Is happiness an intermittent state of being? Can happiness be a more sustainable feeling than experiencing fleeting moments of joy? In midlife, I am setting out on a quest to find out through a 21 Day Happiness Challenge run by the course providers, Udemy.
My Day 1 challenge is to start practising gratitude on a daily basis. Practising gratitude, apparently, builds a habit towards acquiring and sustaining good levels of happiness. Recording 10 things everyday in a journal on what has brought you happiness, such as recalling a past experience which brought you joy or remembering people whom you feel blessed to have in your life are recommended practices.
While initially thinking that recalling 10 things would be hard, my first day has gone well. I am finding that this practice is an opportunity to mine one’s memory for happy events. We get so caught up in everyday life that we forget.
Gratitude is a ‘powerful anti-depressant‘. It helps fill your heart with a feeling of thankfulness for what you have thus enabling you to appreciate your present and past. This is my take, that by appreciating your past and present the future will look like a rosier place. Happy practising gratitude.
