Happiness

@relentless-red said
@drewnogal

I think people who are suffering often struggle to manage feelings of emptiness, boredom and dissatisfaction with their lives. Perhaps contentment comes with the realisation that chasing happiness is not the solution and finding other ways. Imagining there are lives filled with perpetual happiness and devaluing your own life by comparison is a trap. I would agree that avoiding it comes with maturity and experience.

At the moment especially because of the state of things, I would say this is especially true.

@rajk999 said
Here is my 2 cents. There is such a thing as naturally happy people, and you seem to have some of that in you. The formula for that is pretty simple to figure out but not always easy to do. Happiness comes from basically making 3 right decisions in ones life. - Choosing the right spouse, making the right career choice, living in the right place. Failure in one or more of th ...[text shortened]... money or material possessions. Often its the material possessions which bring the most unhappiness.

Numpty

@rajk999 said
Here is my 2 cents. There is such a thing as naturally happy people, and you seem to have some of that in you. The formula for that is pretty simple to figure out but not always easy to do. Happiness comes from basically making 3 right decisions in ones life. - Choosing the right spouse, making the right career choice, living in the right place. Failure in one or more of th ...[text shortened]... money or material possessions. Often its the material possessions which bring the most unhappiness.

I agree that living in the right place and having someone special around, though not necessarily a partner, are essentials to feeling happy or content. These have similarities to some of the foundations of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

@drewnogal said
I agree that living in the right place and having someone special around, though not necessarily a partner, are essentials to feeling happy or content. These have similarities to some of the foundations of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Getting a dog helps, (if you have the time and space). I think yours is the best avatar around, by the way, is this your dog?

@indonesia-phil said
Getting a dog helps, (if you have the time and space). I think yours is the best avatar around, by the way, is this your dog?

The profile dog is mine but not the avatar which was inspired by one of the labels given by Duchess64 😀

@drewnogal said
The profile dog is mine but not the avatar which was inspired by one of the labels given by Duchess64 😀

Beautiful dog! I daresay he/she gives you hours of happiness.

@indonesia-phil said
Beautiful dog! I daresay he/she gives you hours of happiness.

Thank you, yes she’s a wonderful creature and so smart.

Sure, the breed is known for its' intelligence and energy. We have two 'Goldies', big, fluffy and something you can get stuck onto, but perhaps lacking a bit in the brain dept. Energy's not their strong card either....

@indonesia-phil said
Sure, the breed is known for its' intelligence and energy. We have two 'Goldies', big, fluffy and something you can get stuck onto, but perhaps lacking a bit in the brain dept. Energy's not their strong card either....

Those are great family dogs with a lovely nature.

@drewnogal said
I do lots of things to ‘stop’ myself feeling unhappy and improve my self esteem. They include a balance of enjoyable and laborious activities, getting enough sleep, being creative, avoiding contact with negative people, to mention a few.

Is anyone really naturally happy or is this just a measure of how we perceive the unhappiness of others and compare ourselves with them?

Is anyone really naturally happy or is this just a measure of how we perceive the unhappiness of others and compare ourselves with them?


Interesting questions. IMHO some people are naturally happier than others, but this also depends on other factors, such as environment, past experiences etc.

I was never a naturally happy person, but have learned to create happiness for myself by finding joy in small victories i.e. grinding out a hard won chess game against a stronger opponent, refinishing a small piece of furniture, the subtle euphoria one gets after exercise and a shower, cleaning and reorganizing a closet, keeping my personal files and finances in good order, so I can find needed documents quickly if needs be. Happiness is different things to different people, but small victories can help keep one on this path.

Happy!

YouTube

@mchill said
Is anyone really naturally happy or is this just a measure of how we perceive the unhappiness of others and compare ourselves with them?


Interesting questions. IMHO some people are naturally happier than others, but this also depends on other factors, such as environment, past experiences etc.

I was never a naturally happy person, but have learned to create happiness ...[text shortened]... ppiness is different things to different people, but small victories can help keep one on this path.

I like what you’ve written, it reminds me of my approach to keeping myself content. I try to stay fairly organised as it saves time for for more enjoyable pastimes like making a soup or tending my vegetable garden. I also like hard, physical work and will happily spend a couple of hours sawing wood and stacking logs. It’s all about losing myself in another place and time. On a sunny day I can imagine I’m living in rural France 🙂

@the-gravedigger said
[youtube]291ET6Py6H8[/youtube]

Captain Sensible, what a man, 'Women and Captains First' is a great album, and there was another I used to have but the name escapes me. I met him once in Brighton, I was a landscape gardener at the time and he wanted me to make his small garden fox - proof so the foxes wouldn't eat his rabbit. (I didn't get the job but we had a coffee) Guy's off the wall, but a rare talent, and a very likeable gentleman.