Happiness Lies In Embracing What Is.

Among all the emotions, there's one we strive for the most - Happiness, happiness! Everyone talks about happiness and everyone wishes for it. The fact is, if we could, most of us would sum up all our desires in one word - "happiness." However, happiness is difficult to describe, impossible to touch, and too often it happens that when we are happiest, we simply don't realize it. To be happy, however, is extremely important not only for our mental but also for our physical health. Happiness is linked to positive things like joy, pleasure, delight, and contentment. In psychology, there's even a special field called "positive psychology" that studies the factors and processes leading to positive emotions and behaviors, aiming for optimal life outcomes. Happiness isn't just about moving from one joy to another; it usually involves significant discomfort along the way.

Life circumstances, achievements, family status, social relationships, even our neighbors—all of these affect how happy we are. Each person has their own way of thinking and expressing their feelings, so defining happiness is tricky. Regularly adding small pleasures to our busy lives, diving into challenging activities, setting and achieving goals, maintaining social contacts, and finding purpose can boost our life satisfaction. Satisfaction isn't happiness by itself, but it enhances our well-being. Some hormones are known to promote positive feelings, including happiness and pleasure. Don't overlook the happiness hormones:
Dopamine: It's all about pleasure, plus it helps with learning, memory, and motor skills.
Serotonin: This one keeps our mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, and learning abilities in check.
Oxytocin: It's associated with friendship and trust. It's released during physical contact, including hugs and kisses.
Endorphins: released during physical activity, extreme situations, and experiencing pleasure. They lead to euphoria and happiness.

We often get confused about what we think will make us happy. We might believe happiness will come once we reach a certain milestone, like finding the perfect partner or getting a specific salary. Happiness sometimes seems to come from a new car, clothes, or house. However, we adapt quickly to new situations, meaning we soon get used to a new relationship or wealth and return to our "baseline" level of happiness, where we're seeking it again. Luckily, the same principle applies to failures - we're resilient and good at coping, so we'll likely find happiness again. Acceptance doesn't imply liking or finding happiness in things, but rather recognizing and acknowledging them as they are. Accepting the concept of "It is what it is," embracing circumstances without trying to change them, is essential. People constantly struggle and seek their happiness. But this pursuit is so difficult.

One of the biggest problems with happiness is that often people don't realize they are happy. While happiness "happens," we don't think about it. We simply experience it. That's why the past almost always seems so sweet to us. We are always happy in the past and in the future (at least we hope), but almost never in the present. The happy person simply lives, works, loves, creates, does good deeds. He doesn't ponder and doesn't say to himself, "Yes, I am happy for this or that reason." Reflection comes only when happiness is lost. The truth is, we don't need to read hundreds of books to understand what happiness is. There are people who are neither rich, nor famous, nor successful, yet they are happy and grateful for the modest life they lead. We shouldn't seek happiness in complex and unrealistic procedures or any sort of psychological gymnastics. If you think about it, happiness is probably right in front of you even at this moment.

Happiness lies in embracing what is.