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Oct 8, 2024
"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." --Nathaniel Hawthorne
How to Stop Overthinking Your Happiness
People universally desire to be happy, yet “even when people’s lives are good, many feel less than happy, and may be beset by anxiety and depression.” In fact, philosopher Eric Hoffer said, “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” Some of the reasons include setting very high expectations, comparison to others, and concern about and tracking happiness which increase judgment. Suspending judgment about happiness, and accepting emotions as natural and valuable instead of monitoring them are among the ways to increase happiness according to a recent study. Social connection and culture are important as well. “If we can live our lives fully, mindfully, without looking beyond, true happiness might emerge.”
BE THE CHANGE
Consider and apply one of the suggested ways to increase happiness. Then sit down quietly and mindfully, and see if greater happiness wings its way into your heart.
