The Quest for Happiness

How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll be happy when…”, “If I could just get that person/place/thing, then I’ll be happy…”? But what happens in the meantime? 
As John Lennon said “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”.

We find ourselves working so hard and enduring misery to get the thing/person/place that we think we make us happy. What happens while you’re surviving/enduring this kind of existence – life happens! And you’re missing it- every precious moment of it!

How do you find this happiness you seek? Well, the secret is: it is within you! If you practice being present and grateful, finding inspiration in what you already have, attaining happiness is easier than you think. And you can do it right now! You don’t have to wait for that circumstance that you are trying to create thinking it will make you happy. Happiness is an inside job. You can still strive for more but you don’t have to ignore the wonderful life that is happening around you. It is both a delight and a necessity to stop and smell the roses. When we love mindfully and incorporate simple and effective wellness practices into our everyday lives we can be present, be grateful and yes, be happy.

Why are we chasing happiness when it is staring us right in the face. We can learn to be still, be present and be inspired by the little things. Appreciating what you have in your life and amplifying that with simple mindfulness rituals and self care improves our lives in so many ways.

We endure hardship in the belief that this will get us to the state of happiness. We believe that this suffering will get mean that we will be happy… one day. As a result, we end up clinging to our desires so tightly that there is no room for the universe to actually give us what we need. Then, we only get what we believe we deserve. But when we give up that control and start trusting that the universe has our back we open ourselves up to receive an abundance of pure joy and happiness.

The pursuit of happiness…

There are many mindful and self care rituals and practices that can help us on this journey to happiness. The ceremony of self care, spending time in Nature, pursuing personal development, getting movement into your daily routine, nourishing your body in a wholesome and locally sustainable way all pave the golden path to happiness. One in particular that I practice daily is Meditation.

Meditation has been a game changer for me personally, especially when it comes to being grounded and present leading to a feelings of happiness and joy in myself and by myself. The need for external validation or external forces in order to be happy has dissipated. The knowledge that what you seek is within you is a very powerful and joyful realization. I certainly have a fuller cup since I started my meditation journey.

“It helps you be more efficient and creative, hold onto less stress, be more balanced and become more comfortable in your own skin” – Elena Brower.

There are many different types of meditation that will be included in the “Tried and Tested” articles coming soon. A few that I have tried and found incredibly effective for grounding and being more present are:

Guided Meditation, which is great as a jumping off point is guided by another and usually has some calming background music. There is an abundance of apps out there that provide guided meditation that you can sort by theme or length. This type of meditation can be very useful for 
focusing your energy and attention on a specific outcome.

Metta meditation, also called Loving Kindness Meditation, which is the practice of directing well wishes toward others, and also starting this practice by wishing yourself well. This is a very healing practice that can help with forgiveness of the self and others.

Breath Awareness Meditation helps build the mind-body connection and to reduce stress. I love this type of meditation as an every day practice for at least one of your daily sittings and it is very effective during times of tension or workplace stress.

Body scan, or progressive relaxation, focuses attention on physical sensations in the body and awareness in the body at a micro level. This attention to every part of the body helps you be more present by noticing everything that your body is experiencing in that moment.

I also started practicing Transcendental Meditation relatively recently and have been receiving amazing benefits from it. This is a simple technique with a mantra that is repeated in a specific way. It’s practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. This practice results in settling inward to a state of rest for the body while sharpening the mind. Inner peace can be achieved with this technique with little concentration or effort.

Try some of these practices for yourself. There are many apps available that provide free guided meditations and the web is full of resources to find sittings in your local area. As I try more types of meditation I will be sure to update you on “Tried and Tested’ techniques.

In the meantime, stay grounded, be happy, be well. xoxo