Creating More Happiness In Your Life
Why does happiness matter? How does creating more happiness in your life help? According to Williamson, M.(2014). “People react to this question in surprisingly different ways. Some suggest that there are far more significant things to worry about; others see happiness as vitally important and something that every human being ultimately wants in life. To explore this conundrum, we need to start by looking at what happiness actually means.
Happiness relates to how we feel, but it is more than just a passing mood. We are emotional beings and experience a wide range of feelings on a daily basis. Negative emotions – such as fear and anger – help us to get away from danger or defend ourselves. And positive emotions – such as enjoyment and hope – help us to connect with others and build our capacity to cope when things go wrong.
Trying to live a happy life is not about denying negative emotions or pretending to feel joyful all the time. We all encounter adversity and it’s completely natural for us to feel anger, sadness, frustration and other negative emotions as a result. To suggest otherwise would be to deny part of the human condition.
Happiness is about being able to make the most of the good times – but also to cope effectively with the inevitable bad times, in order to experience the best possible life overall. Or, in the words of the biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard: “Happiness is a deep sense of flourishing, not a mere pleasurable feeling or fleeting emotion but an optimal state of being.”
One popular misconception about happiness is that happy people are somehow more likely to be lazy or ineffective. In fact research shows the opposite is true: happiness doesn’t just feel good, it actually leads to a wide range of benefits for our performance, health, relationships and more.”
Williamson, M. (2014, November 3). Why Does Happiness Matter?. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/03/why-does-happiness-matter.
Building Happiness (Exercises)
Happiness takes work. Changes in life circumstances like a promotion or a new relationship might result in a temporary happiness boost, but before long the excitement levels off.
The Building Happiness (Exercises) worksheet includes a list of activities that have been found to help build sustained happiness, when practiced regularly. The exercises that are described include gratitude, acts of kindness, physical exercise, meditation, positive journaling, and fostering relationships. Discuss these exercises with your client, practice them in session, and create a plan to practice a little bit every day.
