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Being happy in the face of adversity

Updated: Apr 23, 2021


Suffering from pressure, misery and anxiety in the short term doesn’t suggest we can’t be at liberty and happiness in the long term.



The optimistic mindset movement has highlighted a few phycological research that shows the depths of human happiness and human potential to flourish positively in life. The study argues that psychologists should check mental health issues alongside what makes life valuable to an individual.


"Experts within the positive psychology movement describe joy as having frequent good emotions, for example, delight, enjoyment and contentment, coupled with greater feelings of significance and goal. It illustrates a good way of thinking from the present plus an optimistic view of the future. Significantly, happiness specialists have stated that pleasure is not a stable, unchangeable attribute but something adaptable which we will work on regularly".


Studies have shown that the way we respond to conditions of our own day-to-day lives has a lot more influence on our joy than the activities themselves. Suffering from pressure, misery and anxiety in the short term doesn’t suggest we can’t be at liberty and happiness in the long term.


The scientific research of happiness


There are two schools of thoughts, two main routes to experiencing satisfaction, the indulgent and the eudemonic view. Hedonists believe that to have a pleasant daily life, we should maximise enjoyment and steer clear of problems. This perspective is an indulgence, satisfying human appetites and wishes, which rarely leads to happiness.


As opposed, the eudaemonic method usually takes the extended perspective. It argues that people should stay authentically but for the better great. We must focus on the significance and possibility through kindness, proper rights, trustworthiness and daring.


Whenever we see the joy from the hedonistic sensation, we need to look for new delights and experiences to “top up” our happiness. We shall also make an effort to minimise annoying and distressing feelings to keep our disposition higher.


Whenever we take the eudaemonic method, we utilise our strengths to play a role in something higher than ourselves. This method may sometimes involve unpleasant experiences and emotions but usually lead to greater delight and contentment. So having a cheerful life is not about avoiding challenging periods; it is about being able to respond to adversity in a manner that lets you develop in the practical experience.


For example, sometimes confronting emotionally charged encounters and the ability to endure intervals of discomfort can let us move towards a better, more meaningful lifestyle and attain happiness.


Reward in overcoming adversity


Researchers have shown that going through adversity can undoubtedly be great for us. However, the way we respond to troubles could either make or break us. Tolerating misery could make us far more sturdy and guide us to take action in our lifestyles, for example, changing work or defeating hardship.


In reports of folks experiencing stress, several explain their experiences like going through profound modification and change, ultimately causing a phenomenon called “post-traumatic growth”. Typically when people have encountered difficulty, illness or disease, they illustrate their lives as more content and purposeful.


In contrast to feeling delighted in the short term, being content daily is about personal progress through positive thoughts and decisions. It is about taking our humanity with its pros and cons, enjoying the good emotions, and using agonising thoughts as a way to attain our complete happiness.

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