These are trying times. With many people either in lockdown or under the conditions of the virus measures, this is a major drain on our mental health.
Even when life hasn’t changed that much, like Tom’s and mine, it is obvious that the mere fact we can’t do as we please causes discomfort and confusion.
Is true happiness possible in times like this? I think it is, but let’s be honest and realistic – it asks for more effort.
Effort? Isn’t being happy not just something you are or are not?
Many people who struggle in life often belittle happiness and like to claim that true happiness is not even possible at all. Trying times or not.
The truth is there are different levels of happiness that we can experience in our life. It’s not a straight line. There are ups and downs that we will experience all throughout life but whether we are happy or not is all about our feelings.
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Table of contents
We have it in us
Just by virtue of the fact that we’re human beings and we experience feelings, happiness being one of them, we know that true happiness does exist. You can probably write down many days and things that have brought happiness to your life over the years since you were born up until today.
It’s easy to say that people cannot be happy unless they have their basic needs met. You’ll find that there are people all around you who do not have their needs met but who are very happy. That is even more evident when you study rich people and realize they are not happier than poor people overall.
It’s not about the weather
Looking at the World Happiness Report 2019 the prejudice that the sun is a big influence is not exactly true. The happiest people live in the northern European countries like Finland, Denmark, Norway.
Spain – where we live – with all the sun hours it has, positions itself on place 30.
True happiness is not even about stuff
On all the travels Tom and I made we concluded that the USA is the country where people have the most stuff. We had the impression the people in the USA are more consumer-driven than the Europeans. Yet the States are on number 19 on the Happiness list.
Related: Make a Daily Intention – Happiness is Living on Purpose
It’s not about our circumstances
Now, of course, some things in life can really get us down. However, for happy people, even the worst events will not make them unhappy at least not permanently.
A happy person usually has the skills to take control of circumstances. Dr Gillian Mandich, a happiness expert, states that our circumstances account for only 10% of our happiness.
True happiness is about accepting that you can experience it, plus understanding what it really means. A happy person isn’t going to be the same level of happiness all day, 365 days a year.
When people who are sick with cancer are happy, children who aren’t getting enough to eat are happy, and people living in huts in Africa are also happy it makes us realize that we can be happy too.
Do you consider yourself to be happy? Tell us in the comment box below.
Related: Avoid Loneliness. How to Make Friends When you are Older?
