If happiness were a person, it would be the envy of everyone. Think about it. I wonder about how to be happy all the time, you do, everybody does, to the point that it becomes an obsession for some. Such obsession prevents us from enjoying the process and the beautiful simple things life has to offer.
The truth is, life is full of ups and downs, sometimes more downs than anything else, but I believe the key is to always focus on the positive above all. My grandma has been doing this for as long as I can remember. She has been through some of the toughest situations I have ever witnessed, and she has always gotten through them with a good attitude and positivism. Hence the reason I apply this to my life as well, and you should too.
I personally like to enjoy the little things. I know, everyone says this over and over, but what does it really entail? Well, for me, it means enjoying time with my family; talking and laughing with my significant other; listening to music and singing my heart out even though I am not a good singer; taking pictures of nature or portraits of people; enjoying the peace and energy that working out gives me; drinking my cup of tea every night; standing up for what I believe and expressing my opinion; smelling my favorite candle; riding my bicycle; learning something new, etc. Happiness does not mean the same to everyone. What I enjoy may not be what you enjoy. We can all be happy in different ways. There is not a standard set of rules that apply to all. You need to study yourself and learn about what makes you feel at peace, what makes you smile, what makes you stop what you are doing to say: “This makes me feel at ease and happy, I do not want this moment to come to an end.” But since life is full of surprises, you also must recognize what makes you sad and what signs your body and mind show before getting into a depressive state. Based on that, you should find a coping mechanism that helps you heal and makes you feel at ease with yourself again.
When I enter a state of personal dissatisfaction or difficult period, I do one of two things: pull myself together quickly before it gets worse or allow myself to be sad for a bit. Believe it or not, allowing yourself to be sad is healing as well. We only recognize happiness because we have been sad before, which is why allowing sadness in your life for a short period of time is healthy as well. I have discovered that listening to this specific song when I am in a tough situation will give me the strength to keep going. It’s my fight song, as cheesy as that may sound. The lyrics of the song are so strong that they remind me that what I am going through is a phase and that if I stay strong, I will overcome it. That song is the first step in pulling myself back together again, so what is yours?
We should all learn to ignore the outside noises and focus on how to overcome difficult situations so that we can continue to enjoy the little moments. And I say we, because this is a learning process and I continue to force myself every day to send the ugly and negative thoughts away and focus on the beauty of life. Do not obsess or stress over things you cannot control. I repeat, do not go crazy about what you have no control over. First, you will not fix it because it is not in your hands; second, you will drive yourself into a state of anxiety and negative feelings that will only end up having a negative impact on your health and wellbeing. A couple of months ago, I underwent a medical procedure that took less than 5 minutes, but several days had to pass before I could be notified of the results. Instead of worrying every day about the results, I decided to think beforehand about how the positive or negative result would affect my life. I laid out a plan for either outcome and continued to enjoy my week. A week later, the results came in. From a medical standpoint, everything was perfect, and no further steps were needed. Had I been worried all those days, I would not have been able to be prepared or with a plan in mind to overcome it, and I would have lost all the beautiful and happy moments of that week.
My final advice for you is to think about what you like and start enjoying life right now. Start doing what you like right now. Stop worrying about the meaningless and stop wishing for it to be Friday so desperately. Do not wait for next Friday to enjoy a meal or some quiet time. Do not let your job rob you of happiness. Do not let an insignificant or unexpected bad moment ruin your day. Find a time every day to do something that makes you smile or makes you feel at ease and look forward to it the next day. Focus on enjoying the moment rather than chasing the happy dream, and you will achieve your happy state before realizing it. Being happy is an art, and only you have the power to make the choice of reacting positively to life’s uncertainty.
