Often we come across the phrase, ‘Find your happiness’, from a fellow friend or a family member or some motivational speaker. It’s a bit confusing, ain’t it. How and where can one find happiness? Is it challenging to find or easily accessible? I would say both, and that’s how complicated yet, simple it is to find happiness. One can live their entire life searching for it, or one would live life with it. It’s different from one person to another person. Each person to his/her own.
“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
― Albert Camus
Well, as much as I want to agree with the above quotes yet, somewhere in the corner of my heart, I feel the need to search for happiness has become an important part of life. But as Albert Camus says, it’s up to us to decide, what makes us happy. Happiness is a state of mind, and to attain that state of mind one should build a list of things that makes them happy. Being happy doesn’t come naturally to some people. Often sadness that is lurking in the corner, engulfs us in no time if we let it. So how to find happiness then? I would say in chunks or little things. Yes, waiting for something big to happen to be happy is a myth. So trying to find happiness in small portions is what keeps life going. As trivial as it may sound with my personal experience, I try and apply the below three things in my life to find happiness.
- Travelling: One of the best things about taking a vacation is the days we spend looking forward to those travelling days. The eagerness and longing to go to someplace where you have never been before gives you a different kind of happiness that probably cannot be explained in mere words. Making a list of things you need to carry, shopping and packing it all up also adds up to this anticipation. And of course the trip itself. Boarding a plane/train/bus and finally make it to the place where you will stay for a week away from home, ready for new experiences and new memories.
- Long Talks: Before getting into long chats with someone the first and foremost thing to do is choose the right confidant. It may be a close friend, sibling, spouse or parents. Just make sure they listen to you by not being judgemental about your feelings or making fun of your emotions. Once things get out of your head through your mouth the mind will be at peace for a long time. These chats can be about anything from movies to the latest gossip. From a silly personal rant to sharing a childhood story. I bet These long chats/rants can do wonders, and they will make you happy.
- Entertainment in all forms (Movies, series, music, sports): Looking forward to your favourite movies to release or a series that you are waiting on Netflix. Or a music album or a song your favourite artist/band has promised to release or a match you are awaiting to watch. Believe me, as silly as it may sound, but the anticipation with which you waits for something to look forward to will always put your mind in a strange longing. And this longing will in turn make you happy. On a sad day, you just have to think of these things, and it will be like swallowing a happy pill.
Apart from the above things sometimes, I do indulge in my hobbies to find happiness like reading a book (a great escape to another world), painting, or brewing a story in my head. If nothing helps, I just log in to youtube and watch an episode of Run BTS (If you know what I mean!)
