Chronically unhappy people have certain habits that happy people do not. Here is a list and description of the top ten habits of unhappy people.
1. Constant complaining
The unhappiest people are constant whiners and complainers with no action. Nothing is ever satisfying or good enough. There is something wrong with just about everything, and they need to let others know about it. These types of people would rather complain to others than do anything to resolve or fix the issue. They do not problem solve – they complain.
Happy people are problem solvers. Rather than complain endlessly about a problem, they look for solutions.
2. Pessimism–glass is half empty syndrome
Unhappy people are commonly pessimistic people. They do not see the positive side of life, or look for silver linings in a seemingly negative situation. The glass is always half empty from their perspective. Unhappy people frequently crumble under challenging circumstances, thinking there is no way to possibly overcome a challenging situation.
The happiest people are positive and optimistic. They rise to the occasion when facing adversity, they face challenges head on, are confident and believe in themselves.
3. Overly critical of oneself and others
The unhappiest people are overly critical of themselves and others. They frequently put themselves down and do not have a positive self-image. In turn, they are also critical of others mainly since they do not accept themselves.
Happy people have a positive self-image. They work on themselves and improve themselves rather than be critical of others. There is no need to criticize, since they are satisfied and happy with themselves.
4. Living in fear of the future
The unhappiest people fear the unknown and the future. They project negative outcomes onto possible future situations. They worry constantly about what could happen, as opposed to focusing on the present reality of what is happening.
Happy people live in the present moment. They focus mainly on positive future outcomes as opposed to negative ones.
5. Dwelling on the past and past regrets
Unhappy people frequently dwell on the past and on past regrets. They cannot accept the negative that has happened in their lives, and therefore, they dwell on the past and live in regret. This is very unproductive thinking.
Happy people accept their past actions and mistakes and strive to do better next time. They view mistakes as life lessons and learn from them.
6. Putting off goals and dreams
The unhappiest people delay goals and dreams. They do not pursue goals, but rather just talk about them without action. These types of people cannot possibly be happy without a life dream or pursuing a life goal.
Happy people create goals and dreams and actively pursue them. They achieve and therefore, are much happier.
7. Unhealthy lifestyle
Unhappy people commonly live unhealthy lifestyles. They often have addictions, they do not take good care of themselves, they live beyond their means or perhaps are in constant debt.
The happiest people exercise self-care and live in moderation rather than excess.
8. Engaging in negative gossip
Unhappy people will often engage in negative gossip about others to feel better about themselves. One way to feel good is to gossip about others’ downfalls, mistakes or misfortunes.
Happy people do not feel the need to gossip, nor do they agree with it. They feel uncomfortable when others are gossiping, it feels mean and they do not engage.
9. Repeating unhealthy, negative patterns
The unhappiest people often will repeat negative, unhealthy patterns. They continue to engage in unhealthy habits that leave them in pain and anguish. They do not learn from their mistakes, but rather continue to repeat the same actions and mistakes.
Happy people learn from their mistakes and do not repeat past actions that ended in hurt and pain. They apply lessons learned to their future behavior. They disengage from unhealthy situations.
10. Unwillingness to change
Lastly, unhappy people persistently do not wish to change and are unwilling to even try. Rather than work on themselves and change any negative patterns of behavior, they remain stuck. They may say they will change, but they won’t act.
The happiest people work on their inner and outer selves. They have a willingness to change any negative patterns of behavior and will do so. They do what they say, and they mean what they say when they talk about change.
So there are the top ten habits of unhappy people. If you find yourself falling into any one of these habits, it is time to work on yourself so that you, too, can be happier in life!
Here’s to your happiness!