The Secret to Consistent Happiness
I think I've done it.
I've discovered the key to life's greatest mystery.
How can we be happy all the time?
It's so simple. I don't know why I never realized it before!
Are you ready to be happy all day, every day, for the rest of your life?
Here's the trick:
STOP CARING ABOUT CRAP THAT DOESN'T MATTER.
That's it! That's all! Have you done it yet? Well, what are you waiting for?
Okay, so it's a lot harder to do that than it seems. If it wasn't, none of us would worry about anything pointless ever again. But there's a lot of factors that contribute to our unhappiness: clinical depression, anxiety disorders, stress from school, work, budgeting, parenting, societal expectations/demands, etc. The list goes on and on. So how can we shift our attention away from our unhappy triggers and toward greater joy? I've got some ideas.
1. Get the help we need. If we have ongoing mental health issues, we need to treat them like the diseases they are. A diabetic should not be ashamed of taking insulin to survive, so to someone suffering with a mental illness should not be ashamed of seeking treatment. Maybe we're in need of therapy, medication, or in-patient treatment. Maybe we need to journal, overcome an addiction, find a faith, or confide in those around us. Maybe we need just a little extra support right now to get through a difficult time, or maybe we need a long term permanent solution to handle ongoing issues. Whatever the diagnosis, whatever the treatment, it is worth seeking and obtaining.
2. Treat ourselves better. So many of us eat junk food constantly, drink never-ending amounts of soda, don't get enough sleep, push our minds and bodies to their limits, and then wonder why we always feel terrible. Self-care goes a long way in our efforts to overcome sadness and stress and find happiness and contentment. We don't have to make major changes, either. Start simple. Make healthier choices at lunch time. Quit burying our feelings in sugary treats. Go to bed an hour earlier. Start saying "no" sometimes. Take a mental health day. Go on a weekend staycation. Take the bubble bath or the long hot shower. Buy the outfit we've been eyeing for six months. In the immortal words of Tom Haverford, "treat yourself." Because real talk, we deserve it.
3. Spend less time with the world, and more time with God. Even if we're not religious, we need to spend some time focusing on the universe instead of on the news. If we're feeling extra stressed out, it's probably because we're spending too much time obsessing over worldly issues. It's time to delete some of those Facebook friends who post ridiculous drivel all the time (or better yet, get off Facebook altogether). Take a break from Instagram. Turn off the news and turn on our favorite sitcom. Log off, go on a hike or even a long walk, spend some time with family and without screens. It's miraculous how much our spirits are lifted when we focus on our own inner-circle instead of worrying about everything happening beyond it.
In the last few years, I've managed to reduce my anxiety from out-of-control constant levels to brief, infrequent spurts. I credit this all to self-care, limiting my online involvement, eating better, and striving to connect more with the things I love and less with things that stress me out. Honestly, try it out. Stop following all negative accounts or even things that just don't matter (like, do you really need to stay updated Mario Lopez's life? Probably not.) Spend more time with your kids and less on your phone, more time at the gym and less on the couch, more time mountain biking and less blogging (lol), and more time sleeping instead of scrolling through Facebook!
Okay, so it's a lot harder to do that than it seems. If it wasn't, none of us would worry about anything pointless ever again. But there's a lot of factors that contribute to our unhappiness: clinical depression, anxiety disorders, stress from school, work, budgeting, parenting, societal expectations/demands, etc. The list goes on and on. So how can we shift our attention away from our unhappy triggers and toward greater joy? I've got some ideas.
1. Get the help we need. If we have ongoing mental health issues, we need to treat them like the diseases they are. A diabetic should not be ashamed of taking insulin to survive, so to someone suffering with a mental illness should not be ashamed of seeking treatment. Maybe we're in need of therapy, medication, or in-patient treatment. Maybe we need to journal, overcome an addiction, find a faith, or confide in those around us. Maybe we need just a little extra support right now to get through a difficult time, or maybe we need a long term permanent solution to handle ongoing issues. Whatever the diagnosis, whatever the treatment, it is worth seeking and obtaining.
2. Treat ourselves better. So many of us eat junk food constantly, drink never-ending amounts of soda, don't get enough sleep, push our minds and bodies to their limits, and then wonder why we always feel terrible. Self-care goes a long way in our efforts to overcome sadness and stress and find happiness and contentment. We don't have to make major changes, either. Start simple. Make healthier choices at lunch time. Quit burying our feelings in sugary treats. Go to bed an hour earlier. Start saying "no" sometimes. Take a mental health day. Go on a weekend staycation. Take the bubble bath or the long hot shower. Buy the outfit we've been eyeing for six months. In the immortal words of Tom Haverford, "treat yourself." Because real talk, we deserve it.
3. Spend less time with the world, and more time with God. Even if we're not religious, we need to spend some time focusing on the universe instead of on the news. If we're feeling extra stressed out, it's probably because we're spending too much time obsessing over worldly issues. It's time to delete some of those Facebook friends who post ridiculous drivel all the time (or better yet, get off Facebook altogether). Take a break from Instagram. Turn off the news and turn on our favorite sitcom. Log off, go on a hike or even a long walk, spend some time with family and without screens. It's miraculous how much our spirits are lifted when we focus on our own inner-circle instead of worrying about everything happening beyond it.
In the last few years, I've managed to reduce my anxiety from out-of-control constant levels to brief, infrequent spurts. I credit this all to self-care, limiting my online involvement, eating better, and striving to connect more with the things I love and less with things that stress me out. Honestly, try it out. Stop following all negative accounts or even things that just don't matter (like, do you really need to stay updated Mario Lopez's life? Probably not.) Spend more time with your kids and less on your phone, more time at the gym and less on the couch, more time mountain biking and less blogging (lol), and more time sleeping instead of scrolling through Facebook!
Comments
Post a Comment