Free-Flowing Happiness Part 1

Have you ever been in a situation where you have been so over the top happy, feeling everything is exactly where it should be? Only to suddenly come crashing down from the highs with a bucketful of fear hitting the pit of your stomach, making you feel this feeling surely can’t last and that something dreadful was coming your way?

The notion is all too familiar and one most of us have experienced at some point in time. In many ways, it seems humanity has accepted that there is no such thing as constant happiness. Where does this stem from? Many think it stems from a deep-rooted sense of not deserving the happiness we are experiencing, and that loss, grief or disappointment is just as deserved in the long run, thus cutting our own joyous experiences short.

Everyone copes with unhappiness by rationality. It exists when our expectations, perceptions or actions are not aligned with reality. Being happy means overcoming the disappointment from a different outcome in a situation other than what we expected. We are too focused on what matters to us that we never considered other possible results, therefore, we are not ready to accept it. Being ready for things like this can reduce disappointment that causes our unhappiness.

How can we have constant happiness when there are endless issues at home, work or school? And can we ever escape stress when anxiety is clouding our mind even after countless yoga and meditation sessions? The answer is yes. You have it within you, most importantly, start with taking a few deep good belly breaths. 

 

Breathing is a way of calming the fight or flight mechanism we have. When stress appears we tend to breathe shallow up in our chest, often forgetting to exhale. This can make our muscles tighten and body feel tight and uncomfortable. By not circulating enough oxygen this can cause your system to induce a panic state. By taking 10 deep belly breaths of air, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, we help calm our nervous system and open up our tight squeezed feeling body. Many find after just this simple exercise things don't seem as bad after all.



To practice deep breathing simply sit or lie comfortably, hold one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe in as deep as you can with your nose, hold it for a second, then let out the air slowly through your mouth, making sure you push your belly out and fully utilize your diaphragm. Feel free to add noises! If you feel lightheaded, this is normal, we recommend you stop if you feel any discomfort.



The only attitude in life that we can use to be truly happy is to be positive. At one point in your life, a door closed but a window opened. We are too focused on closed doors that we neglect other opportunities that were opened before us. When something happens with an unfavorable result, step back and look at the bigger picture. There is always something greater out there.

 It takes time to get used to new perception and habits. If the feeling of constant happiness doesn’t happen right away, don’t worry and just keep being positive. Next week, we will share brain hacks on how to achieve a constant state of happiness so make sure to stay tuned!

Until next week - be positive - be invigorated!