A note on Happiness

There are few things in life that bring me more joy than my pals. Naturally, cake comes a very close second, but for the purposes of this post I’m going to let my stomach take a back seat for once.

I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about happiness- it’s an enormously important emotion, and therefore I think that it’s enormously important to celebrate and recognise it. Particularly as over the last year or so I have been on my own wee emotional journey, I have found that concentrating on what’s good and appreciating the things that make me happy has made all the difference.

I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about happiness- it’s an enormously important emotion, and therefore I think that it’s enormously important to celebrate and recognise it. Particularly as over the last year or so I have been on my own wee emotional journey, I have found that concentrating on what’s good and appreciating the things that make me happy has made all the difference.

This change, for me, has an enormous amount to do with the people around me. I am completely blessed to have an amazing network both at home, work and university and without all of these people, I can guarantee that I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Even looking back to the start of 2018, I couldn’t ever imagine being as content and as happy with myself and my life as I am. And to me, this is something worth shouting about.

Some of this may come across as naïve or 'hippy-dippy', however I believe that it’s just as important being able to talk to folk about when you’re happy as when you’re struggling. Something I’ve noticed is that a lot of the time, people seem to feel that talking about things they are grateful for or love in their life is boasting. Yet isn’t it beautiful to be able to sit with someone and genuinely express your contentment? Being resentful or spiteful of people who are happy, or people who have things you want, is about as helpful as a chocolate teapot (I knew it wouldn’t be long 'til food came into it!). It’s detrimental to your own state of mind more than anything, and sitting in a bubble of negativity will only drag you and those around you down. When so much of the world is consumed by darkness and destruction, doesn't it do us good to look on the bright side?

You rarely notice what you have until it’s gone, and this is why I started to regularly take a minute to recognise the good in my life. One way I’ve been doing this (and have found useful) is through Instagram highlights. This became something I wanted to keep up back at the start of this year after having an unexpectedly lovely day in amongst what had been an overall crappy time. Since then, I’ve been collecting photos, videos and boomerangs from my stories when I’ve had a particularly memorable happy day, feeling or experience. Having this to hand when I’m feeling low has proved a really nice way to look back and remember all of the nice things that have happened over this year, and remind myself of all the things I have that make it worth getting up in the morning.

What makes you happy? Could you be happier? If so, why and how?

For me there’s nothing quite like sitting with my mates- regardless of whether we’re getting ready to go out, curled up in bed, or trying to convince each other not to walk out of a terrible lecture- and thinking, “this couldn’t be better”. I don’t know whether this comes from being very conscious that nothing lasts forever and a mild fear of growing up, but I do know that appreciating the here and now has helped the bad days feel that little bit less debilitating, and made the good days all the more worthwhile.

A picture speaks a thousand words, and all that jazz..

Life is full of ups and downs, but staying positive where possible will always pull you and your loved ones through. Learn to love yourself, your friends, family, and everything else in your life. Appreciate good things when they’re in front of you, and importantly, live in the moment and enjoy every second of being alive. And if I’ve learned anything recently, it’s that you will only start living as soon as you prioritise happiness.

Here’s to celebrating everything we have to smile about.

Vicky x