Happiness is not out of reach, and it only takes three things.
It would be a good trick question to ask what it is that you’ve been tirelessly searching for your whole life. True love? A vocation that is a joy to pursue and pays well? Meaningful relationships?
There are many possible answers, but a one-word answer can be encompassing it all: happiness. It sounds simple, but it’s in fact very complex, and everyone has a different recipe for it. But those who understand the workings of the human soul are able to formulate a general recipe.
Three things that are necessary for happiness
According to Sean Grover, a psychotherapist with 25 years of experience, there are only three simple things you need to be happy, and they work for everyone.
Gratitude – The expert says that it’s impossible to achieve happiness if you don’t appreciate what you have at the moment. Although many people think gratitude is born within us, we actually generate it ourselves. He believes that it is worth weaving a few minutes of reflection into our daily routine to think of what we have to be grateful for.
Selflessness – Grover says that in a life that is self-centered, one can only expect burnout and loneliness. People who regularly help others lead happier lives, because there is more joy than just meeting our own needs in seeing others delighted.
Spirituality – Psychotherapists have found that their patients who do some kind of spiritual practice on a daily basis find it easier to overcome difficulties and thus get closer to happiness. This could be a religious practice, for example.
You can try the things Grover sees as essential for happiness individually, or you can combine them for greater success. However, it is important to remember that obsessive pursuit of happiness will not bring you to the desired state. It is more helpful to allow the soul to freely find its way to happiness. Since the above habits bring pleasant feelings, it is worth giving them a chance.