The Question that Determines our Level of Happiness.
Something happened last week that triggered me and left me deeply upset.
I was filled with irritability. My emotions were so intense and I just couldn’t shake them off.
I kept replaying the unfortunate situation in my head in the hope of finding a solution or some peace of mind.
When taking a shower later that day, I caught myself smiling. My body was tense after a long, stressful day, and I could feel the warm water relaxing my muscles and soothing my mind.
But something felt wrong. Finding sudden peace in the midst of trouble made me feel guilty. I wasn’t supposed to relax; I was supposed to revisit the past.
Shameful thoughts swept through my mind, and although I had moved on from the problem and my body was no longer in fight-or-flight, I badly wanted to linger (again) on the incident.
During that moment of genuine contentment, I couldn’t resist the urge to mentally complain.
That was when I discovered the obstacle to happiness.
When a situation generates a negative outcome in our present moment, we might zone out for a few hours, days, or even weeks. We can clearly see that our state of mind is sluggish.
