If you're not happy, how do you become happy?

Answer 1

The first thing you have to do is to realize why you are not happy.
Once you know that, you can solve the problem. Once all of your problems are solved, you must think of a dream. You must accomplish that dream. But you must also make many friends along the way. You should not ditch your your friends when trying to achieve your dream. Once you have solved your problems, achieved your dream and made many good friends, you must find your true love. Once you have done this, you will be TRULY happy.

Answer 2

I made myself happy for years simply through enjoying the little good things in life when I saw them. Sunsets, the green of tree leaves, the shadows under the trees, etc. No matter how many bad things you have in your life, you always have at least 1 good thing every day...if you pay attention.

Also, try to think of what you have instead of what you don't have. I'm sure you have *something* good in your life, whether it's a specific ability or a friend or a stuffed animal you've had since you were a kid. Maybe you haven't accomplished your dreams yet, maybe you don't even know what they are. Maybe you don't have enough money or you're living with someone who hurts you a lot. But somewhere in there I bet there's something to be thankful for, even if it's only that you have both arms and legs. (This is easier said than done, I know, but you can't do it if you don't try to.)

Answer 3

I think you need to define what "HAPPY" means to you a little more. Is it that you act happy/ditzy a la Jessica Simpson? If that is the case, then yeah I think people would get annoyed by it. No one likes someone who pretends to be happy/ditzy. People want to deal with real people, people who have honest opinions and thoughts. If this is what's going on then maybe you should do something to strengthen your knowledge of what's going on around you. If people get annoyed because whenever they tell you about something going on that is slightly depressing and all you do is point out the positive MAYBE its time to just listen. Sometimes people just want to be heard, they don't necessarily want a solution to their problems. They just want to vent, and when people just want to vent it can come across as patronizing or condescending when the other person is constantly throwing out "all is well just smile la di da" at them. Now if you are generally a positive person, and you think that there is a silver lining to every dark cloud; I'm gonna have to say what you don't want to hear, and that is DO NOT CHANGE FOR OTHERS! Resubmit your question with a little more detail, an example or two then you may get some good answers.

Answer 4

A FEW PRACTICAL ANSWERS:

-You wouldn't BELIEVE the effect that pure sunlight can have. Just enjoy the sunshine for a while. Seriously. Not trying to sound stupid here.

-Excercise. It sounds cliche, I know. But it really does something for you. If you do an hour workout, you really really do feel good about it for some reason!

-Do a constructive hobby--in which you can measure the results. I grow my own potatoes.

I used to get depressed a lot as a teenager. I grew up a bit, and did these things to improve my mind. I realized that if I didn't, I'd end horribly!

Answer 5

Happiness is a mental state of mind. From the childhood you have been nurtured to think the way every body thinks. We have been always asked not to do certain things the sort of negativity is developed in us from the child hood. No body said do this or do that but every time it is advised don't. This don't has engrossed in our mind. When we grow our mind is full of this "don't".

Happiness is a relative term. When you long for some thing and when you get it then you start longing for something else this longing never ends because our mind is set like that. There is one place where the operation of mind is performed not in a literal way of meaning. You visit the site http://www.dhamma.org/ and attend their 10 day camp. They help us to change our way of thinking. I have attended their 4 camps and practice their way of meditation since last 4 years and I can aptly imagine myself Happy.

Answer 6

You can make affirmations stating that you are happy until you actually become happy. You are training your subconcious mind, thereby creating your own reality. (Affirmation = I am happy. I am happy with my life. I am happy with my career and I love what I do, etc.) You have to write down these affirmations and read them aloud several times daily when you first wake up and right before bed. Eventually, you will begin making changes in your life so that these statements will become true. You can find library books about the pursuit of happiness. Try "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffries. She talks about doing affirmations, but there are several books out there that do.

Answer 7

Then MAKE your life happy.
"You're the author of your own story."
Remember that. =)

Answer 8

You don't cling, but you love. You don't fight the world. The next person is not someone to enhance you nor to threaten you. You see the next as the same as yourself.

Answer 9

I love your question, Ryan! It's a hot topic in psychology today. There's this whole new field called Positive Psychology that's all about finding greater happiness. And the amazing thing is that they have actually found a bunch of things that work!

One thing that has helped a lot of people is the book "Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman, one of the leaders in the Positive Psych movement. He's a great psychologist and found that people who are pessimists tend to think things are bad, things are always going to be bad, and the bad pervades everything. People who are extremely positive believe the opposite -- that things are good, things are often going to be good, and that the good is everywhere. And if something bad happens, the positive person will put it into the perspective of this happened now but isn't going to continue to happen or ruin my future. And it's only bad about this one thing, it doesn't impact in everything else in my life. Seligman found that people can challenge and retrain their pessimistic thinking and actually become much more positive, less depressed, and happier.

But then he found people could go even further than that... and that's how Positive Psychology got started. It's a really cool topic!! That's why I love your question!!

I'm going to list below 10 things a person can do to increase their happiness. Researchers in the field of positive psychology have found that approximately 50 percent of one’s level of happiness is genetically determined, about 10 percent is due to life circumstances, and the other 40 percent is due to thoughts, behaviors, and other conditions under YOUR voluntary control!! WOW!!! These are things we CAN do to improve our happiness!

"Life is the question. How we live is the answer..."

Below are 10 effective practices validated by scientific study that one can easily implement to increase one’s level of happiness. Some of them will seem like, well duh! But others are really great.

Try any or all of them, they all have an impact! Have fun, and enjoy life, Ryan!! And thanks for your SUPER question!!

Gratitude Visit
Write a letter of gratitude to someone in your life whom you consider to be kind. This exercise causes an immediate spike in happiness. After a month or so, it declines. But then you can write another letter of gratitude to a different person! Anyone who strikes you as worthy of gratitude.

Three Good Things
Write down each day three things that went well and what caused them to go well. Doing this for one week has been shown to lift one’s mood into a much happier state for at least six months.

Using Signature Strengths
The person takes a test or uses other methods to identify his or her personal strengths, such as forgiveness or creativity. The person then uses his or her top strength in a new way every day for a week. This intervention lifted happiness for at least six months.

Count Your Blessings
One way to do this is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down three to five things for which you are currently thankful. It can be ordinary (your roses are in
bloom) or fantastic (you found the love of your life). Do this once a week, like on Sunday night. Keep it fresh by varying your entries as much as possible. Keeps your happiness going...

Practice Acts of Kindness
These should be both random (let the busy mom go ahead of you in the checkout line) and regular (every Sunday take supper to an elderly neighbor). Being kind to others, whether friends or strangers, triggers a cascade of positive effects. It makes you feel generous and capable, gives you a greater sense of connection with others and wins you smiles, approval and reciprocated kindness. Those will boost your happiness. There's a website all about random kindness, check it out!

Savor Life’s Joys
Pay close attention to momentary pleasures and wonders. Focus on the sweetness of a ripe strawberry, or the warmth of the sun in early spring, or your friend's smile. Take a “mental photograph” and store it in your memory. When you're feeling a little down, pull out those mental photos of special moments and savor them.

Learn to Forgive
Let go of anger and resentment by writing a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt or wronged you. You can send the letter to them or not, but do keep a copy of the letter and if you feel unforgiving again, read your letter again. Inability to forgive is associated with persistent ruminating, dwelling on revenge, and feeling bad. Forgiving allows you to move on and to feel fresh and free and happy.

Invest Time and Energy in Friends and Family
Make new friends, and keep your old friendships alive and thriving. It takes some time to keep friendships going well. But it's really worth it. Cultivate at least 3 good friends that you can depend on. Learn how to be a good friend and to give of yourself. It's surprising, but they've found that your happiness doesn't really depend on how much money you make, your job title, or even your health. The biggest factor, by far, appears to be strong personal relationships. So go for it!

Take Care of Your Body
Getting plenty of sleep, exercising, stretching, smiling and laughing can all enhance your mood in the short term. Practiced regularly, they can help make your life more satisfying. Learn a few jokes, watch a funny video or movie, laugh with your friends. Take care of yourself with healthy food, exercise, and plenty of sleep. Oh, and a dose of sunshine and fresh air every day too.

Develop Strategies for Coping with Stress and Hardships
There is no way to avoid hard times. Religious faith and spirituality have been shown to help people cope. So do secular beliefs such as “That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Beliefs and faith have a profound effect on how you cope with stress and hardship. Develop positive ways of coping. (The "Learned Optimism" book is good for that, too.)

Hey, best of luck to you!!!!! ;-)

Answer 10

go 2 peekvid and watch the movie the secret