What makes you happy? I want you to really think about this, all things aside. When you find the time to put down your iphone, laptop, newspaper, or book, what makes your life fulfilling. For me it’s fitness, going on the treadmill, reading a good book, watching the news, checking my Instagram and sending likes, texting with Mom and family, checking on friends, working or applying for jobs, volunteer work, studying politics and watching cspan, blogging, writing books, writing quotes on cards for my Instagram. These are things that not only make me happy but make my day filled with things that make me feel proud and feel good about myself. Ultimately to me happiness, is feeling good about myself, and mental health. So what does happiness mean to you?

According to Google.com, the following contributes to happiness:

• Managing stress
• Practicing gratitude
• Exercising
• Getting enough sleep
• Smiling
• Meditating
• Living in a happy place
• Taking care of your health

What is happiness? According to researchers on greatergood.berkeley.edu “happiness is interchangeable with “subjective well-being.” Measured by how satisfied people feel with their lives (evaluative), how much positive and negative emotion they tend to feel (affective), and their sense of meaning and purpose (eudaimonic). Researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, who wrote a book on positive psychology “describes happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.” [1]

Reference:

[1] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition