Definition of a Happy Person - Essay Example

June 4, A Path to Happiness Introduction Happiness is deemed to be a or condition of experiencing a feelingof elation, pleasure or sense of upliftment. One honestly believes that the state of happiness is relative or is different depending on the perspective of each individual. This means that although there could be a general and universal definition of happiness, wherein common factors or conditions would affirm making the greatest number of people happy; at some point, there still remains a facet of distinctiveness or uniqueness in categorizing what makes one person happy and the other person possibly indifferent. In this regard, the current psychological discourse aims to analyze my own ideas on happiness and offer other people a chance to find their way to happiness. This would be accomplished through responding to the questions stipulated below. Do you think that you are a happy person overall? I think that generally, I am a happy person. I am happy in the sense that I am physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually well. I acknowledge that although I do not possess substantial material blessings and resources that other people do, I still am happy. For me, it is utmost importance to be holistically healthy to enable enjoying simple pleasures in life. I also believe that my state of happiness varies depending on my stages of growth and development. The factors and facets that contribute to happiness also differ accordingly. For instance, when I was a child, happiness meant feeling the warmth, love, caring, and support of my parents and siblings. Happiness also meant being able to enjoy the pleasures of playing; spending quality time with the family when going on vacations; going out to see a movie; or just simply shopping and eating out. Being rewarded with gifts during special occasions were also drivers of happiness. When I started attending school, other variables that contribute to happiness include getting a good grade; being acknowledged and recognized for exemplary academic performance; and gaining more friends who I can share personal experiences. These contributors to happiness within the academic sphere remained fairly constant; except that in higher educational levels, more in-depth sharing of knowledge and experiences with friends, or with a special loved one became a focused and committed source of joy. In general, I could affirm that in retrospect, the facets that bring happiness to me are more on the abstract components: good healthy, smooth interpersonal relationships, peace and well-being, camaraderie, as well as the ability to fulfill and achieve defined personal goals in life. When you feel sad, what do you usually do to feel better? When I feel sad, I do any of the following endeavors to make me feel better: (1) talk to someone (a parent, a friend, a confidante) about the issue or concern that is making me sad; (2) listen to soothing music; (3) go out to the shopping mall to window shop, see a movie, grab a quick snack, or meet with peers; (4) attend a religious practice and pray fervently. As I have observed, I believe that when I feel sad, it really helps a lot when I could confide the cause of my sadness or depression to somebody I trust. When I was young, I usually confide to either my mother or my father on petty issues or dilemmas. During my academic years, my closest friends and peers are my sources of advice; people who I could share my innermost feelings and emotions and who I know would be able to provide the most effective recommendation to an impending problem. But more so, I believe that my spiritual well-being is also a source of strength. When I am totally lost and could not entrust my deepest secrets to family members or friend, I actually turn to a spiritual adviser to seek guidance and direction. As such, after being accorded the chance to be illumined, the uplifting feeling and evident relief becomes a source of happiness and peace. I therefore affirm that when I am at peace, I am happy. Do you recall 1-2 events in your life when you were able to overcome your sadness? One of the most grieving periods that a person could experience in life is the loss of a loved one; either through death or separation. Thus, the first major cause of sadness was when my grandfather died. He was such a major part of the family and the pillar of strength to all his children and grandchildren. We remember him to be such a lover of food that he usually prepared snacks for us. When he had a stroke, it was the first experience of sadness for the whole family. This was followed by an immense kind of emptiness and loneliness when he died. We, as family members, were able to overcome this kind of sadness through the strength of remembering him as a family. It really helped that there are family members around who could keep me company and give comfort, as required. We were able to slowly recover from the loneliness through prayers, constant reminder of our grandfather through sharing of happy memories with him, and by believing that he would be more than happy to share eternal life with God in heaven. Another source of sadness is separation: either through transferring to another location or through breaking apart in a relationship. Both have been experienced by me. First, there is sadness in moving to another location, another state or residence where I had to adapt and adjust to a new environment. I remembered that our family had to transfer from one state to another due to the change of jobs of my father. As such, we had to leave our neighborhood and the friends that we had established in school and in the local community. It is sad just to think that we would not be able to communicate with our friends and schoolmates, who we had established close bonds with. In this situation, sadness was not immediately overcome. We had to slowly adjust and adapt to the new environment. We tried to get in touch with the friends we had. But at the same time, we also tried to establish new friends and acquaintances, who eventually became our new set of social support. The more painful sort of sadness, I reckon, is breaking up with a loved one. The ability to overcome this type of sadness depends of the level of maturity that one has at the time of the relationship. As I reflected on the past relationships I had, I believe that the seemingly romantic relationships during my adolescent stage were more easily overcome after break-ups than those which were established fairly recently. This could be due to the fact that in my personal point of view, romantic relationships during younger years were acknowledged to be not so serious or deeply committed. Of course, I speak according to my personal experience. I believe that there are people who are fortunate enough to have met their first loves at a young age and that they turn out to be their lifetime partners. I therefore contend that to overcome sadness from the pain of breaking up, support from friends and family members would be most useful and beneficial. It is an effective support system who would guide me through the painful moment and who would apparently provide the needed diversion and detraction from focusing on the break-up and the pain associated with it. Thus, the ways enumerated above in terms of what I usually do to feel better are more appreciated with friends and family members who continue to shower me with love, caring and holistic support that I need. What will you suggest to other people about happiness? Can they learn from you and your experiences? I honestly believe that despite happiness being relative and differs according to the person’s perspectives, there are some common factors that make a person truly happy: being in a good state of holistic health; being at peace with oneself and with one’s relationship with others; and being given the opportunity to do the endeavors that one truly loves and enjoys. Likewise, the road to happiness could be complex or simple depending on the goals that one sets to achieve them. If we set simple standards and goals, realizing them would give us immense and immediate fulfillment and happiness. Being in a good state of holistic health should also consider being able to be productive at work. There should be a regular source of livelihood and income that would provide us with the basic necessities in life. Thus, we would be able to live comfortably; not necessarily in luxury or in affluence. Also, we should be able to realize that part of a person’s happiness is the ability to share the blessings and graces that one has gained and realized through the conduct of our responsibilities. This facet brings me to being at peace with oneself and with others. I honestly believe in the Golden Rule or the ethics of reciprocity. If we do good to others, we also expect others to do good to us. If everyone believes in this rule or universal standard, then no one would behave unjustly towards others. Thus, happiness would prevail when there is peace and harmony in a more global sphere. Finally, if we are productive and have a regular stream of income, we would be able to do endeavors that we love the most. We could regularly see movies, if we like viewing them a lot. We could travel to different domestic and international places. We could pursue our love for music or sports. These are all sources of happiness. Overall, people could learn from my personal experience of happiness through the crucial points that I have relayed. First, we should be aware of the persons, things, endeavors that make us happy. Next, we should discern how to overcome sadness through activities or the support system that would make us feel better. Concurrently, we should be reminded of the events or incidents where and when we successfully overcome our saddest moments in life. Material possessions could indeed make us happy temporarily while the pleasure of using them still needs to be satiated. Personal or professional achievements, rewards and accolades are also sources of happiness for having acknowledged exemplary performance. I therefore affirm that happiness is achieving what we have earmarked to fulfill in life. Sharing these achievement with the ones we love would provide us with the utmost joy that would definitely be worth remembering. Read More