- Have you been constantly running after happiness? Well, chances are that may be the leading cause of your misery. Come, find out more
What is happiness? Well, if you read the Wikipedia definition, the term is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. But again, what is happiness, really?
Often, we attach happiness with the accomplishment of our goals. But chasing that emotion can sometimes also be one of the major reasons behind our misery in life.
The thing with our generation is that we expect to be happy all the time, when in reality, happiness is to be found within.
What makes you miserable in chasing happiness?
Our happiness is directly linked to competing with people, achieving our set of goals and plans, setting benchmarks on social media, so on and so forth.
Dr Kriti Anand, Associate Consultant, Psychiatry, Paras Hospitals, Panchkula, says, “Happiness has a different meaning now. The joy of satisfaction is lost somewhere. We all are in a hurry. Hurry to earn more, so that we can buy a bigger car, a bigger house. In this hurry, we often forget what we already have!”
We often relate our misery with the unfulfilled desires and accomplishments wherein we forget to count on the things we already achieved in our life’s.
Anand explains,”These days, happiness is measured directly with the wealth one has got. More the wealth, the more happiness. We are running day and night to earn that last penny so that we are a step closer to our dream. But at what expense? The more we run in the pursuit of happiness the more we put ourselves through the misery of being dissatisfied.”
Why are happiness and misery two sides of the same coin:
According to the expert, when people stress too much about wanting to be happy, they are more likely to experience their negative thoughts and failures. This becomes a leading cause of misery!
“Feeling anxious, sad, depressed are all basic human emotions. Feeling deprived of happiness during a crisis will add more to your misery and will definitely push you away from happiness,” Anand says.
Also, finding happiness in people and attaching yourself to goals and accomplishments, is the biggest cause of misery in a human’s life. Anand explains, “ Attaching yourself to the outcome is what causes us misery. Happiness is an internal thing.”
Happiness through materialistic pursuits is a problem.
Anand tells HealthShots,”We are seeing marriages fail, families being broken. We have all the time to earn money but we don’t have time for our loved ones. What’s the use of such materialistic happiness?” Trying to find happiness in materialistic worldly things and not investing in relations is also why the young generation is dealing with more misery than happiness.
How to overcome the practice of chasing happiness?
1. Practice gratitude
2. Learn to appreciate little things in your life, suggests Anand. Go out with your family. Eat that roadside ice cream with your kid. Take your mother to her favourite saree shop. In that moment, you’ll know the meaning of real happiness.
3. Stop chasing happiness, find it within yourself.
4. Clear your mindset from negative things. Learn to accept that it is human tendency to feel anxious and sad on some days.
5. Learn to accept the ups and downs of life. Accepting the outcome in advance will give you time to clear your mind.
The above article first appeared in Health Shots, https://www.healthshots.com/mind/happiness-hacks/happiness-what-is-the-true-meaning-and-how-to-achieve-it/
