Happiness

I haven't wrote an article in a while, so I thought what better time to write my article than on my 23rd Birthday. My choice of topic will be 'happiness'. What is happiness? It means different things to different people; certainly. Happiness may imply a feeling of being elated, content or can even stem from self-fulfilment. I have realised that happiness is a journey not just one day. Which is something my father used to tell me from a young age. I can't say that I knew exactly what it meant when I was younger, after-all, I was still growing up, still naive to the concept of moral evil and duality. This may seem like I am jumping the gun a bit, but depression has been a large part of my life since the age of 19, due to being assaulted and so on.

I felt like I was in a maze, seeking a way out trying so desperately to find happiness, and I never found it. So I thought back on the things that used to make me happy, small acts of kindness that could be significant to others, thinking of others, being charitable and even fulfilling hobbies that I used to be interested in. Depression can be defined as the diminished capacity to cope with everyday life, deep melancholy, and sadness, it can be difficult for one to get out of it. I did take the professional route, whereby counselling was a great option for me because I could not cope; however, some may want to take the familial support.

There is nothing more important than seeking help, it is never good to suffer in silence. When studying in school I remember coming across an Ancient Greek concept called 'Agape', which can be defined as self-love, to some it may be seen as a basic thing, something habitual something practice. However to others, self-love isn't always an easy route because of self-esteem, confidence, and not being happy over-all. I have come to find that self-love is a key ingredient in happiness, accepting ones-self, accepting the bad that has happened to you and not dwelling on it can also be significant. Self-love can take you a long way, it reflects the way you act and think; the way you make decisions for yourself and others.

How do you define happiness and what does happiness mean to you? How will you achieve your happiness, and will you be resilient. I decided that the only way I was going to achieve happiness was to fight for it, after spending so many years suffering from depression it made me so eager to claim my life back. Finding happiness is not an easy task, it is a challenge. The next step for me was going back on the small things that used to make me happy, I had once given up on those things. I also found that familial support, and talking to others about how I felt went a long way. Eventually, I developed more of a solidified personality, as my pain turned into power, and my anger turned into determination. I believe it's possible to be happy again, even if it feels impossible, self-belief can really go a long way.

By NyishaHv