An insightful blog Written by Rebecca Harrison. Volunteer at Three Little Birds.
How often do you get asked the question: What makes you happy?
I was asked this question recently and thought to myself the same thing. How many times do we ask loved ones and friends what truly makes them happy? Personally, not very often. I rarely even ask myself this question, and have made sure to reflect on my life, and think what actually does make me happy.
It is a sense of wellbeing and joy! However, the feeling of being happy is never usually recognised
Firstly, how do we define happiness?
Happiness is that feeling that comes to you when life is good, and you cannot help but smile. It is a sense of wellbeing and joy! However, the feeling of being happy is never usually recognised. I for one am prone to focusing on the negatives in life, rather than reflecting about what is making me happy at that time, and therefore there are times when I subdue my happiness because of negative factors.
The question ‘What makes you happy’ stimulates a sense of self-reflection. Because yes life is good and purposeful but dwelling on what makes a person happy is never a commonality. So, appreciating the things that make you happy will make your soul shine.
Now why do we ignore this question? We ask how people are feeling but we rarely are aware about what makes them happy? So, I ask you this now, as you are reading this blog post… what makes you happy?
Happiness is individual and unique; the key is to understand what truly makes you happy and incorporate this into your daily life.
I thought I would list mine here:
1. Spending time with my friends, family, and boyfriend – I always feel content and relaxed when I am around my loved ones. I feel like I am myself around these people and they love me for who I am. I feel constantly proud of those around me and their achievements in life and gives me an unfound sense of happiness.
2. Reading a book – is it just me or does a book take you away from the world? I love being invested in a book, sat with snacks and a drink, and watching the day go by.
3. Dancing – Dancing for me has always been a confidence boost and a way to express myself, even having a dance party in your room to your favourite songs, it makes my heart happy.
4. Pamper Nights – I find pamper nights are my favourite form of self-care. A night with a bath, a face mask, snacks, and my favourite film does me a world of good and feels like a time that I have to myself, a time to reflect.
5. Sunshine – I love when the sun is out, I find that it really boosts my mood and makes me thankful for such lovely weather! My favourite time is being sat in the sun with music and a good book, soaking in the vitamin D. Although always remember sunscreen!
Photo by Antonino Visalli on Unsplash
I also asked some people what makes them happy & why?
Here are a couple of their responses:
Anonymous: ‘Spending time with my friends and family. Achieving things, like getting into university but also small things like finishing a book. Being with my loved ones reminds me how much I care about them and it’s always fun. A sense of accomplishment and purpose.’
Anonymous: ‘Acting, cooking good food, watching great TV/ film, and travelling. They are interesting, they stimulate the mind, and they are ‘feel good’ activities’
This shows that happiness is unique, everyone will have different actions and objects that make them happy. If possible, I challenge you to do more of what makes you happy, write a list of what makes you happy and do one or more of those every day. This is a challenge I will be doing myself and will reflect on how this has boosted my mood and my life. I push you to do the same.
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