The Best Tips For Greater Happiness Part I

Happiness studies is a growing field of study in the area of the human and social sciences. This article helps you to incorporate some of these findings into your everyday life and so increase your level of happiness.

Think long term

One of the biggest causes of unhappiness is the pursuit of short term happiness. This is a simple truth that is often not appreciated by people: i.e. "I do everything I can to make myself happy so why am I so miserable?" There is a always a quick route to happiness that we can take. For some this might include skipping work, eating fast food, dropping household chores and going for a drink. The problem with short term strategies is that this is just what they are: 'short term'. They also lack the depth of true fulfillment and can additionally sabotage your long term feelings of well-being. So the first thing to come to terms with in improving your happiness is distinguishing between the short and long term. Take a look at what you do to make yourself feel good and ask yourself whether these things help or hinder your long term happiness.

Discover your place in the world

Human beings are social animals. It is important for us to have a sense of belonging whether this be to a community, a tribe or one's family. Zoologists have shown that when chimpanzees - our nearest relatives - are deprived of social contact they experience depression, listlessness and a tendency to self-harm. When they are returned to their tribe these symptoms subside. Experimenters have also shown that chimps experience anxiety when there is uncertainty about exactly where they belong in the social hierarchy. The next step then in improving happiness is to pay attention to your place in the world. Do you fit in at work for instance? It may be a great job but do you have a feeling of community with your colleagues? Do you have a family or group of friends you could spend more time with? Are your relationships healthy? Is there any unfinished business between you and a member of your family?

Be compassionate

The Dalai Lama once said "If you want to make other people happy, be compassionate. If you want to make yourself happy, be compassionate." What he means is that caring for other people actually brings you happiness. The reason this works may simply be that we are social animals, hard-wired to look out for one another, and our programming is such that doing this gives us a sense of well-being. Or it may be as the Dalai Lama and other gurus would suggest is something to do with the deep spiritual meaning in loving one's fellow human beings. Either way it has been shown in surveys of human behavior that those who score highly in caring for others also rate above average in levels of well-being. So what are you waiting for: be selfish and look out for others!

Do what you love

This one seems like a 'head-slapping' obvious one but you would be surprised how many people don't get round to doing what they really love doing. There are 8,760 hours in every year but we often don't find the time to go fishing, get a massage or simply take a walk. We wouldn't treat our dog like that, so why deprive ourselves? This stuff is really important because if you don't give yourself 'me time' then you don't recharge, and if you don't recharge you don't use your time effectively. Of course there is the issue for some of "I don't know what I love." The answer to that is that finding out can be a lot of fun and a bit of an adventure. Just remember to be honest with yourself and not try to do things you think you ought to love because your friends, family or colleagues do; or because you think these activities suit who you think you are - but really aren't! Just stick to the things that bring you genuine peace and joy.
Happiness studies is a growing field of study in the area of the human and social sciences. This article helps you to incorporate some of these findings into your everyday life and so increase your level of happiness.

Think long term

One of the biggest causes of unhappiness is the pursuit of short term happiness. This is a simple truth that is often not appreciated by people: i.e. "I do everything I can to make myself happy so why am I so miserable?" There is a always a quick route to happiness that we can take. For some this might include skipping work, eating fast food, dropping household chores and going for a drink. The problem with short term strategies is that this is just what they are: 'short term'. They also lack the depth of true fulfillment and can additionally sabotage your long term feelings of well-being. So the first thing to come to terms with in improving your happiness is distinguishing between the short and long term. Take a look at what you do to make yourself feel good and ask yourself whether these things help or hinder your long term happiness.

By: Fred street

Lonely

Lonely is the Heart that never knows true love.
Lonely is the Body never looked on from above.
Lonely is the Mind that lost it's will to dream.
Lonely is the Soul when no one hears it scream.

Lonely is the Heart that beats within the chest.
Lonely is the Body that soon lay down to rest.
Lonely is the Mind that has no place to go.
Lonely is the Soul that heaven does not know.

She's the One

I didn't want to go back in time, back when I didn't know who she was, back to the time when she didn't know that I exist. Because since my heart gave and gave up, I realized that the moment our eyes met is the very moment I wish will never end. And as We walked hand in hand together, my eyes were with tears, i knew that was the moment I've been waiting for, for years. As I watch from a distance there was something I couldn't hide, the happiness of being with her and having her in my life and as I smile at her, I whisper to myself the 3 words that for so long were locked inside my heart " She' s the one".

Topkaye4/20/09 1:30 pm

Better in Time

Love dies when the mystery is gone; love dies because of thoughtlessness and neglect; love dies if one holds too fast and the other holds too loose; love dies sometimes with a seeming swiftness that leaves the one who loves still.
Wondering, how did it happen? And yet though the “break” comes in suddenly, the death of love is here. For love does not die in the space of a moment, it does so, gradually, with each thoughtlessness act, with each cruel words. It dies slowly.
I suppose that there must be a graveyard for lost loves, but even if I could find it. Maybe interesting the experience would be, I don’t think if I would have the heart to stay there for long.
I might regret putting an end to something that once made me smile or even laughed. I might even cry my eyes out whenever I miss the way it use to be. But remember, Time heals almost everything in our past.
And now I started to see love once again. For the things that I have been afraid of are starting to happen again. I want to forget someone, as if it did not exist, as its face seems to dissolve in my memories, as its voice fades all recognizable sounds. Still, I manage to remember the day when I had felt its presence, the warmth of its embrace. Now all I know is its name which, as I speak in my mind, it gives me anger, despair, and tears. Somehow, one thing I know is for sure, someone did exist and it had stolen a day in my life that I wish it never had.
And the time will come, when I no longer cry when I remember it, instead I will smile and think how better off I am now since then.

Topkaye041409 11:46am