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How many people are satisfied with life?

We have bleak news to share: only 44% of people in the U.S. are happy with their lives (via Gallup). That's less than half of the people we may pass during our Starbucks and T.J. Maxx runs! What gives? According to the same study, everything from economic statuses to religion seem to play a factor in daily satisfaction.

If you ask us, it doesn't take rocket science to know people who are able to afford their bills may not be as stressed as someone who has to choose between putting gas in their car or getting something to eat. Still, there have to be some easy ways to be satisfied in your day-to-day life, right?

Here are some simple tips you can try ASAP!

1. Focus on reducing your stress

We often talk about the impact stress and burnout can have on us, but that doesn't mean everyone is taking steps to eliminate what causes them. Another Gallup study revealed 49% of people are experiencing raised cortisol levels which is much higher than it's been in prior years. You may be thinking that your job or relationship are the sources of your stress, but we'll never flat out tell you to give up on them.

Our suggestions are to:

1. Take stock of how you feel about your job, relationship, finances, etc.,
2. Ask yourself what you need to thrive in different areas of your life.
3. See how you can create boundaries that lessen the chance you'll over-extend yourself in life.

2. Breakup with "doom scrolling"

We saw you try to skip over this section as soon as you saw "doom scrolling," but we need you to pay attention. It's not doing you any good and this is coming from people who are chronically online for a living. A Media Consumption Trend Report shows that the average person spends at least 6 hours everyday looking at "some type of media." The most popular platforms are Facebook and YouTube which doesn't surprise us!

Based on other findings in the study, there's a huge indicator that do this contributes to "poorer" mental health and you don't need that! We know you want to be as informed as possible, but don't let FOMO keep you chained to negative posts and articles all day.

3. Look at the bright side of things

Does life feel bright right now? Probably not, but that doesn't mean you deserve to live in a cycle of stress, anxiety, and depression. We're not shy about our own mental health struggles, but we're also unafraid to talk about how adopting a gratitude practice helps us get through our days.

We're not saying this will magically eliminate bad moments, but it will ground you when you start asking yourself "what if" questions.

4. Understand you're not meant to be a one-person island

We think individualism is beautiful, but not at the expense of shutting everyone out because you think you can do everything by yourself. None of us are meant to be alone 24/7, but there's been a growing loneliness epidemic that's swept through the U.S.

In 2023, a study by U.S Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy pointed out that there was a 5 hour decrease in household family interactions along with spending less time with friends per month. It was also discovered that the less time we spend with others impacted our health worse than "smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day."

If you're thinking, "I just can't trust anyone," we want you to know we understand you've been hurt by people you were once vulnerable with. But, it's impossible to do everything in life by yourself even if you think you've been doing a great job so far. Not only does your health depend on opening your heart to others again, so does you overall satisfaction with life!