How Does One Become Happy?

Is it possible to reprogram your forever existing mentality? I believe so. Unfortunately, the hardest and most essential part is the 'how?'. How does one become happy with themselves and current conditions and remain hopeful? I'm going to read the other responses after giving mine, so forgive any repetition. (Better, repetition means that those are useful to more than one person!) In no particular order: Mindfulness: Develop a habit of assessing your current mood, and discovering the catalyst. Does listening to a specific song trigger sad feelings? Is it a bad smell that makes you feel disgusted? Did watching a news show make you feel anxious? Is saying a key phrase something that triggers associative memories that make you feel little self-value? If you can train yourself to notice when you are feeling an emotion, and if you can learn to observe that feeling without judgement- then you can discover which thoughts are helpful and which hurt you. In time, you will replace the ones that hurt with the ones that help. Reframing: Often. the way we describe a situation largely influences our mood. There's a difference between having a "tough teacher who is pushing me to excel" and having a "mean jerk of a professor who is out to get me." Neither is a lie, nor the truth- they are simply the frames in which you see reality. Gratitude: Thies is a must for 3s. (Everyone else, too, but 3s especially, as we are always striving to achieve the next goal and don't often take the time to celebrate our old achievements.) Bask yourself in gratitude. "I am so thankful my hardnose professor pushed me! I may have gotten a B instead of an A in his course- but I learned the material *perfectly* because he didn't let me get away with my usual bag of tricks." Resource Gathering: Find things that bring you pleasure. (The smell of rain, a beautiful sunset, the feel of heavy cotton jeans brushing against your leg, a favorite song that makes you feel happy.) Whatever they are- sensate them thoroughly, go back again and again to these nurturing memories, and use the memory of them when they are not physically availible. (I can imagine a beautiful sunset at any time of day.) Physiology as Resource: Motion creates emotion in the body. Smile in a way that feels authentic, and you will begin to feel happy. Stretch your arms up and out, like you are accepting Love, and you will feel love. There is plenty of literature online you can research for finding good physiology. Nutrition: Eat for the body you want, not the body you have. Give it all of the building blocks it needs to provide good brain function, to provide good respiration, and circulation- let your food fill you up with everything it's asking for. Sometimes that's chocolate, and sometimes it's oranges. Listen and trust your body. If it doesn't give you nutrition, don't eat it. Pain Management: Stretching, resting, taking medication if necessary. You can feel happy while in pain, if you have gratitude. (Thank you, Body for telling me I need to rest!) But it's easier to just take care of pain when it is small instead of letting it get big enough to incapacitate you. Hydration: 64 oz a day minimum, 128oz of water is ideal. It takes practice, but your limbic system will thank you. You will perform better and have better access to happy memories and situations if you are hydrated. Need/Value Congruency: Act in integrity. Assess the aspects of your life for consistency. If you want to be a dynamic force, then laying idle will not make you happy. If you want to own a boat, but your loved one hates boats and you want your loved one to be happy- you have incongruency you need to deal with. "I can give up my boat for my loved one." "I can buy the boat and not ask my loved on to go on it with me." "I can break up with my loved one." Assess your options and listen to your heart. Trust your heart. This is difficult for 3s, as often we are afraid there's nothing in there that doesn't pertain to the opinions of others- but I assure you, your heart knows. Don't do things that fill you with dread. Do things that fill you with hope. Don't be afraid to fail in service to the things that make you feel valued. Good luck. I know you'll figure this out- we all do, eventually. ;)