The right equation for Happiness

The one thing that is an vital element for the equation of a good life and everyone chases after is happiness. Now isn’t it? All we want in life is to be happy, to keep that bright smile always on your own face so that melancholy cannot hit you, as it hit the Merchant of Venice, Antonio. In search of happiness people go to different places, visit countries, travel, search for their soulmate because apparently having another person by your side always can give you happiness, many look for it in money. They think if they can have money, they can buy anything in the world and this can bring them the happiness that humans are continuously in search for. Some people look for it in people around them, following the equation that, good friends ‘=’ a happy life, or take example of our generation we find happiness in the number of followers that we have, the huge amount of likes amd comments we get on a post. Many even try meditation, going to the mountains, thinking enlightenment and happiness can only be found in their own unique ways.

What is happiness exactly though?? As a word, happiness is an adjective, first came to use in the late synonyms with words like ‘lucky, favoured by fortune’ and though people might have different definitions for what happiness is to them but it gives the same feeling for everyone. The warm, fuzzy feeling you get in your chest, that keeps the contagious smile on all the time, not letting it slip anytime soon. It is most wonderful, yet the simplest feeling. Let me tell you a secret now, you can always feel this way!! And that too without doing much for it. Not having to go to any severe lengths or places or even to people to find it, because you have it has been within yourself always. I have learnt this the hard way so I wanted you to know, stop struggling, stop worrying and looking for happiness in other people. You do you, you have you, YOU are enough! And you can give yourself everything that you need, and make yourself happy. It might seem like I am talking all such big words, but I am not..because it is actually true, waking up in the morning looking in that mirror and reminding yourself each day ‘I am beautiful or handsome, just the way I am’ and this alone is enough to keep your mood up throughout the day. Obviously there are many things and people who might try to put you down, but if you have confidence in yourself you can get past all those hurdles and achieve that satisfaction and happiness.

Though, it is completely wrong to be completely wrong to say happiness only depends on our self-esteem and vision of self, because humans and our emotions can be quiet complex that way, as it depends on various different factors. But true happiness, comes only from the within and not the wordly factors as said by the monks. It is a proven fact that people with high self-esteem experience more or positive emotions as compared to negative emotions. I have been talking so much about self-esteem but let us understand what it means first. What is self esteem?? ‘Self-esteem is considered to be an opinion one has of one-self and can be of a positive or negative orientation, it is an overall evaluation of one’s worth or value’ as stated by Blascovich, Tomaka, 1993. Your self-esteem effects your happiness, your life satisfaction is considered to be formed based on one’s life experiences and also because of influence of the kind of society and environment around them. It is as a result of various researches done by various Psychologists taht suggest the influence of self-esteem on happiness and vice versa. One such research by Baumeister (2003), in which he found that ‘self-esteem is said to be a consequence rather than a cause of some kind of social adjustment.’ There was another study that was carried out on adolescents coming from high risk environment that gave off the clue that people who have a higher self-regard are better able to face adversities in life, be it any disorder too.

These people are less likely to fall tarp yo any kind of psychological disorders like depression and anxiety. People with a lower self-esteem during adolescence are more likely to face some negative real life consequences during their adulthood years. Though happiness and self-esteem are major catalysts that speed up the reaction and help you reach the product earlier as compared to in their absence. Thus, what affects our self-esteem affects your happiness too. Researchers have found that people who have a low sense of self many a times indulge in ‘upward comparisons’ and put themselves down. Upward comparisons mean when one compares themselves to someone who is ‘better’ than them, ‘above’ them, but isn’t bit obvious that when you compare yourself to someone above you, you will feel low. But just because someone is rich, taht doesn’t mean that you are poor or worthless!! When one indulges in ‘upward comparisons’, it is like we are ourselves working on making ourselves unhappy and putting ourselves down. But when a person is high on self-esteem, they are confident about themselves and do not feel the need to compare themselves to anyone else. Keeping themselves internally happy and away from any kind of negative thoughts obviously affecting your overall happiness and well-being.

Remember, you are the only one who can provide yourself true happiness, you do not need to go around looking for it, you have it right here within YOU. You don’t need to go around looking for love and happiness in someone else, but yourself, be that someone for you, and you won’t have to go around looking. Falling in love with yourself is your first step towards happiness. You got this. Hold on just for a little longer.

References:

• https://www.marcandangel.com/2008/06/18/21-must-read-articles-on-happiness/
• https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2015/07/is-self-esteem-the-key-to-happiness
• https://insideofhappiness.com/ways-to-increase-happiness/