Happiness...what"s It Like?-need Help

[longlegzs80]

This is for people who know what happiness is like. I really don;t know if I have ever been happy. Everyday I wake up and I am the same feeling, sad, depressed, lonely, feeling sorry for myself. I find the only thing that can make be smile is food. I seem to love to eat. Not anything wrong with that unless you have it take control over you. But anyways, I was just wondering, what makes people happy and how do you become happy? Please, help, this is really important to me.

[Jamie31]

You just have to think about what is important in your life. Your family? Your career? Your pets? It could be anything. Anything that brings joy to your life, if even a little bit. Think about all the things in your life that you are so fortunate to have - your health, your family and friends, you education...the list goes on and on. So many people in this world have none of that. Just try to focus on the things you have in your life that you are thankful for. So often, we take these things for granted when they are the things that make our lives worth living.

[PurpleAngel]

There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

-- EPICTETUS

[moimeme]

Everyday I wake up and I am the same feeling, sad, depressed, lonely, feeling sorry for myself.

 

Nothing has ever made you happy? Not having laughs with friends or seeing a good movie or anything? If you honestly cannot remember ever thinking that you were enjoying something (other than food) then maybe it's time to see your doctor. Depression has even been found in kids; it's easy to fix once it's diagnosed.

 

You certainly can try to think yourself out of it, but if you don't experience any spontaneous happiness then I doubt that it's just a pattern of negative thinking. Anyway, it doesn't hurt to check with your doc and if nothing's physically wrong s/he'll make some suggestions for you.

[Tony T]

Medicating yourself with food is NOT a good thing. You sound like you have treatable depression and I urge you to see a counsellor who works closely with a psychiatrist. You probably need a combination of therapy and some medication to get you out of your doldrums.

 

If you can't afford help right now, force yourself into a vigorous exercise program. Aerobic exercise releases endorphins into the brain that can give you a great feeling of well being and over a period of time get rid of your feelings of depression and doom.

 

If there are problems in your life contributing to this, solve them as quickly as possible or enlist the help of others if you can't do it alone.

 

FYI: I think almost everybody has these kinds of feelings once in a while, but they're usually very temporary.

[HokeyReligions]

True happiness is not passive. You have to work at it.

 

A movie or book or something that takes your mind off your troubles is fine as a temporary escape, but its not true happiness.

 

It sounds as though you are truly depressed. A doctor, counselor can help you with drugs (if necessary) to treat the physical aspect of the disease, and a good counselor can give you the tools to create happiness in your life. That's not to say that you will never feel down again - but you will recognize the depressions as they happen and will have the emotional/mental tools to deal with it and the confidence to know that those times are not permanent.

 

No one can give you a recipe for happiness - it's different for everyone. All I can tell you is that for most people it requires some effort and practice.

 

Keep searching for the right counselor, and keep talking to people - hopefully you will get some good feedback here - after all, you have already started being more assertive in your quest for happiness by reaching out to others & that is a big step in the right direction.