Life brings with it all sorts of things to change how we feel about our lives and how happy we are.
Some we can control like our positive or negative mind-set and our judgements and some we can’t like death and grief.
The Wikipedia definition of happiness is:
“Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.[1] Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion.”
Happiness can be a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do something good or positive. When these emotions occur we experience a flood of hormones released in the brain.
Is happiness created from within ourselves through acts of kindness and giving, generally being a better person or is happiness derived from what we have or accumulate, for instance money, excitement of a new car or travel? Strangely enough perhaps it can be both as without some money it’s difficult to be able to give.
Is a person who uses cocaine every day “happy?” If feeling good all the time is the definition of happiness, then the answer would be “yes.” However, recent research suggests that an even-keeled mood is more psychologically healthy than a mood in which you achieve great heights of happiness regularly – after all, what goes up must come down.
Furthermore, when you ask people what makes their lives worth living, they rarely say anything about their mood.
They are more likely to cite things that they find meaningful, such as their work or relationships or children.
Does it mean if we are happy we have no pain? If only!
In life we often hold both. An example of this is the joy of a new baby into a family and the grief of a grandparent dying in the same week. Or acrimoniously divorcing while your son celebrates his 21st birthday.
And does winning lotto really make you happier? There are often stories of lotto winners and other wealthy people who say money is a worry, it creates anxiety having to manage the issues and pressure that go with having a lot of money.
Perhaps the definition of happiness needs to be left to you as an individual and as long as you allow yourself to be who you are, believe in yourself, know what you want and whats important to you then happiness will occur. As Albert Camus aptly said “But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?”
Contact Allison Fisher, Career & Life Coach, specialist in supporting adults and teenagers in career and life choices.
