What is Happiness?
The word happiness is often tossed around when talking about life and well-being. The definition of happiness is ambivalent and based on an individual’s perspective.
Happiness could be about a person’s emotional state, or how they’re feeling at the moment.
Psychologists associate happiness with subjective well-being. Because it depends on an individual's personal feelings about their current life circumstances.
Happiness is a gratifying engagement with their own environment. Some people may define it as having stable work, leisure activities that are fulfilling, inspiring, and meaningful.
Components of Happiness
Three elements comprise happiness according to American Psychologist Martin Seligman. These are pleasant life, good life, and meaningful life.
Pleasant life
This aspect is about accomplishing daily activities or experiences that fill your life with pleasure. This could be about doing what you love like walking your dog around the neighborhood or sharing moments with your family and friends.
Good life
This is about being able to recognize your abilities and skills. You use them to fulfill and boost your daily life. Experts believe that people who make time to do activities they love live a good life, thus happier in life.
Meaningful life
This is about having a deep sense of fulfillment when you offer your services to other people. You can achieve this by volunteering at nursing homes or brightening up the day of your unhappy friend.
Importance of Happiness
Chasing happiness is the most human thing to do, experts believe. This is because people take happiness as an essential aspect of their lives.
There are misunderstandings about happy people being incapable or unproductive. But the truth is, achieving happiness brings about benefits to various aspects of your life.
Better life satisfaction
Positive emotions determine good health, wealth, and persistence. This is because they help build the resources to get there. You can meet better life satisfaction when you have positive emotions and resources to achieve it.
Helps build resilience
Positive emotions improve a person’s resilience to deal with life’s challenges. According to a study, resilient people develop positive emotions when they're going through a hard time. This helps them bounce back and recover.
Increased mental health
Maintaining levels of happiness in your life can also promote good mental health. This is because you have less stress and anxiety, you worry about things less!
10 Secrets To Achieve Authentic Happiness
Reframe your thoughts
Reframing challenging situations can make a massive positive impact on your life. Reframing is the practice of analyzing your negative emotions in a different light. Instead of thinking that it’s distressing, identify it as a challenge that will improve your wellbeing.
Acknowledging sad emotions
A common misconception about happy people is that they never feel down or unhappy. But the thing is, they do. They don’t suppress these negative emotions. Rather, they allow themselves to feel them. But, they don’t dwell on them.
Be active
Over the years, experts have associated happiness with a consistent workout routine. They stated that the length of exercise wouldn’t be an issue. As long you do it, it can well improve your mood.
Be creative
People who do creative activities are more energized and lives a happier life. It increases positive emotions and your sense of well-being as well. Engage yourself in creative writing, painting, or learning how to play an instrument.
Meditate everyday
According to a study, you can increase the levels of your happiness. Because of its ever-changing nature, the human brain can train itself to be happier. One way to do this is to meditate every day. Meditation keeps anxiety at bay as it increases the endorphins in your brain.
Quit comparing yourself to other people
Generally, we often feel unhappy when something isn’t going our way. Because of this, we compare ourselves to other people. Realizing that everyone is living life differently is a vital step to stop this self-defeating habit. Focus on your own life, and celebrate your own victories no matter how big or small they are.
Practice gratitude
Giving thanks may seem like a simple thing to do. But this simple habit can make you achieve greater happiness. When you express gratitude, you tend to feel more positive emotions. So, you're allowing yourself to savor pleasant experiences.
Be around people who cares and loves you
Studies have shown that spending time with family and friends has a huge impact on boosting happiness. Also, don’t just spend time with them, but make sure that you enjoy every moment. The amount of quality time you spend with them will bring you long-lasting fulfillment.
Spend more time outdoors
Going outside and visiting places with a lot of green sceneries can help increase happiness in your life. On top of that, studies have proven how spending time in green spaces can enhance your health. It improves stress levels, lowers blood pressure, and enhances your mental health.
Purpose-driven life
A sense of purpose in life gives you the motivation to get up every morning. It’s what gives you a reason to work toward your goals. It also helps you put things in perspective when things don’t go your way and shift your attention to things that truly matter to you. Thus, you achieve happiness by having a healthy sense of purpose.
The takeaway
Happiness can be found in simple things from walking in the park, doing something you love like singing in the shower or working out. It’s all about making a choice to find and embrace it. Just remember to feel your emotions, the good and bad ones, but don’t dwell on the negative ones. Instead, focus on the positive emotions more.
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