Happiness is an elevated emotion or feeling. Anything that happens throughout your day or any life-altering event can affect your mood, either temporarily or for a longer period. Everything in life has varying levels of impact. For example, dropping a $10 frappe, breaking a nail, not getting a job you desperately wanted, or someone rear-ending your new car will elicit different emotional responses. However, the goal is to rise above these mood-altering events by focusing on the bright side or avoiding toxic people and environments.
I had unrealistic expectations for my life and I also was giving control of my happiness to outside forces in addition to dealing with ongoing unresolved trauma. As with everything else, it took me years to live a life according to my design and have true contentment while creating the elevated emotions of happiness, excitement, joy and bliss.
I wasn’t living a balanced life at all. My life was mainly consumed with going to work and Christian activity (reading the Bible, church, trying to live to a perfect standard) trying to enjoy life here and there but I had emotional baggage overarching the before mentions.
The goal is to live a life that you love and find pleasure in. You are not here just to pay bills and die. In my case, it might seem like going to work, going to church, reading my Bible, and waiting an eternity for a Christian man. Men who consider themselves Christian often make sure that pleasure exists in their lives. On the other hand, many women are waiting for perfect conditions, a knight in shining armor, or Jesus's return to experience a life of pleasure.
I wrote in detail in my book on how to create a life according to your design and make your life more pleasurable here https://www.amazon.com/Workbook-Healing-avoiding-Attracting-Deserve/dp/B0D2LN9Q3H/
Here are the top three things that I did to add more pleasure to my life:
First: I sectioned my life into brackets of Work, Fitness/Wellness, Enjoyment, Family, Friends, Romantic Relationships and Spiritual/Personal development
Second: I wrote out were I had deficits in each section or solutions to improve each area where I wasn’t satisfied or fulfilled
Thirdly: I created balance in my life. Even if you are on a limited budget there is a free or affordable way to create balance and add pleasure to your life.
For example, my enjoyment section was lacking because I wasn’t participating in any hobbies I truly enjoyed. In fact, I didn’t even know what hobbies might interest me as an adult. So, I wrote a list of hobbies that seemed appealing and researched places where I could try them. Some activities I only tried once, while others I absolutely loved and now engage in regularly. I continuously recalibrate this area of my life to ensure it feels balanced and fulfilling.
Do you feel like you live a life full of pleasure?
