The Pursuit of Happiness…

To start, how do we define happiness? Positive Psychology Researcher, Sonja Lyubomirsky, describes happiness as “The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”

Generally,  when we think about happiness most people speak about how they may feel in the present moment. However, happiness is a subjective experience. What one of us finds happiness in, another may not.

What we may find makes us happy in our 20’s and 30’s may not necessarily give us the same happiness in our later years. We need to be aware though that happy people still feel a range of emotions from anger, frustration, sadness, and loneliness. The key is the balance of these emotions.

Happiness is About Experiencing More Positive Feelings Than Negative

So how do we know if we are happy? Psychologists look for these key signs when measuring happiness:

• Feeling satisfaction with life

• Feeling more positive than negative

• Accomplishing what you want in life

As happiness is subjective, there are common practices all of us can do to help achieve the above:

Exercise and Eat Healthy

Regular exercise and a balanced diet have proven to assist with elevated moods. Every small step counts.

Sleep

Research suggests how much we sleep is linked to our overall happiness. When we're sleep deprived, our risk for depression increases and we're more likely to experience higher stress levels.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Happiness is contagious! If you’re feeling down reach out to a family member or friend who generally has a more positive attitude, as this can rub off on you.

Setting Goals

Goals are a way of turning our dreams into reality.  And, because of this, happiness comes from planning and pursuing things that are important to us.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to help us destress and feel more relaxed. The more we practice mindfulness, the more benefits we’ll see. Such as, improved sleep, healthier relationships, as well as a general sense of feeling more happy and satisfied with our lives.  

We are all human, and feel an array of emotions depending on our experiences. Happiness requires a little bit of work. So if you put in the work, you will reap the rewards. Sending happiness your way!   

Finally, if you want to chat with a professional on how to work on your happiness, click here to reach out to us.