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Happiness

Happiness

Our final emotion’s discussion is on happiness.

Previously we spoke about anger, fear and sadness and discussed how we experienced these emotions , how they showed up in our lives and how they felt physically in our bodies. We will be doing the same this fortnight for the yellow section of the wheel!

Happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, confidence, contentment, and hope. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

Happiness is an important emotion as it helps protect your health, expands your focus and helps you build stronger coping skills and emotional resources. Happiness also leads to curiosity and allows your mind to open up to a free flow of ideas! Contrast this to when you’re angry, your focus narrows to the source of your frustration, and your stress and blood pressure can increase.

Happiness however is like any other emotion, and can come and go quickly or linger for long periods of time. Often in the age of social media there is a lot of pressure to maintain and portray happiness to others. This is a space for us to discuss our experiences and feelings of happiness, whilst recognising it as an emotion that has no more importance than the others discussed – of anger, fear and sadness.

There are questions we have planned ahead of time to keep this conversation safe and constructive for those reading along, however you are welcome to reach out to our peer support or counselling services for additional support should any topics be upsetting or triggering.

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In response to: Happiness

Re: Happiness

@JungleGiantsOne of the best things I ever found online was a dramatic reading of a Harry Potter fanfiction called "My Immortal". The author of that story... well, to be as polite as I can be, she obviously wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed... and seeing her effort at writing serious literature was seriously hilarious.

I think you'd probably lose something if your not a Harry Potter fan to begin with and a not familiar with the series' lore. But even so, I think that most people would struggle not to laugh at the story - particularly another person's attempt to do a dramatic reading of it.

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

@chibam yesss i have indeed heard of My Immortal! Never been able to read all of it, but that video sounds good, i think ive seen it on my home page. And yeah im a harry potter fan, grew up with it.

If you like that, Strange Aeons recreates the fashion from it:

https://youtu.be/QlTxB4cxm-w

Hope links are ok on here.

I love this video so much, seeing the My Immortal looks out in the wild is so fun, especially having some knowledge of the fanfiction.

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

@JungleGiantsWow! This is only a month old! Nice to know that there's still plenty of active appreciation for "My Immortal"!

I've always wondered whether J.K.Rowling has ever read "My Immortal", and if so, what she thought of it.

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

@chibam i would love to know that too, its definately the most infamous one. Ive been listening to a few book podcasts and sometimes they talk about the authors opinion on fanfiction, but im not sure about JKs.

Yeah there seems to be a lot of looking back lately, like theres been a bunch of videos about Twilight in 2020-21, which i wouldnt have predicted. There was another book published so wasnt entirely random lol.

Ill check out that My Immortal reading video soon!

In response to: Happiness

Re: Happiness

Thank you for your responses @MIFANTCARER @ArtistZ @RedHorse @utopia @chibam @JungleGiants, I resonate with many your sources of happiness!

I might offer an answer to this question that's slightly different - how happiness shows up for me when I'm struggling with my depression, and my usual sources of happiness don't elicit the same emotions.

Happiness can show up when I accomplish something small like making my bed, or having a warm shower. It can also show up at the first sip of a really great smoothie, when I light a vanilla scented candle, see wind blowing through trees, hold a warm mug, hear my neighbour play the piano, and cuddle up with a soft silky pillow at the end of a long day. It took a long time for me to recognise these as sources of happiness in periods of depression/numbness, and now I actively try to sort them out whenever I'm feeling low. Strangely, they all help a great deal.

Maybe it could help others reading along

from cloudcore

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

Final Question:

How does happiness feel physically in your body?

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@ArtistZ @TinTin1 @LostAngel @chibam @pinklollipop15 @AlwaysHappy @BPDSurvivor @utopia @Shaz51 @JungleGiants @Appleblossom @SJT63 @Sophia1 @RedHorse @MIFANTCARER @Paperdaisy

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

Good advice @cloudcore

Happiness moments are different when in a Depressive episode. Although tiny, noticing them can have a big impact.

Thank you.

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

How does happiness feel in my body?

Loose.

Relaxed.

I can breathe easier.

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

Hey @cloudcore

Sorry this is not the right question for me today. Maybe next month or next year ....

Apple

In response to: Re: Happiness

Re: Happiness

@cloudcore

happiness shows up in my life if I get an undisturbed night's sleep

if I finish a project and the recipient likes it

if the boys ask for seconds when I've put a lot of effort into a meal

if the Mr goes for a few days without losing it about anything

if I get a message from my daughter who lives overseas

how it feels in my body?

I have more energy, I feel "lighter", my jaw unclenches, I need less to distract my mind from worry, I get more talkative.

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