1. If you boil it down... happiness is a feeling caused by a chemical reaction in our brains that effect the way we feel.
2. If you have experienced it at least one time, that means you have the potential and ability to experience again
3. Most people do not realize that they can release those chemicals, at will, in their brains in order to experience those feelings of happiness. Most leave it to chance.
4. There are many practices that you can utilize to release those chemicals. Recalling/ reliving happy moments, meditation, worship, prayer, gratefulness, living in the moment, physical activity are broad ideas of how to release those chemicals in your brain.
5. It takes intentional practice of these modalities to get better and better and manipulating at will these chemicals in your brain.
6. You could use the short cut of the abuse of alcohol, food, drugs and numerous other vices to achieve a counterfeit happiness but that road forks rather quickly and you find yourself on a path... even farther from your destination and goal of a happy fulfilled life.
Please feel free to discuss with comments here or on messenger with me. This is an area i am greatly interested in.
Thanks for reading
We put our brains in neutral so much of the time. This does not stimulate those chemicals that bring about those feelings have happiness that we live and long to feel. In order to combat that... take a simple act and begin to notice every minute detail of that act. If you are walking... notice every tiny sound you make while walking. Every scuffle. Every creak. Try to walk with or adding any sound to the action. The brain loves this kind of focus. Watch the underlying, usually unnoticed chemical reaction in your brain and body that produces the side effect of happiness
ReplyDeleteI have to remind myself frequently to do this. So I set this notification on my phone. Because of this reminder... I now find myself going there naturally even without the reminder (i can't post pic of a post it now that says "are you releasing chemicals of Hedlund and contentment?"
ReplyDeleteLol."happiness and contentment"
ReplyDeleteConversely... we have the ability in ourselves to produce chemicals in our bodies that cause anxiety, worry, pain, depression, fear. It all starts with what we are noticing. Regrets and shame from our past will cause depression. Worry about the future will cause anxiety.
ReplyDelete