A friend asked me the other day if I believed happiness was a state of mind. I believe happiness, as are all emotions, more than a state of mind. An emotion is more than a mind set. It is how your whole body feels, not just your mind. He questioned the need for people around you to make you happy.
I found my own happiness, but I found this with the help of my friends. I chose to be happy. I made that decision. And in order for me to get there I leaned on people around me. I took their good, and I turned that into my good. That is what friends are for. And now I am giving my good. Yes, there are people out there that can get their own happiness without leaning on others. For me this was not the case. My friends are more to me than they will ever know. They are my family.
I now choose to be happy forever. I have made that decision to wear a smile. Even when things are not that great, and I am having one of those days, I will wear a smile. (If all else fails, wear a crazy hat, and laugh at yourself ). Like I said in a previous post, if you smile at someone, you just might get one back. And that simple sharing of your inner emotion might make a strangers day. It also might make them happy. It might help someone that is feeling sad, and down on themselves feel good.
When I went through high school I had a few nicknames, and one that has always stuck with me is 'smiley.' I wore a smile back then to hide the pain. I wore a mask to hide the pain of abuse, and my mask had a smile permanently stuck to it! Now I wear my own face with that smile on it.
You can walk through life on your own. With your own happiness. Or you can make the decision to walk with awesome people that will help you be happy, or build on your happiness. Life can be lonely. It is so much nicer when you are dancing with someone.
Do you believe happiness is a state of mind, or more than a mind set?
hmm that's a tough one.... but i like your outlook!
ReplyDeletehmm... bit of a deep question...
ReplyDeletehappiness comes and goes. if we are feeling down about something, we choose to either dwell on it and sulk, or get over it, cheer up and move on. we make that our choice. happiness is our choice. so in that respect, perhaps it is a state of mind?
i've never really thought about this question to be honest.
in saying that, not every circumstance is as easy as 'getting over it'. as you know, some things take years to work through and find happiness from. smaller decisions can take a single moment for us to say, bugger that, i won't be doing that anymore if it makes me unhappy.
did that even answer your question? ha. probably not! so i will just end it with...
rock on.
yeah, it is a hard one at the moment for me Hayley.
ReplyDeleteI love the smile at the world outlook & do it all the time, yet sometimes it is to hide behind & wear the smile mask.
someone at uni told me that he thought i was fake because I smiled alot, i don't think i am, my emotions are pretty obvious, i guess people don't expect others to smile all the time.
wear a smile I say too, say hello to strangers & look at the world with open arms. it's a great example for our little people.
♥
I think a smile is a very strong statement to share, that although the world may be falling to bits, your feeling some hope....it can have different meanings than just happiness though I guess. Very deep post Hayley...just logged into websters to look up the definition and had a laugh at the devils dictionary version.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/happiness?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=happiness&sa=Search#922
I don't know about happiness. I am a bit Dolly Parton about it. What was it she said, you gotta have the rain so you get rainbows. I bought a silly hat today just for smiles.
ReplyDeleteoh yes... you too have to have the tears! I am learning that one. That is an emotion I like to push away. But sometimes to get through the pain you do have to cry, and as you say there will be a rainbow on the other side. Maybe I should have a cry right now! Feel like seeing a rainbow x
ReplyDeleteIn think we choose our state of mind to a huge degree. Things will happen in our life that are well beyond our control (!) but we can absolutely decide how we will react to these events. Was it Elenore Roosevelt who said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent?"
ReplyDeleteI wrote a bomb of a reply to this and it went into a cyber black hole!
ReplyDeleteAnyway - 3RD TIME LUCKY!
In short - happiness isn't simply a state of mind. It is a state of being. When we do good things that are good for our bodies (thoughts, food, lifestyle), our inner workings reflect this - when we feed the right fuel to ourselves, we tend to be more positive on the whole because our body has everything it requires. There is no lack of nutrients. When we fall into a pit of bad habits, eating food that is nutritionally lacking and lead a lifestyle that is bad, our body too reflects this in how it feels. I know I have had periods of time in my life I have been subject to both sides of the coin but on the whole, I'm on the winning combination of healthy lifestyle and great habits which allows me to feel happy 98% of the time.
What's more - our emotional centre is in our gut not our brain - so it physically can't be 'a state of mind' - more appropriately a 'state of gut!' We have thousands of receptors in the gut that are responsible for our emotional output. You know when you are upset, many of us either can't eat or our appetite goes into overdrive - it is a reflection of this. This is also why when we cleanse, emotionally 'stuff' comes up. Each time I cleanse I notice this more and more.
Every organ has an emotion attached to it. Oriental Medicine sees that it equates for 50% of the function of an organ - so for example the lung can be damaged by sadness - and in patients with long term grief, I will often see lung associated illness. Sometimes moving through these emotions sees a happier healthier being.
We can't separate our mind from our bodies - they are not separate entities. They work together (with every other part of the body) to make sure we are working well - if we reward ourselves with awesome nourishment and lifestyle you will absolutely feel it with every part of our being!