Is the search for happiness truly destroying us as people? From a young age, we always hear our parents say “I don’t care if you’re smart or athletic, I just want you to be happy.” But what is happy? Can anyone ever truly reach it?
Everyone has a different definition of what happy is. You’re happy if you ace that test, you’re happy that you won your game, or you can simply be happy to eat a chocolate bar. But since we are always striving for this, this constant state of happy, is it hurting us? Sometimes when we aren’t happy, we wonder why we’re not, because we should be, right? “Fake it till you make it” is what others will tell us, if we act happy, plaster a smile on our face, then eventually our brain will trick us into the fact that we’re happy.
Well, studies have shown that we don’t truly know what happiness is, and in searching for it, we are more prone to get depression and anxiety, because in always searching, we never realize that life just isn’t about happiness. It’s about all of the emotions that we experience, the ups, the downs, the anger, and the sadness. We need all these components in our life, because we are all different people. We are all different from one another. We all react differently, and that’s good.
If everyone was always constantly happy, would the world be a better place? Simply, the answer is no. Think of robots, they are always emotionless. If we were always happy, then we’d be essentially, the same as robots. Life is about the different emotions we can experience.
So don’t let the search for happiness blind you from the rest of your life. Sometimes, it’s okay to not always be smiling, sometimes it’s okay to be sad. We need to have all of the emotions so that we know how to handle them, or else, how would we function? We need to know how to cope with stress, anger, sadness, grief, and everything else. Happiness can’t take us through everything, which is something people don’t realize.
If you’re not happy all the time, that’s okay. You don’t have to be, maybe you don’t want to be, and that’s okay too. As long as at the end of the day, you’re content with your life, or content with what you did that day, it’s okay. Everyone goes through life a little differently.
And maybe some days you’re happy, and other days your not. You don’t always have to act it, because studies show that this can lead to anxiety and depression. Always trying to pretend is not good for your mental health. But, if you are truly reaching for happiness, here are a couple tips on how to reach it.
First, this might sound cruel, but expectations should be kept realistic. Sometimes, we hope for too much, and we never get it, which can make us sad. I’m not saying to never have high expectations, because in some things, you should, but you can’t always expect the best. Sometimes it’s better to have low expectations, and then be surprised later.
Second, don’t fear happiness. Some people have been so happy, and then crushed, that they simply do not wish to have the same trauma happen again. You can’t let fear rule your life. Live your life, and if you do become happy, then that’s great. Live life in the moment, and don’t worry about the future.
Third, stop comparing yourself to others. You, yourself, are your own person. Jealousy and envy will not make you happy.
And finally, don’t neglect gratitude. Appreciate the little things that you have in life, even if it’s as small as owning your favorite book, or having an amazing family. Be grateful for all that you have.
Now, with all that being said, remember, life isn’t all about happiness. There are so many beautiful emotions to experience, we don’t always need to be stuck with the one. Just remember:
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