Appreciate the small stuff and you’ll be happy. You hear it enough.
But what is happiness anyway?
Today GenuLines looks at appreciation and its “kissin’ cousin”, contentment.
Subscribe to GenuLines- get CHI FOR YOURSELF guest information and more!
Appreciate The Small Things and Find Contentment
Most emotions are transitional, meaning you’re never in one state for long periods. People who are considered upbeat will have moments of sadness or depression.
Even depressed people aren’t depressed all the time. They have moments of happiness, too.
Think about a major event such as a war. When two countries are fighting, both sides lose lives.
It’s bloody, and it can last for years. But, when the war is over, the countries are euphoric.
There will be no more bloodshed because of the war, and people can return to their homes. But, nothing that has changed in the world except that the war has ended.
In other words, the sun still sets each day. People still have to manage their lives.
The euphoria from the war ending doesn’t last long. Months later, the war is still over, but the euphoria has died down.
Same goes for sickness
The same is true in a smaller way when you have a bad sickness. For instance, suppose you have a stomach bug that leaves you uncomfortable and in pain.
When the bug passes you feel fine. But you don’t feel any better than you did when you weren’t experiencing the bug.
It’s relative to the bad feelings. That’s how emotional states work.
They go from one to the other on a constant basis.
Appreciating the small things in life may lead to happiness. But, it’s likely you’re content more than you are happy.
Contentment can almost be thought of as a neutral state, leaning toward the happy side. There’s nothing wrong when you’re content.
But, there also isn’t anything that is making you overly happy.
Striving for happiness can be stressful. You might want to shoot for contentment instead.
Contentment is likely to find you when you appreciate small aspects of your life.
And it comes without the hassle of working hard toward happiness.
If you spend most of your life being content you’re doing something right. Think about all the people you love and what you have, such as your health and a good job, etc.
If you try to imagine life without them, you will truly appreciate your contentment. That thought may even make you happy for a short period.
JohnK 2-26-2019
chiforyourself.com home
Overheard: “My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy”
~William Shakespeare
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash
RSS - Posts
Have your say!