Did you know that we have happy hormones?

They are produced under certain circumstances when we do or experience certain things. We can increase their levels in our body deliberately if we focus on doing the right things.

Happiness doesn’t come from the world around us, we create it ourselves. Certainly, it is easier to be happy without war, Covid etc, but we can still have happy moments even when the world around us is in chaos.

Many people say, “If I found love, I would be happy”, “If I won the lottery, I would be happy”, but that’s not necessarily true.

The teenage version of this can be scary, “If I was thin, I would be happy, popular, loveable”, “If I was prettier, I would have more friends”. This is disturbing and heart-breaking for parents and loved ones.

Happiness is sometimes thought of as a destination, the place where, once reached, you can stay forever. Sadly, that’s not possible.

The nature of happiness

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Happiness is always there to be experienced, even in the worst situations. Being happy is a habit, a deliberate effort and when we are happy, we need to notice it but not grieve when that moment is over, because another one will be along soon.

Resilience is the key to happiness

The ability to keep moving through difficult times, putting one foot in front of the other.

Have a look at the image below. It gives ideas as to what we can do to raise our happiness hormones. In addition, there are apps to help us relax, ways to look after ourselves, techniques to calm the mind, knitting/crochet, art, anything that helps you feel the way you want to feel. Construct your own personal toolbox and use it whenever you need help.

We can be in control of our own happiness. We need to generate it ourselves because if we wait for the world to calm down and make us happy, we might be waiting for a long, long, time.