Before saying or doing something you regret, walk away. You need prayer, meditation, and deep breathing to restore your calm. If you're focused, 3-5 minutes should do the trick. If the frustration continues coming from a specific person - my vote is to avoid them.

10. Vacations - before going on vacation, clean & organize your house and leave enough groceries in the fridge for a couple days when you return. Coming home to piles of laundry & a dirty house can zap your happy mood and stress you out. Also, pack extra clothes for 2 days, a little makeup or guy stuff, and maybe a book in your carry-on bag in case your luggage is delayed.