I Found A Cure For Unhappiness… And Its Scarily Effective
The happiness hack
The other day I was working when an odd realization came to me. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing but I was feeling bored and fed up, like I wanted to do something else.
But this isn’t the odd part, the bizarre part was that I chose the task I was doing, I chose to do it.
I could have done something else instead but I chose to do it because I enjoy doing it and wanted to do it.
And that’s the odd part, I was also feeling bored, and fed up at the same time while doing it!
Anyway, so long story short I realized why I was feeling bored and fed up. It was because I wasn’t feeling grateful, grateful for what I got to do!
Let me explain. Using the powerful feeling of gratitude I was able to 180-degree turn my mood, judo slam it down, flip it over its head, and feel happy. (super happy and grateful for life and the work itself! + I was then able to go on and do the work with ease while enjoying it! )
And in this article, I am going to share with you how exactly I did that!
(if you need further convincing about the power of gratitude. Harvard Health wrote in an article titled “Giving thanks can make you happier”
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Okay, let’s now deep dive into how to unleash the powerful feeling of gratitude. So you can 180 degree your mood.
But first, let’s understand how happiness works, and what it is, i.e. the feeling we are aiming for.
We will start with a question:
How is it that some people with more than us live happier live than us
while others with more than us are sadder than us
while there are those with less than us who are sadder than us
all while (this is the last time, I promise) there are those with less than us who are happier than us.
The answer to this phenomenon is happiness doesn’t come from what you have, or other external things, it comes from within. From the perspective through which you see things. It’s why when you give gratitude and express a deep feeling of thanks you feel happier.
When you give gratitude you switch your perspective and see how much you have, how abundant life is, and how great life is. Through this new perspective, you unlock the beautiful feeling of happiness!
Okay, last thing before we get to how to feel deep gratitude: happiness vs pleasure.
It’s important to note the difference between happiness and pleasure.
As cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Trish Leigh explains, pleasure gives us a dose of a good feeling that keeps us seeking more of it, while happiness is the feeling of being present and satisfied.
If you want to learn more about pleasure vs happiness and how each works I strongly recommend watching this video
That said, what we are aiming for is happiness, the feeling of being present and satisfied, not pleasure.
How To Invoke The Deep Beautiful Feeling Of Gratitude
“when you do this right the way you feel is beautiful, its unmatched. No external thing measures up to how great you feel” — Aziz Patrawala (Author)
Do this anytime you are feeling unhappy, annoyed, depressed, sad etc
- Stop what your doing and take 1–3 breaths (breathe in for 4 and out for four) (to calm your mind and mentally disconnect from whatever you are doing)
- List 5–15 things you are grateful for. (be descriptive about each thing and add why you’re grateful for it) (e.g thank you god so much for the opportunity and ability to write and spend my days doing what I choose and for the physical and mental capabilities to do so)
It’s important to be descriptive and go in-depth on each thing you’re grateful for. Doing this will force you to think and reflect on what you are grateful for and will result in a deeper feeling of gratitude. And a stronger feeling of happiness.
(I listed a couple of examples at the end of this article)
If you’re having trouble finding things you are grateful
If you don’t know what to be grateful for look around you, what you have, your mental and physical capabilities, etc
If you’re having trouble feeling gratitude
This is a trick I picked up when I was learning about stoicism months ago.
It helps you feel gratitude
- Identify one thing you are grateful for
- Imagine your life without that thing (imagine how much better life would be with it, how helpful that thing is in your life, and how you would like to have it)
- Now be grateful again, extend thanks for that thing (and you’ll find you will feel grateful and appreciative of it
Taking this to the next level
If you want to really experience gratitude like never before, and see how great your life is.
Visit a terrible part of town, or a hospital, or do volunteer work in some third-world country.
Words can’t describe how grateful I am for my health after visiting a family member in a hospital.
If you can’t visit the place watch a documentary on life in some of these areas, in war-torn countries, or areas facing starvation.
I find this works very well, you will feel infinite gratitude for your life and for what you have after doing so.
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Gratitude examples
- Thank you, god so much for the opportunity and ability to write and spend my days doing what I choose and for the physical and mental capabilities to do so
- Thank you god for the great food I have in front of me today and for the fact that I can eat it every day and use it to gain muscle. Thank you for a healthy digestive system that keeps me feeling well and puts my food to good use, thank you
- Thank you god for this comfy chair to sit back on and relax after doing some work, thank you for the safety of the house, the ac, and for the healthy strong body and mind that can enjoy this moment without pain
