Science Of Happiness

Happiness.

What is it?

Is it something we can see? 

Is it something we can hear?

Touch?

Taste?

Smell?

Is it a word?

Is it an action?

Does anyone really know?

You gather 100 people into a room and ask each one of them what happiness means and each individual will give a different answer. Because each individual finds happiness in 10,000 different ways. 

But happiness isn't something that is always easy to come by, sometimes it's easier to allow ourselves to be sad and envious rather than joyous and blissful. Tal Ben Shahar did a presentation entitled "The Science Of Happiness" and this is what i've based this post on. 

1. Permission To Be Human

• It's human to feel emotions, when preventing yourself from feeling an emotion not only are you blocking the bad ones but also you're preventing yourself from feeling the good ones. When you try to suppress an emotion you only intensify them, when you accept that emotion, it weakens. It doesn't disappear but it becomes more manageable. Something I don't think people realize is that you're not the only one who has felt that way. Usually when going through a point of depression you feel alone, so you try cover it up, hide it, ignore it but really what you're doing is encouraging your mind to think about it. You need to accept the painful emotion then do something about it.

2. Stress

• Stress can potentially lead to depression and is one of the largest causes of depression and anxiety. So what can we do to decrease levels of stress? Simplify your life "quantity affects quality"if you're loading your life with work, activities, chores continuously of course you're going to suffer from stress. Now i'm not saying drop everything you do, but, allow yourself time to step back and reflect, appreciate things like friends and family as friends and family are one of the biggest reasons for happiness. "The problem isn't the stress it's the lack of recovery" it is important we take time to appreciate the little things, do yoga, meditate, breathe deeply. 

3. Mind/Body

• Exercise is one of the greatest remedies for depression, a person who exercises is more likely to be happier than one who doesn't. Exercise can reduce levels of violence and anger as well as lessening things such as anxiety, panic, stress and depression. Wellbeing is a huge part of happiness

Think of happiness as a puzzle which is full of many different areas, these areas are different for each person. We all have individual puzzles and sometimes we may loose a puzzle piece but we can find ways to discover it again to help complete our puzzle. 

So take time to think. What makes you happy? 

- Soph x