People have been searching for happiness since ancient times.
Happiness in love, happiness in gaining money, happiness in improving one’s life, happiness in many relationships…. They utilized any methods available back then, to help them feel happy….magic potions, various herb mixtures, different readings and magic spells merely to be able to be loved or get married, acquire the money or social position, have a child, or whatever it was they thought they needed to live happily.
When we talk of happiness or a happy existance, what exactly are we talking about? How can we have a happier life.When we talk of happiness or a happy existence, what exactly are we talking about?Where does happiness come from, and how can we live a happy life? Is being happy all the time a myth or a reality?
What exactly do we mean when we talk about happiness?
Not long ago, and still today, our happiness was linked to external conditions and situations: a happy relationship with our partner, enough money in our bank account, a fulfilling job, the power we have in society, having children in our lives, a handsome physique, a new expensive car, etc. All we had to do was work “hard enough” to fulfill our goals and be happy.
And… whenever that objective, goal, or dream was realised, there it was again: A sense of emptiness, a lack of purpose, a feeling that something was missing…..
How can we create a happier life?
Is happiness an inner or outer work that we need?
People began to question and explore the topic of happiness and how to live a happy life. Many definitions of happiness were developed, and there was a pattern of utilizing similar words in the definitions, including ideas such as inner emotional condition, a feeling of significance in life, overall contentment and positive wellness in life, and emotions such as joy, elation, satisfaction, and peace of mind.
Many books attempted to explain the path to a happy existence. One of the most frequently asked questions concerns happiness in our life. A happy life is a combination of pleasant emotions such as joy, a sense of living a worthwhile life, and doing activities that will raise and produce the emotions, sense of fulfilment.
Where does happiness come from, and what must we do to be happy?
Although accomplishments in all aspects of our lives might make us happy, true and profound pleasure is first and foremost an inner work that begins with accepting responsibility for creating, living, and feeling.
There are numerous reasons why it takes us time to realise and completely understand that it is only our responsibility to create happiness in our life:
-Our upbringing and family life;
-Social conventions and beliefs;
-The educational and religious education we had growing up; and
-Our own limited grasp of life or how things should be or work.
We were taught from our very first days on this planet, to observe how others think, what is right and wrong, how and what to feel or not feel, how to behave, and what is appropriate and what is not.
Only as we grow older and gain more life experience and knowledge do we begin to realize that, in addition to the outside world, there is a world inside of us that is just as important, if not more important, than the outside one.
In order to be truly happy, we must tap into this inside world so that we can learn about who we truly are and what is truly important and what is not. When we get to know and trust that inside world then we can start creating in the outside world what makes us happy and what makes our life meaningful. We are all different and we come to this world with different lessons to learn and only by looking within we learn what are the lessons, experiences and parts of life that we need to work on and develop to be truly happy.
Is perpetual happiness a myth or a reality?
As previously said, happiness is a mental state that encompasses a wide range of feelings. But nothing is constant or has the same intensity. We may feel tremendously happy, euphoric, or blissful at times, but we may also feel content or moderate pleasure.
It can be difficult to stop crying at times due to sadness, grief, frustration, or stress about a variety of issues in daily life. It requires discipline and ongoing self-observation and knowledge of how and why we feel the way we do, as well as learning how to return to a neutral, tranquil condition. Happiness can be a hot and intense feeling; yet,
No matter how people approach the definition or conditions of happiness, two things always come first: self-love and self-care. To maintain a healthy and clean mind, you must pay close attention and take care of yourself.
What I mean by that is a person’s ability to detect unhealthy patterns in her/his thoughts and emotions and transform them into healthier forms. Learn to distinguish between excellent and terrible choices.
Develop self- and social boundaries in order to take good care of their psychological, emotional, and physical well-being. It is about putting ourselves first when things and people in our lives are inappropriate or destructive.
But once a self care is natural state for us and love for our self has a healthy measure, we can then choose better and live happier experiences and emotional states in every area of our life.