Chasing happiness or letting it alight upon you

[Starrlight]

What do you do to be happy? Does it come to you naturally and randomly without effort or do you make your own happiness? I keep chasing it and it keeps slipping away.

[Hidden]

Hello Starrlight!

It’s a daily thing! I start my day off by talking to my Higher Power and being grateful for my many blessings! Sometimes I have a great day and sometimes I don’t! To me, happiness is a moment by moment thing. I take what I can get and work for and run with it! Freedom from negative thoughts and rumination also makes me happy. There’s no letting up, no guaranteed good day and no magic pill. Just daily working on yourself! Search for your own, personal route to happiness!

[Starrlight in reply to Hidden]

Thanks my friend for sharing yeah it is a personal path isn’t it? Praying night and morning is nice. I used to have prayer time 5 x a day. What makes one happy may be so different for someone else. I am trying to be patient taking things moment by moment but I get ahead of myself wishing wanting.

[Hidden in reply to Starrlight]

I understand! You’re on your way!

[Starrlight in reply to Hidden]

Yeah! 😆

[Hidden]

Good question! Some days I have to chase it & other days I'm just happy, I've been happy for about a month now & feels great. Don't get wrong wrong I've had my challenges here & there but I now know this too shall pass! Don't give up the chase sister, you can catch it, I love you bunches! Have fun with the party! Peace, light, joy & hugs!!!

[Starrlight in reply to Hidden]

Yeah same here, it differs from day to day. I have to mavigate through all the thoughts and feelings contradicting eachother. Thanks! I’m catching it! 🦋

[Hidden]

I'm thinking on this....

[Starrlight in reply to Hidden]

Cool. Curious what you think.

[Hidden]

I think that I am tired of trying to chase it and have mostly given up on that. Yet, I plan to see a friend today so we can paint. In that sense, I am purposely choosing to leave the house to do something I enjoy, but my goal wasn't happiness. My goal was just to spend time with a friend. She was my goal, I guess.

But happiness occasionally surprises me. This is a little new to me as it doesn't happen often. But it did this morning. I had a wonderful day on the ocean with my husband, but the happiness surprised me this morning. It was even stronger than when we were on the ocean. I hope it happens more, but I don't plan on chasing the experience, just letting it alight on me.

[Starrlight in reply to Hidden]

I love that your friend was your goal. I have a friend who has s rule that there are no expectaions of good things happening because then there’s not the disappointment if things don’t happen as wanted.

That’s nice that you are letting it alight on you. Im so happy for your happiness today; it sounds amazing. I am pressed for it these days and I keep looking for all sorts of ways to create it.

[fauxartist]

Are you feeling the blues moreso lately?.... are you kind of stuck...what's up.....

I've come to accept that I will probably only ever be mostly 'happyisher'....not really overtly happy all the time.... or sad all the time either... just somewhere in the middle usually...and that's good enough for me. It's just those bad days that really suck and seem to last for an eternity....that I can understand too.....

[Starrlight in reply to fauxartist]

I’m up and down up and down swinging and can’t get off the swing I’m trying to stay up but I know we can be up all the time but typically when I’m up I’m way up and down I go deep down.

Sounds like you are balanced. That’s great.

[newbie1956]

Hi again, Starr

I believe there are many ways to achieve a good measure of happiness even while circumstances are difficult. When my 42 year old daughter went for her chemo & radiation, she maintained a lighthearted attitude, continued to wear her 5'' heels, cute clothes and a smile. She spent 11 days in the hospital but she prayed her way thru it. "DD" returned to work asap and is in remission now.

Others we know do their own thing, paint, dance, sew, do pottery or gardening, whatever makes their heart sing and make some friends along the way.

Find what you love and continue to share it. (poetry?)

Also, our children can be a great source of happiness <3

Agape, Carol

[Starrlight in reply to newbie1956]

Your daughter is awesome! Good for her. Oh yeah my kiddos are perfect for finding happiness but ya know when depression eats at a person even the best thing possible right in front of you cannot take away the raw anguish and deep dibilitating hurt. Not even love can take that away I feel it goes on it’s own but feels an eternity when it visits.

[CornerstoneSolidHope]

Hi Starrlight,

Those are very good questions for which the answers as you have seen can be so vastly different.

Though, I may not talk much about struggles here, I too have them, as I’m human; with family, co-workers, finances, etc. but I found myself more & more praising God because I still have Joy despite what’s happening around me or to me. This doesn’t mean I never get sad but that my tears only endure for the night & Joy comes in the morning. And, that’s “if” tears come at all in a particular situation because as you gain more inner joy, less will bring you to sorrowful tears.

I find that happiness is different than joy in that happiness depends on what is “happening” at any given time. Thus, it ebbs & flows, in & out, close then far away. It’s too unstable. Whereas joy comes from within. & whatever good reliable source gives you joy in a place inwardly, cannot be taken away by anything that is unpleasant outwardly.

So, how do you feel about 👉🏽“You” when you’re happy vs. unhappy?

& in those times, what’s happening to trigger your feelings about yourself?

Lastly, based on those answers, what can you do to ensure you feel the best about yourself no matter what’s happening?

Of course as always you’re welcome to answer these openly but they’re truly for you to reflect on. & if you’d like clarity or elaboration on them, please let me know here or via DM (Direct Message).

Blessings to you on your journey to Inner Joy!

[Starrlight in reply to CornerstoneSolidHope]

Really thought provoking questions. Thanks. I find that I need to watch my perspective because I get so down on myself but I look st myself at another angle and I’m free and things are good. The inner peace and joys too seem to slip away with me just like happiness. So for me so far they are all unstable maybe due to false beliefs or putting emphasis on the wrong things. Thanks for your input here!!!!!!!!!! I so appriciate you!

[CornerstoneSolidHope in reply to Starrlight]

You’re welcome. & Yes, shifting beliefs can affect levels of joy. Thus, here’s another: where do you feel comfortable anchoring yourself in, so when lying spirits attempt to disengage truthfulness about you &/or others, your joy remains in tact no matter what’s happening? Wherein you’re so steady, you stick with what you believe because it’s True. Thus, your joy remains.

[Want2BHappy3]

I'm afraid of happiness, It seems to good to be true? To busy waiting for the other shoe to Drop.. I try to not feel that way? Holidays are coming up, trying to get in the mood. But I have BAD news for my kids 😖. We're going to have to move, my landlord raised my rent to almost $200.00. I can't afford that, one of my kids can't afford to help. So there is the other shoe that dropped. I've been getting rid of stuff already. 😖

[Starrlight]

Want2BeHappy, (((((((((Hug)))))))))) I hope good things will come of the move. Blessings to you. I do know what you mean about thinking something bad is ready to happen. I am working on celebrating every day as good times, making good memories. Pm me any time you need to talk it out. Im here for you.

[rach1402]

I think it's personal to everyone but in my experience chasing happiness just reminds me how unhappy I really am. One of my pet hates is people telling me that I can choose to be happy 🙄 like anyone would choose misery over happiness. I try to take note of when something just makes me feel momentary joy without trying and try to focus on that and do more things like that. I think also in modern society there is almost an expectation that we should be happy and we've somehow failed if we can't find it. Life is full of ups and downs and although nobody likes the downs we would do much better if we could only accept that they're part of life and try to deal with them more effectively instead of being expected to suppress negative feelings.

[Starrlight]

Thoughtful and wise. Thank you for sharing this Rach! Oh yes I hate when people say to choose happiness as if we would choose to feel miserable. I do though believe that I can focus on good thoughts and notice and let go of negative ones ... but the thoughts come and go so very fast one can’t always keep up.