Happiness and immortality. That's an odd pairing, right? As weird as it may sound to some, happiness can tie in with immortality in many different ways. It can be from a spiritual standpoint, or even in terms of your mental health.
When people think in terms of immortality, they often think of living on forever, which it is, but sadly, we are just human beings composed of flesh and blood. And we will all have to go one day.
However, when we die, our physical body dies. It's our soul that lives on forever.
"For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."
We are immortal through God. It is through Him that we live forever. For the mere minutes that we're on Earth, here are some things you can do to binge your way to happiness and immortality.
1. Nature
If you ask me, God is quite an artist. I am so blessed that every day I get to see his masterpieces. Whether it be a majestic sunrise, sunset or just a starry night sky. He puts Bob Ross to shame. (No offense, Bob.)
2. Self Care
Self care is not selfish. I repeat, self care is not selfish. There's nothing wrong with taking care of other people, but you can't help everyone. Take care of yourself first. Remember: You can't fill another cup with an empty cup.
3. Set yourself free from ALL hatred.
It has been said "Forgive. Not because they deserve forgiveness, but you deserve peace." When you hold a grudge against people, it's like letting them live rent free inside your mind, which is horrible for your mental health. Colossians 3:13 tells us "bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive."
In the words of Queen Elsa...
4. Do something that you absolutely love.
Try out traveling, drawing, playing an instrument, writing stories, painting or just playing an active sport. Doing a fun hobby always helps after dealing with a stressful day at work or school.
5. Laugh.
They were not joking when they said that laughter was the best medicine, but let me just confirm for you, it is! One of the best things that anybody can have is a group of friends that can cause you unstoppable laughter. Oh, and it also helps you to live longer.
6. Expand your knowledge.
Someone once said "Knowledge is power." You can never have too much knowledge. Proverbs 20:15 says, "Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."
7. Read a book.
Not only do books help you gain knowledge, but they can also bring you to an entirely different world. Books are one of my favorite methods of escaping reality. Whether I'm going back in time or visiting the world of Narnia, the time spent reading a book is time well spent.
8. Discover a new music genre and get lost in it
Music is so influential in so many different ways. The one thing about music is that there are so many spectrums to it. One of the best feelings in the world is discovering a new song, artist, or genre that is completely soothing to your soul.
9. Spend time with your family.
Here is the bitter reality: Our families will not be around forever. Our parents and grandparents will eventually pass on, sibling and cousins will go fourth and pursue different lives. So whenever you are able, make memories with your families and cherish them. Make memories with your grandparents that you will be able to tell you kids about. Better yet, give them a call every once in a while, I'm sure they will appreciate it.
10. Spend time with yourself.
Friends are great and all, but sometimes the greatest company you can have is yourself. As weird as this may sound to some people, you can actually have a great time by yourself. Whether it is taking a walk in the city, going to a movie or just sitting at the house with you cat, we all need "alone time" every once in a while, and that's OK.
11. Reflect.
Meditate. Pray. Push all of your worries aside for about an hour and just breathe and give thanks. Life is hard. Things happen that we have absolutely no control over, and we tend to think we have no control over our lives. That's when we turn to God and give him thanks. We cast all of our cares upon Him. The best thing about that is that he actually wants us to do that.
12. Get lost somewhere.
You may find something in, or close to your hometown that you never even knew was there. Such as antique shop, a small restaurant, or just someplace that has a killer view.
13. Give a lending hand to others.
When they say that it is better to give than to receive, they were absolutely right. Some of the greatest blessings that I have ever received were from helping other people. Whether their home was swept away from a natural disaster or someone whose broken heart needed to be mended is always felt so great to make an impact and help somebody else.
14. Get enough sleep.
I'll be the first to admit that I can be the world's worst at this at times. I've definitely had my fair share of insomniac nights. The average adult needs about seven to eight hours a sleep per night. So turn off Netflix, get off of Instagram, and get some shut eye.
15. Disconnect from the digital world.
Before Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter, the world was a completely different place. Now that we have all become so accustomed to it, it's kind of hard to believe that we spent so many years without it.
Now, most people spend an unhealthy amount of time looking at phones instead of at each other. Instead of reading books, people now read tweets and status updates. It's safe to say that it wouldn't hurt cutting social media out of your life for a bit.
Take time to relax, reward yourself and recognize that you are growing.
