5 Little things I have learned about happiness in just the last 7 days

Maja Wilhelm
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

This is a personal one. After feeling like I couldn’t feel no more, I decide to find back the spark in my life and consciously look for things that would make me happier now at this very moment. Of course a long process of self exploration preceded this, but these are the little lessons on happiness I have learned this week alone:


1. Unhappiness or well, depression, can actually have a physical cause. It is not a coincidence that I feel at my lowest, when my health is at my lowest. Unfortunately I always forget this. For me it is something as simple as getting vitamin B-12 shots, it doesn’t solve all my problems but fighting against them without zero energy is almost impossible.

2. It can always be worse. Of course I have always know this, my parents were huge supporters of us getting to know the terrors of the world. Yet it suddenly just clicked when seeing a heavy-set mum, red and desperately trying to shush her screaming toddler whilst at the same time balancing 3 bags, a scooter and push chair. Sure, this lady must have true moments of happiness but it suddenly made me realise that however bad my life may seem to me, there are always people that have it worse. In Africa, or down the street.

3. Happiness is not measurable or achievable. Who knows what happiness really is and how you can be content when you have it? What you are in control of is chasing the feeling that makes you happy. This might sound extremely vague but think of it like this: if you love feeling balanced and believe that you will be truly balanced, what stops you from doing the things that make you feel balanced now? My ‘happiness’ word is Excitement. I find this in little things, but now just need to remind myself when they happen.

4. Now is the time to enjoy, not the future. Believing that the time that you will be happier is in the future and therefor not enjoying the now, will actually make you unhappier. By longing for something you forget to look around and you miss out of the things that can bring that so needed spark.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t work for the future. We all can’t make things that we really want happen faster than they will. Phil Collins said it wisely when he sung ‘you can’t hurry love’. What you can do though is creating the situations that will make your goals easier achievable.

5. Sometimes giving up on something that you think brings you happiness will make you even happier. Case in point, a relationship that brings you more sorrow than joy. Or even simpler, that second or third or fourth biscuit. Now it brings fulfilment, but will this do so when looking back later and the pounds are still not coming off or you are sat waiting, wishing for text message?

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade