Higher happiness quotient? How do you rate yours?

A higher "happiness quotient"? Some of us were born with a higher happiness quotient, but happiness is not a given; most of us have to work for it. If not, we place our emotional health in jeopardy, leaving us at risk of emotional disorders like PTSD or depression. However, despite our genetic makeup, with practice, we can retrain the brain to create happiness.

 But how to create happiness, that is the question, especially when life seems to be crumbling right before our eyes. Society is no longer the safe place it used to be. Everywhere we turn, another tragedy is unfolding—in movie theaters, schools, shopping malls, college campuses, and on the streets, with absolutely no warning at all. 

 

To keep our fears at bay, some of us take a regular dose of anti-depressants to “take the edge off,” leaving ourselves at risk of addiction or substance abuse, but this does not solve the problems we face. While calamities in our natural environment are expected, calamities on the street are not. Still, this is the new normal, and we all must find effective ways to handle the stress in our lives and maintain a state of happiness.

 

 How do we maintain a positive frame of mind when we wake up each morning with news reports of tragedy, natural disasters, family disasters, and there is no solution in sight? Feeling inundated with negative thoughts, how do we arrive at the workplace with a smile on our faces?

There are no easy answers to such questions, but one thing is certain; the answer is not in self-medication, not in negative thinking, and not in isolating ourselves and family from others. The best defense is a great offense, and this means taking control of our happiness by strengthening our emotional competence. Emotional competence begins with becoming self-aware, strengthening positive relationships, and putting a stop to negative thoughts.

 

Happiness is not easy to accomplish, but it beats the alternatives—fear, negative thinking, and feelings of victimization. Happiness is much more than a state of mind; it’s hard work. It involves recognizing negative thoughts, stopping negative thoughts, and replacing negative self-assessments with positive ones. 

 

Once we are able to recognize and challenge negative thoughts, we are in position to replace these thoughts with positive ones. This enables us to retrain the brain so that it learns to search for positive, rather than negative feelings and assessments. Feeling empowered, we build self-esteem and emotional resilience. Emotional resilience is the key to happiness.

 

Happiness is a way of life, but it begins with understanding ourselves and facing challenges from a position of power. When we feel our power, we can do anything. We can even retrain the brain to think positive thoughts which allows us to create our happiness, despite external circumstances beyond our control.