Destination vs.
feeling
A simple way to look at it is that happiness is something to work towards
in your life; it's an end goal or destination. You can envision yourself in the
state of happiness by achieving the goal of internal fulfillment. Happiness
is being content with who you are, what you have to offer the world, and
how you can continue to grow. Happiness doesn't mean that you'll be
happy all the time; you'll still experience anger, grief, sadness, and a wide
array of emotions, as we all do.
Joy, on the other hand, is a momentary effect or fleeting feeling. These
feelings are triggered by something specific, such as getting good news or
receiving an act of kindness. While moments of joy can help you work
toward happiness, to find sustained happiness, it’s important to learn to
be content on your own.
Happiness and joy work together
Happiness and joy work together to provide you with a sense of wellbeing.
The trouble is that the people around us may not understand that being
happy isn't an instantaneous process. The societal pressure to be happy
can be detrimental to people who are actively working on their mental
health.
There's a pervasive dialogue in our society that encourages short-term
effort towards long-term happiness. It suggests that we can work hard
now to find a place of lasting contentment. There's often much more than
simple effort that goes into finding a sense of emotional wellness, though.
And it can be a lifelong process.
If you’re feeling unhappy, know that you're not alone in your
discontentment. It's okay to admit that things aren't as you want them to
be. When you reach out to a skilled mental health professional with
feelings of unhappiness, that's often the first step toward finding
fulfillment.
Here are some other suggestions that you can implement on your own or
with the help of a mental health professional.
Taking inventory
It can be helpful to take a moment to reflect on what's going on in your
life. You may be surprised upon reflection to find many positive aspects.
It's time to take inventory of what you have and notice the things that
contribute to joyous moments.
Write down five things that you want to achieve in your life. These are
things to work towards so that you can gain the fulfillment that you want.
Make sure that these things are significant to you; they should be things
that feed your soul and purpose rather than external items.
Both joy and happiness are things that come from within. When you sit
down to figure out what brings you joy, you are taking inventory of
yourself. The goal here is to remember who you are and what brings you
sparks of joy.
Cultivating gratitude
Being happy can take some time; if you're reading this, you're taking an
essential step toward that goal. Learning about how to work towards
happiness is helpful. An excellent place to start is with gratitude. When
you're thankful for what you have in your life, you may begin to
experience more moments of joy.
There are small things to be grateful for, such as your morning cup of
coffee, or spending time with a good friend. It doesn't have to be a big
thing that makes you happy. Joy can derive from many small things. Start
by writing a gratitude list each day for one week. Include ten things you
are grateful for. Consider this example:
