𝟑 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟑𝟎 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
(full sharing on my blog 👇 https://bit.ly/2XameUh
On the wall of my living room hangs a wooden board that says: “Happiness is not a destination. It is a way of life.”
We hear sentences like this so much that it goes straight through us without leaving a trace. But there is deep truth in it.
The big illusion is to think “I will be happy when…”
Psychology even has a name for this: arrival fallacy.
So the question is: How can I be happy now?
As someone who had history with depression, I can tell you this doesn’t mean to run away from negative emotions. This also doesn’t mean to try to be happy. Or to repeat mantras of positive thoughts.
This doesn’t mean to create the perfect bedroom, have the perfect morning routine, perfect nails, or wear color-coordinated outfits.
You can’t will yourself into being happy. (Trust me, I’ve tried.)
Like how water always flows once you remove the rocks that block the river, real happiness emerges within you when you remember who you are and who you are not.
You are not your thoughts. Not the voice inside your head that says “Her life is more interesting than me.” when you check your friend’s Instagram feed. Not when it tells you “I’m a failure.” after what you want badly didn’t happen. Or when it says: “This is all my fault” when he leaves you.
You are not your emotions. Not the heat you feel in your chest. The sunkenness in your stomach, or the ache in your heart. Dreadness, sadness, madness, even gladness, don’t define you.
You are not your childhood, your heartbreak, your trauma, or your illness.
You are the observer of these experiences. You hold them. The same way the ocean holds the waves, the forest holds the tree, the sky holds passing clouds.
Yes, you are that big.
And how wonderful it is to get to experience so much!
What does heartbreak taste like in your mouth? What does the sunset feel like on your skin? The wind at dawn on your hair?
All these, the privilege of being human. 💛
