How to know yourself-30: Sustainability of Happiness

Think of happiness as a constant emotion. Would life be bearable that way?

You probably come across people around you who always try to be happy and do not want to encounter any negativity. So what do they do when they encounter negativity?

Seeking happiness is quite natural and being happy is a very important feeling. While we develop a better response to our environment thanks to the feeling of happiness, we also chart a better path for ourselves with our search for meaning in life. Although happiness is an indispensable component of getting our lives on track, a healthy person must learn to balance their emotions instead of constantly focusing on happiness. Because happiness and other emotions are indispensable parts of life.

Constant happiness actually means a narrowing of our emotional range.

That is, lack of emotion. It means running away from negative events or experiences and not knowing how to react to them. Not being able to experience other emotions means being deprived of the values they will add to us. As a more pessimistic person, I think that life consists of negativities rather than happiness and good memories. Happiness is more of a reward.

Today’s question: Is happiness a fixed emotion? From where? Is this a realistic approach or just a fantasy?

I think the search for happiness has become more of a fantasy, especially when we are stuck at home during the pandemic. As we talked about in previous chapters, happiness tied to materials and the outside turns into a fantasy when freedoms are restricted. This is not always a wrong thing. Sometimes hope is a feeling that keeps people alive. What is important for us is to determine our approach to happiness and to realize where it feeds from.

How do I react when happiness is not constant?

Again, an important question. As we mentioned above, are you running away from negativity and constantly pursuing happiness? Or do you embrace the negativity as they are, experience them, and learn lessons for yourself? If it’s the former, think twice about your emotional health. Because nothing can always be the way you want it to be. Even though in the age of social media, most of the input we are exposed to only portrays a happy profile.

Why is happiness important to me?

Why is it important to you? Why are you searching for happiness? We have been answering this question in several articles. But it is important to make this inference. Probably being happy like most of us; directly affects your relationships, work, performance, success, mental health, physical health, and many variables in your life. Being able to clearly explain what happiness means to you and why it is important; It will solve many problems in your life. It will increase your self-confidence and change your attitude towards the world, allowing you to take matters into your own hands. Perhaps you will also realize how much time you have spent in unhappiness or in achieving absolute happiness has been wasted.