Can You Be Happy?

[lockehead]

I want to know what some of you think about this. Is it possible to trick yourself into being happy? Can you "force" yourself to be happy and be in a good mood when you aren't feeling so positive? Or is it an emotion or mood that can only be exhibited if you are indeed in true content?

Oftentimes I'd be in a sort of indifferent and joyless mood. I find it odd that i sometimes have to just turn that frown upside down and to make the world seem a little bit brighter. I'm content with my life, however i don't either feel the need nor the want to perpetually exude that emotion. I'm doing a little thinking about this, wondering if it could be something of a defense mechanism that could be shielding me from knowing what real happiness is. I feel that i will, however, learn more about this issue with myself as i journey on through life.

Now, I wanna know see how other people feel about this. What do you think happiness is? Is it a state of being where you wake up with real positivity and enthusiasm for life? Or is it something thats conditional; something that is only present at certain moments and from certain triggers? Is it possible to "force" yourself to put on a smile to and bring about feelings of positivity from such physical gestures? How do you feel when are happy?

Feel free to comment on whatever perspectives you have on this topic. Even if its not directly related to these questions, im interested in whatever you want to say about this.

 

[desant]

You kno thats feking interesting

For the past 5 years i was busting my balls trying to change my life , bring about things, which would make me happy / fly

And what i discovered is i CANT force being happy on myself for shit. Only feel happy when its real..

Other than that, i have been getting sporadic flashes of happiness for the last 5 years - parties... smoking.... drinking ... girls ... etc

 

[Phillthy]

i am either happy or not. i dont find that i can force the emotion. it seems pointless. it is like trying to not be angry when you are pissed. just doesnt work for me.

 

[opt1c]

perhaps; try getting very faded; forget the past; forget the future; focus on the present moment; like present holding lighter smoking a bowl moment and nothing else; hard part is not worrying bout the future or past

heard a guy talk bout happiness; said that rickshaw drivers in the slums of calcutta are more happy than homeless people in the united states; even though their quality of life in calcutta is worse than being homeless having family and community allow them to be happier than the homeless who are without

everyone is happy in their own way though; not everyone gets bubbly and giddy or anything like that when they r happy

 

[Hold Your Fire]

No I cannot trick myself into being happy. I'm not a happy person to begin with, so faking it is impossible, for me.

 

[SuperConductor]

Faking it until you make it? Yeah it works but it also requires work. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is really good for negative thinking traps like this, the CBT For Dummies book really helped me.

When you smile hormones are released that make you feel good, it's like a reward for smiling, it even works with fake smiles (big smile so that your eyes crinkle up).
Also the more you smile the more people will smile back at you which will make you feel better too. Mirror neurons play a part in this.

Obviously there are times when you feel depressed or angry but if it's all the time and it's impacting on your life and interaction with others then it's a major problem. If you walk around with a sour face telling everyone about how everything is shit you'll be very unpopular in no time.

If you really believe you are not a happy person then I'm afraid you never will be but surely you'd prefer to be happy? Have you ever heard of self fulfilling prophesies? You've pretty much sealed your fate Hold Your Fire, luckily you can change your mind. If you want to.

 

[Miss Blunted]

I could never force myself to be happy in my life. I guess at some certain point in my life I just started to look at things differently...the way I knew I always should have. I don't know how or why, but I can only describe it as an acceptance of how the world really is and personal dependance on my own happiness....where before I think I was seeking that out through another person. Maybe I truly understood the meaning of not taking things for granted in life.....the little things. Life is a sequence of tragedies and sadness....we have these little moments that make the whole damn thing worth every second. That's what I look at now. It's a different perspective. I would be lieing if I said that this enlightening period in my life didn't come about with a lot of spiritual searching as well.

In short....I feel a shitload better! I'm not saying that my life is great or in order.....even that damn pleasant, but there are things....and they're what I see.

 

[THC123]

I am happy most of the time

I am not happy when a pet is sick or a family member is incarcetated.

Shit like that really gets to me for a couple of weeks

 

[whiterabbit9]

well sometimes, everything seems against you

it's like the sky is seriously giving you bad vibes

but these things pass

one can also be ill; depressed, post-traumatic etcetera

they say life is what you make of it

and all the time we're learning, and our perceptions change

I am one to say, that we should make the best out of it
after all, we only have this life (Right now)

might as well smile and laugh

p.s. yeah I have my bad days too, i've been one to nap away my bad moods

 

[Prof Sublime]

The best thing for me to do when I am unhappy is to distract myself.. Sometimes it can take an hour for me to forget about what I was mad about... I normally just play video games and smoke to forget about it..

 

[dread]

i&i 'm always happy when i&i don't have to go to the job,like tomorrow....

grtz
D.

 

[Justa6655321]

Great post Lock...

You need to make your own happiness...and be happy with what you have....being mindfull of the present and not the past. At least that's how i look at my life.

Everytime i think my life is bad or I'm unhappy i remind myself of the good things i have and what others dont or the bad evil luck out there.

So...I think happiness is what the individual makes it to be...

 

[SpasticGramps]

I don't force myself to be happy. If I'm not happy with something I change the situation until I am happy with it. Easier said than done of course, but if you keep working at you will find happiness. Happiness is something that is earned IMO. You have to be able to find the good in the bad situations you face. Focus on the good, learn from the pain of the bad, and adjust your life accordingly. I think it boils down to, how much WORK are you willing to put into finding happiness.

 

[TenToesTall]

Heres a little food for thought:

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred.
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply.
Give more.
Expect less.

10TT

 

[dopeshow]

Now, I wanna know see how other people feel about this. What do you think happiness is? Is it a state of being where you wake up with real positivity and enthusiasm for life? Or is it something thats conditional; something that is only present at certain moments and from certain triggers?

There is as much if not more bad in this world than good. There is plenty to get down about and I found it's real hard to argue with someone's logic when they're unhappy... they'll find a reason to justify their discontent.

The only thing you can do is search out the good. Good and bad are highly subjective so what's good for me might not be good for you and so on, so you have to confront yourself with some real deep questions about who you are and what it is you enjoy. It might sound absolutely silly but to me I can't help but be happy when I see the little things out in the world like someone holding the door, someone picking something up you dropped, someone helping you if they see you need it... gestures of kindness that give you some kind of hope that humanity isn't doomed, that makes me happy. Helping others because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside and not because you want something back... that makes me happy. It's the little things! You can get caught up in a lot of the big picture injustices going on but that is nothing more than a trap...

I'm not telling you to quit your job and devote your life to charity to anything.. I am just saying if you shift some of that negative energy towards searching out the good, you will notice it more often and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

Also keep in mind that life is a struggle and real "happiness" comes and goes very quickly.. that is just a fact, no getting around it... so once you found that something or when you get that happy feeling... enjoy the hellllllll out of it while you can and mentally prepare for the next dip back down in life's rollercoaster... but fret not, for the shittiness will pass too

Really cool topic to get blazed and contemplate

 

[mr cheese]

Heres a little food for thought:

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred.
Free your mind from worries.
Live simply.
Give more.
Expect less.

10TT

couldnt of said it better, people expect far to much these days, accept what you have but strive for more, just dont expect it! live in hope

 

[alpinestar]

yes you can trick yourself into being happy

you can also develop your skills of looking like you like someone/something you are disgusted with or hate by thinking only good about them

mentally immerse yourself into your lie or whatever you want to believe for a while (usually a few hours) and you can begin to feel or believe it

this works well at work or with annoying family when you are tired having a bad day and just wish people would fuck off. You'll look like the happiest nicest person there - and you will be.


realize its almost like brain washing yourself
the more it is done
the stronger the effects

 

[movingtocally]

It's interesting hearing how everyone else gets through their day with a smile, for sure. But it's important to remember that we're all so incredibly different psychologically that a "one size fits all" approach to any psychological tricks or games is useless. When you consider how much of our day-to-day experience is wrapped up in the blanket of past experiences, for some, it's just impossible to be happy.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

I want to know what some of you think about this. Is it possible to trick yourself into being happy? Can you "force" yourself to be happy and be in a good mood when you aren't feeling so positive? Or is it an emotion or mood that can only be exhibited if you are indeed in true content?

Oftentimes I'd be in a sort of indifferent and joyless mood. I find it odd that i sometimes have to just turn that frown upside down and to make the world seem a little bit brighter. I'm content with my life, however i don't either feel the need nor the want to perpetually exude that emotion. I'm doing a little thinking about this, wondering if it could be something of a defense mechanism that could be shielding me from knowing what real happiness is. I feel that i will, however, learn more about this issue with myself as i journey on through life.

It sounds like you are doing alot of self-analyzing here, it also sounds like you are observing other people in general and assuming that they are happier than you. Perhaps you observe them smiling alot for no particular reason, and just assume they "know" something about happiness you don't?

Now, I wanna know see how other people feel about this. What do you think happiness is? Is it a state of being where you wake up with real positivity and enthusiasm for life? Or is it something thats conditional; something that is only present at certain moments and from certain triggers? Is it possible to "force" yourself to put on a smile to and bring about feelings of positivity from such physical gestures? How do you feel when are happy?

Happiness is satisfaction, it cam come from simple animal pleasures such as satisfying hunger or sexual desire. Or it can come from emotions of endearment for your mate or family. It could come from accomplishing something, like wining a game, or advancing your career, or fixing your car.

Sometimes you go through periods where you are not satisfied, you have no loved ones(or they are separated from you), your job sucks, the bills are stacking up. In extreme situations people may be dying from a painful disease, or starving, or running for their lives from violence.
Even when times are tough, humans are capable of finding inner strength that can allow them to buck up, and face life, and even smile when they have no reason to(or think they don't).
As life goes on, every human goes through periods of loss, tough times, our ancestors going countless generations back have had to deal with problems that make ours today look quite petty. If the human race didn't have the ability to find the small diamond of positive in the vast coal heap of despair, we would have died out as a species long ago.

In short, in my opinion, happiness is what you make of it, and to some extant you can learn to choose your mood, if not that you can learn how to change your situation so you can be happy.

 

[movingtocally]

Remorse and guilt are the toughest, though, are they not?

Jesus, and I haven't done anything that fucked up.