Happiness is something which is difficult to describe in words. It can only be felt. Happiness is essential for leading a good life but unfortunately it is missing from the lives of most people these days. Different people have different ideas of happiness. Some believe that it can be found in money, others feel happy and content when they are in a good relationship yet others feel elated when they are doing well professionally. Here are essays on happiness of varying lengths to help you with the topic in your exam. You can select any happiness essay according to your need:
Happiness is a very simple term which is used commonly. Even a small kid can tell the meaning of happiness. But how many of us really know the meaning of true happiness and how to attain that state? Not many! Most people look for happiness outside. They believe that they can be happy if they possess certain things or be with certain people or reach a professional height. This is what they have been fed with since their childhood. While all the mentioned things are essential for a good living, they cannot bring happiness.
Happiness is something that only you can bring for yourself. If you choose to be happy and channelize for thoughts accordingly, then you shall attain happiness. However, it is not as simple as it seems. You need to make efforts to work on it. Secondly, it is not a one-time activity. You need to practice certain things daily in order to achieve this state.
Now, while you need to look for happiness inside at times you need to seek help from your family and friends. Many people these days suffer from depression because they choose to deal with their problems on their own and not to involve others. This is wrong! It is important to look within to find true happiness but it is equally important to surround yourself with positive people.
Happiness is a state of bliss. If you train your brain to stay in this state it will stay this way. This is because your mind believes whatever you say. However, it is not as simple as it seems. You may experience happiness from time to time however it may take months or even years to make this state last.
Ways to Attract Happiness and Make it Last
As per some recent studies, some of the habits to attract happiness and make it last are as follows:
Instead of getting super excited or depressed in different situations you must practice to transform these activated feelings into deactivated feelings such as calmness and contentment. These feelings are healthier and also easier to sustain.
You must stop thinking about your past mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes; nobody is perfect. Stop blaming yourself or feeling guilty for all the bad decisions you have taken in life. Also stop worrying about your future. Live in the present moment. Don’t let the good times go unnoticed.
Remember all your past moments and decisions that brought happiness and rejoice them. Be thankful to God for bestowing such joyous moments.
Your thoughts build your reality. Positive thoughts and positive mind attract positive things in life and negative thoughts fetch similar experiences. So the only way to experience happiness is to feel good about all that you have.
Steer clear from people who indulge in negative talks or de-motivate you. Surround yourself with positive minds instead.
Conclusion
It is easy to get carried away by negative thoughts and get into a state of anxiety and stress owing to several things in life. However, you must always remind yourself of the good times and all the things you should be thankful about. This is a good way to shift your mood from negative to positive.
Happiness is basically a state of being happy and content. Several philosophers have given different views on this topic however the most dominant one is that happiness comes from within and must not be searched for in the outside world.
Money Cannot Buy Happiness
It is sad how people look for happiness outside. Many people associate happiness with money. If this was the case then rich people would have never felt sad. But on the contrary, we see that it is the rich who seem more anxious, fearful, stressed and often experience relationship problems and suffer from depression. Celebrities such as movie stars, singers and ministers have hoards of money and yet the divorce rate of these people is much higher than the general public. These people live in constant fear of being chased or hit and hence require security all the time. They are more fearful about the safety of their children. They are also the ones more prone to theft and robbery. Many of them have so much overflow of wealth that they are constantly stressed about where to invest or hide it. On the other hand, those belonging to the poor classes are often more carefree and joyous.
This is not to say that being rich is a bad thing. Having money means that you have access to a lot of things. You can go on holidays, plan social gatherings, purchase good clothes, buy properties, live in a good locality and a lot more and all this brings in a feel good factor which is an essential component for being happy. However, believing that if you have all these you will be happy is wrong. Materialistic things can make you happy momentarily but cannot help attain true happiness.
Happiness Comes from Within
It is rightly said, “You will find true happiness in life when you realize it only takes “you” to be happy. True happiness lies within yourself, it doesn’t come from others”. This point has been emphasized at several places. But most people dismiss it as irrelevant. It needs to be understood that happiness is basically a state of mind. It cannot be achieved from things we see outside. We have the power to create it with the help of positive emotions which can be achieved with good thoughts.
Conclusion
It is basically our thoughts that create our emotions. So we need to work upon building positive thoughts and a positive outlook towards life and it would ultimately result in true happiness.
Happiness is something that everyone craves for but very few are able to attain. As simple as it is to define, it is equally difficult to achieve it. This is because people often associate it with people and things. Happiness is something that begins and ends with you. Only those who realize this shall be able to attain true happiness.
Aristotle’s Philosophy about Happiness
Aristotle was one such philosopher who wrote at length about happiness. He believed that happiness depends on our own self. As per him, happiness is the main purpose of human life. He stated that happiness is a goal in itself and that it depends on virtue. However, Aristotle’s virtues are more individualistic rather than being typically social virtues.
As per Aristotle, a truly happy life needs the fulfillment of many conditions such as being physically and mentally fit. He has presented the theory of happiness in one of his most influential works, Nicomachean Ethics. This theory of Aristotle holds relevance even in today’s scenario. As per him, happiness is the end that meets all the needs. He states that almost everything we desire, be it good relationships, money, success or power is because we believe that these will make us happy. This is to say that everything else is just a means towards attaining happiness and happiness is an end in itself.
Happiness in a Relationship
Many people associate happiness with money and several others associate it with relationships. What they do not understand is that they can never truly be happy in a relationship if they are not happy with themselves. Relationship problems have been growing rapidly and the main reason behind this is that we expect too much from the other person. We expect them to make us feel happy. We feed our brain with lies such as, ‘we shall be happy if our partner buys us this dress’ or ‘we shall be happy if our partner plans a surprise for us’. The problem is not just with couples. It is the same with every relationship be it a parent-child relationship, brother-sister relationship or friendship.
Here are a few ways to help develop healthy and happy relationships:
Take good care of yourself. Do not give priority to the other person over yourself and let him do the same. If you give too much and do not get anything in return you are creating a recipe for disappointment.
If you want to go somewhere then plan it yourself. Do not wait for your partner or parent or child to take you there. Tell them you would love it if they come along. However, if they refuse do not get disheartened. Continue with your plan.
It is essential to give space to your partner and demand your personal space in a relationship to build a healthy relationship.
Conclusion
We set unrealistic expectations from other people in our life and believe that if they truly love us they would act in a certain manner. This is absolutely wrong. This only harms the relationship rather than doing any good. It needs to be understood that the only person who can make you feel truly happy is you.
Happiness is a way of life and not something that can be achieved and kept. People spend their entire life running after happiness but end up dissatisfied. They are conditioned to believe that they will be happy if they get admission in a good college or if they secure a good job or if they get an understanding life partner. While all these help in building a good life which is essential to attain happiness however these alone cannot bring happiness. Happiness is something that comes from within and not from external things.
Happiness as per Buddhism
As per Buddhism, “Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.”
Buddha believed that happiness begins from understanding the main causes of suffering. He has given an Eightfold path following which helps control the mind and ultimately leads to happiness. However, this is not a one-time task. This needs to be followed daily. The idea is to teach your mind not to dwell in the past or worry about future and to live in the present. The here and now is the only place where you can experience peace and happiness.
Buddha has been described as “ever-smiling”. His portrayals mostly depict him with a smile. This smile comes from a profound composure from within. Buddhism states that true happiness can be attained by knowledge and practice to develop mental calmness and this can be achieved by detaching oneself from the needs, wants and passions.
Happiness as per Hinduism
As per Hinduism, happiness is attained by way of one’s own actions, past deeds and the grace of God. Three types of happiness have been mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. These are as follows:
The ultimate aim of a living being as per Hinduism is to experience supreme blissfulness as a free soul in the heaven. The human beings can experience temporary happiness on earth by fulfilling their duties however permanent happiness according to Hinduism can only be achieved in the heaven by attaining liberation.
Happiness – Essential for Good Life
Whether you are a student, a working professional, a housewife or a retired person – happiness is something that is essential for each one of you to lead a good life. It is necessary for a person’s emotional well being. If a person is not healthy emotionally, his overall health is likely to do down the drain in no time.
Unfortunately, even though happiness is extremely essential, people do not pay much attention to ways in which they can keep themselves happy. They are all so engrossed in their professional lives and other nitty-gritty’s of life that they forget to enjoy the good moments in life. No wonder, the cases of stress, anxiety and depression are rising by the day.
Conclusion
The definition of happiness and the perspective of seeing and pursuing it may be different as per different institutions however the sole meaning of it is to be in a joyous state. As hard as you work to earn and maintain your lifestyle, if you work equally hard to attain happiness, your life would be much better.