The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be second to heart disease in terms of global burden of illness. Can you believe it? It will overcome cancer if the WHO’s prediction is correct. That’s pretty scary.
Anti-depressant medication is, of course, not the way to go. Who wants to be popping pills for the rest of your that give you all sorts of other problems and may or may not help with the depression? I’m not a pill popper so I say, NO!
Increasing your happiness set-point is definitely the way to go. It’s side effects are laughter, feelings of freedom, abundance and lightness as well as lots of other positive and delightful stuff.
But are you supported in your quest to increase your happiness?
- Are you supported by your environment? Are the people around you happy for no reason? Or do you hang out with a bunch of complainers? Do you listen to happy music or motivational recordings? Is your environment pleasing to look at? And if it isn’t, how often do you go to a place that brings you happiness?
- Are you supported by your behavior? Do you do things that make you happy? Are you sitting and standing in an expanded way? Do you occasionally challenge yourself to go beyond your comfort zone? Do you have happiness habits in your life (such as a gratitude journal, praising yourself for a job well done, exercising, eating right, etc.)
- Are you supported by your beliefs and values? Do you really believe you can increase your happiness set-point (permanently)? Do you value happiness and put it first?
- Are you supported by yourself? Do you get in your own way of happiness? Do you feel sorry for yourself for days? Do you sit around and whine about how bad stuff is? Do you always play “devil’s advocate”? Or do you give yourself pats on the back, hug yourself every now and then, quiet your inner negative dialogue with meditation, or remind yourself of your strengths and capabilities?
- Are you supported by something bigger than yourself? If you believe in God or Allah or a higher being, then this might be that support for you. Or maybe it’s just the universe in general.
The point is that you are supported in your happiness at so many different levels. If you don’t have support at a certain level, take action to fix it. If you don’t believe you’re supported, start finding ways in which you are instead of finding ways in which you aren’t. For example, I’m supported by the universe in my happiness. Why? Because every now and then, the universe sends me a Kingfisher bird to admire when I’m running. I stop and admire the beauty of the blues in the feathers and feel at peace. I know the universe supports my happiness because of a bird.
You might think that’s really silly. We create meanings from every situation in our lives. I’d much rather have the meaning that the bird represents universal support then to believe the bird means nothing. Wouldn’t you?
To your improving happiness,
Lindley
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