7 Things To Do Daily to Increase Your Happiness- Tips from your local Jackson, MS Therapist
What is Happiness?
What is happiness? As a therapist (and a person), the questions related to all things happiness peak my interest. In my Jackson, MS therapy office, often the theme of happiness and how to “get” happy arises. What is happiness, how do I become happy, can I still be happy during times of high stress, anxiety, hardships, trauma, or loss? Inquiring minds want to know. The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists happiness as “a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience”. Other definitions talk of happiness being something in addition to merely a good mood, but rather a state of well-being that incorporates having a sense of meaning and life satisfaction.
So in looking at these definitions, why do so many people see happiness as something that can be worked for and then achieved, as if once happiness is gained, it is just there in their life? I think that the definitions above point to an important point about happiness- happiness occurs on the journey, not at the destination. Following this logic, it makes sense then that we must do things/have a viewpoint/perspective that encourages or allows happiness to be experienced, rather than us striving and working towards the overall goal of happiness. After all, working towards the goal of something indicates further that we don’t actually have it, yes?
What is happiness? How do I get more of it in my everyday life? Read on to discover these answers from your local Jackson, MS trauma, stress, and anxiety therapist.
To me, this is good news...great news, in fact! If happiness is something that is experienced along the journey, rather than obtained once we’ve reached the destination, then we actually will be able to spend more life hours/time experiencing happiness, rather than running full speed ahead with blinders on in the pursuit of happiness or constantly feeling like we are falling short of our “goal”.
Happiness is a state of mind, which then means that it does not come from having things or stuff. Money can be a necessary component for happiness, but it is only as far as that money will provide (can pay for) not having to worry for the basic physical necessities of life: food, water, shelter, and clothing. As a therapist, I read a lot of research. I have read research that shows that once the basic necessities of life are paid for, more and more income does not lead to more and more happiness. The evidence to this fact seems to be growing by the day.
Think on that statement for a moment: “once the basic necessities of life are paid for, more and more income does not lead to more and more happiness”. This makes good sense if you think about it, though. Let’s use the example of a car. If you have a car that operates reliably, but doesn’t have too many bells and whistles (manual, roll up and down windows, cloth seats, manually adjusting mirrors, etc.), it gets you from point A to point B with no issues. Great! We like no issues (equals less stress and worry). Now let’s ponder on the difference between that simple car and a luxury car. If you have a car that is significantly more expensive than the car that we first discussed, it will obviously have many upgrades (heated/cooled seats, electronic motors that roll up and down the windows, move the mirrors, change the position of the seats with presets, built-in navigation/gps, and sensors to monitor EVERYTHING). The more bells and whistles, the more likely that those bells will malfunction and need repair (aka- money). If you add the additional costs of those repairs to the additional cost of obtaining the luxury car in the first place, things add up quite quickly for something that’s purpose is to get you from point A to point B.
Do hear me when I say- there is nothing wrong with having a luxury car (or a large house or $400 shoes- if you worked for it, you can do whatever you like with your gains and smile while you do it). Quite frankly, luxury cars are splendid. Who doesn’t want seats that can electronically cool down on a hot day in the South so you will not burn your legs? The catch is that having a luxury car, a bigger house, more expensive clothes, etc. just means that you’ll have to work more in order to pay for those items. Considering that we have a limited number of life hours, it is an important consideration when deciding what we want to spend those life hours doing.
Becoming a doctor will require lots of life hours, but if the benefit for you is helping others and making a contribution to the field of medicine, then that sounds like a great use of your life hours. If your soul is fed by exploring countless countries across the world, then bringing in large sums of money seems like the way to go for you in order to make sure that you have the means to do what you need to do so that your soul thrives. If you find peace and fulfillment in rescuing and bonding with unwanted pets in your hometown, then determining how you spend your life hours (time) will probably look a bit different than the first two examples (as that path may require less money). All options that align with your core values and beliefs are great and can be the right option for you, as long as your use of life hours aligns with what fulfills and provides meaning to you. Life hours, prioritizing what aligns with your personal values, and finding ways to enact those values into your daily life is a whole separate subtopic blog in itself, so I’ll just put a pin in that topic and get back to happiness…
Other factors in our lives can play a part in our happiness, such as our jobs, marital and friend relationships, our living environment, our accomplishments and failures, and life experiences; but forthrightly, true happiness comes from and is rooted in our mindset. “My mindset?!”, you may ask (or yell at your screen). Yep, it's our mindset that has enough power to make or break us.
“Listen local Jackson, MS therapist, I’m so stressed, anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, going through a rough or traumatic time, etc.; how do I experience happiness in my life? How can I change my mindset?”
It’s the million-dollar question, right? How can I find happiness? How can I get my mind to focus more on the good, rather than the bad in my life? How can I experience happiness while I’m dealing with this trauma, anxiety, stress, or confusion in my life? Stay tuned for Part II of this blog: 7 Things to Do Daily to Increase Your Happiness- Tips from your local Jackson, MS Therapist for the answer to these questions. Until then!
If you feel that your lack of experiencing the levels of happiness that you desire have gone beyond the help that you can get from reading a blog post, or if you are ready to start positive change in your life today, feel free to call me at the Jackson office of Central Mississippi Therapy Solutions - (769) 300-5259 – to set up an appointment where we can get to the bottom of what is causing your unhappiness, stress, or anxiety. We will fix this together.
If you have a topic or a question that you would like for Bahar Dunn, our Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Central Mississippi Therapy Solutions, LLC in Jackson, MS to answer, please email centralmstherapysolutions@gmail.com. Please do not include any identifying information (unless you are comfortable in doing so), as email communication is not always a confidential medium of communication.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post is for general information purposes only. Nothing in this post or on this website should be taken as therapeutic guidance or therapeutic or medical advice for any situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, a therapist-client relationship.
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