The Mind-Mess of Happiness: Proven Ways to Finding Happiness and Keeping It

By Chantoi Smith

We do so much in the name of happiness. So why does none of it work?
Every day, we are surrounded by people with different backgrounds, dreams, fears, and hopes.
The only common denominator? We all want a happy life.
And we’re all struggling to get there.
We stumble, we fall, we get back up. We repeat.
But what do we have to show for it?
The Mind-Mess of Happiness is here to change that. In its pages, you will find all the tools you need to reassess your perspective on life, joy, and the everyday obstacles standing in your way. Get started today by discovering:
● what it really means to be happy and how to tell different types of joy and contentment apart
● how to cultivate happiness by pursuing your goals, savoring every second, and letting go of negative thoughts
● why personal relationships, regular exercise, and thankfulness can benefit you in the long term
● how to achieve everyday happiness by forgiving yourself, removing bad influences, and creating an inviting environment
● the best practices to turn a bad day around, pinpoint the true issue, and change your typical behavior
● why we feel the urge to control everything and the ways that affect us
● how to make the most of each opportunity, create a productive routine, and step away from social media
Happiness, like success, does not come overnight. It takes willpower, patience, and persistence.
But when it does come, it’s well worth the wait…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shaneek Francis
• Release date: Aug 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9789692492126

Book preview

A Brief Introduction

What Does It Mean to Be Happy?

People are always looking for ways to improve their happiness, yet the characteristics that constitute happiness may vary greatly from one individual to the next. When most individuals discuss the essence of happiness, they may be referring to how they feel in the here and now, or they may be referring to a broader sense of how they feel about life in general.

Definition: happiness is an emotional state that is characterized by feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. Happiness may be defined as the absence of negative emotions and the presence of positive emotions. Even though happiness may be defined in a variety of ways, it is often thought of in terms of having pleasant feelings and being satisfied with one's life.

When discussing this mental state, psychologists and other social scientists often use the word subjective well-being' rather than the phrase 'happiness' since happiness tends to be such a widely defined term. Subjective well-being, also known as mental health, is characterized by the tendency to center on an individual's overall personal sentiments about their life in the current moment.

Two essential elements that contribute to one's level of happiness (or sense of well-being) are as follows:

A healthy equilibrium of feelings:

Every single person goes through life experiencing a wide range of sentiments, emotions, and moods, including both pleasant and negative ones. Having more pleasant sensations than negative ones is one of the most important factors in determining one's level of happiness.

Life Satisfaction

In this context, life satisfaction refers to the degree to which a person feels content with various aspects of their life, such as their relationships, their careers, their accomplishments, and any other factors that they deem to be significant.

One further definition of happiness comes from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. According to Aristotle, pleasure is the one, and only human goal and all other wants that humans have existed only to facilitate the pursuit of happiness. He felt that there were four tiers of pleasure: happiness that resulted from instant satisfaction, happiness that resulted from comparison and success, happiness that resulted from making beneficial contributions, and happiness that resulted from obtaining fulfillment.

Aristotle postulated that one might obtain happiness by finding the golden mean, which requires striking a balance between being too lacking in something and being too abundant in something else.

Some Indicators of Happiness

When attempting to measure and analyze someone's level of pleasure, psychologists search for some important indicators, even though various people may have different ideas about what constitutes happiness.

One of the most important indicators of happiness is the experience of having the life that one has always desired.

Having the attitude of going with the flow and being ready to absorb each new experience in life as it comes

Having the perception that the circumstances of your life are favorable

Having enjoyable, constructive, and wholesome interactions with other people

The conviction that you have already achieved (or will eventually achieve) what it is you desire out of life

Having a sense of contentment with one's life

Having more happy feelings than negative ones

Keeping an open mind to fresh experiences and ideas

Taking care of oneself and treating yourself with respect and compassion are both important practices.

Experiencing appreciation

The experience of giving your life significance and purpose via the way you are living it

Having the desire to provide pleasure and joy to everyone around you

Remember that happiness is not a condition of permanent exhilaration; this is a very crucial point to keep in mind. Happiness, on the other hand, may be defined as an overarching sensation of having more pleasant feelings than negative ones.

Happy people may nonetheless experience the whole spectrum of human emotions, including anger, frustration, boredom, loneliness, and even grief, on occasion. They have an underlying feeling of optimism that things will get better, that they can cope with what is occurring, and that they will eventually be able to be joyful again. This is true even when they are confronted with unpleasant situations.

Varieties of Joy and Contentment

The concept of happiness may be interpreted in a myriad of various ways. For instance, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle distinguished between two separate types of pleasure, which he called hedonia and eudaimonia.

Hedonia:

Hedonistic bliss results from experiencing pleasurable activities. Doing what feels good, taking care of oneself, satisfying needs, having enjoyable experiences, and having a sense of fulfillment are the most common things that come to mind when one thinks of this concept.

Eudaimonia:

Eudaimonia refers to a state of pleasure that may be attained by the pursuit of virtue and purpose. The experience of having significance, worth, and purpose in one's life are critical components of eudaimonic well-being. It is more closely related to carrying out one's obligations, making investments in one's long-term objectives, being concerned for the wellbeing of other people, and living up to one's values.

In modern times, the concepts of hedonia and eudemonia are more frequently recognized in the field of psychology as meaning and pleasure, respectively. In more recent times, psychologists have proposed the inclusion of a third factor that is related to involvement. These are sentiments of dedication and engagement in several facets of one's life.

According to the findings of certain studies, contented persons have a tendency to score quite high on the eudaimonic dimension of life satisfaction and perform above average on the hedonic dimension.

Despite the fact that the relative importance of each might be extremely subjective, it is clear that all of these things have the potential to contribute significantly to one's overall level of happiness. It's possible that some pursuits might provide both pleasure and significance, while others may lean more heavily toward either aspect.

For instance, working for a cause that you really believe may provide greater satisfaction than the pleasure of doing the activity itself. On the other hand, things like watching your favorite television program could score lower in terms of meaning but higher in terms of enjoyment.

The following are some examples of happiness that may be classified into one of these three primary categories:

Joy is an emotion that is experienced in the here and now, yet it lasts for just a short amount of time.

A state of contentment and joy that comes from eagerly anticipating something enjoyable in the future, excitement may be defined as.

A good feeling that is characterized by one's state of being grateful and appreciative, gratitude

Pride is characterized by a sense of accomplishment and contentment with one's achievements.

The trait of seeing one's situation in life with a constructively constructive and happy viewpoint is known as optimism.

One kind of pleasure that may be described as having a feeling of fulfillment is contentment.

A Guide to the Cultivation of Happiness

Some individuals simply have a natural disposition to be happy than others, but there are also things that you can do to grow your feeling of happiness.

Pursue Intrinsic Goals

It is possible to increase one's level of pleasure by working toward and achieving objectives that one is organically driven to achieve, especially goals that are centered on one's personal development and the development of their community. According to a body of academic research, the pursuit of objectives like these, which are driven inwardly, may lead to greater levels of pleasure than the pursuit of goals like increasing one's wealth or social