Can you decide to be happy?

[kay08]

I felt happy when I read this question. Interesting because I felt neutral a moment ago.
Well, there are people in bad situations that feel happy and people in great situations that feel unhappy. How do people stay happy though? I don't know. I think it's a brain thing, but we can control it. It's easier when we find the right thing that makes us happy and not a series of happy events.

 

[MotherWolff]

Is it possible for someone to make a conscious decision to be happy, and succeed in making his or her self happy, even if s/he is in a unfortunate situation?

Or is happiness something that can only happen when something good happen in our lives thus giving us something to be happy about?

Absolutely.

It has been scientifically proven that our feelings result from the way we think.

The way we think comes from how we react to the stimuli.

For sample, A(He dumped me) + B(I think I am ugly)= C(I feel worthless)

You cannot add A to C without B. Its highly illogical.

Our thoughts create our reality.

Don't be afraid. Be Aware.

 

[Sacrament]

Your attitude can make a huge difference on how you handle everyday situations, whether small or big, which in turn will determine how happy or unhappy you are. If you take life with a grain of salt, taking joy in the little things and embracing having flaws while learning or living, if you simplify things and if you do more and think less, your life will be much different than constantly worrying about whether you did something badly (and how badly), what others are thinking of you, that you can't do anything right, that you'll never accomplish anything, etc.

 

[Argentum]

You can affect your perspective, but no amount of attitude is going to make being a POW as happy and fulfilling as living in a safe, low-crime town with a spouse, two kids, good job, and plenty of food. Even the people who believe happiness is all about your attitude work to avoid certain unpleasant situations and outcomes. Why? Because circumstances have an impact.

 

[BlueDays]

I don't believe so, no.
We do not have control of everything around us. There are some external situations we can't be happy through. You can't make your mind be happy when you are hungry and don't have enough money to buy some food.

If you tried to "tell" your mind to ignore being sad about things that affect you that you have no control over, then that is just denial in my opinion.
So yes you can decide to live in denial, and some people can tell themselves that they are happy, but in reality that is just "fake" happiness.

 

[Sacrament]

You can affect your perspective, but no amount of attitude is going to make being a POW as happy and fulfilling as living in a safe, low-crime town with a spouse, two kids, good job, and plenty of food. Even the people who believe happiness is all about your attitude work to avoid certain unpleasant situations and outcomes. Why? Because circumstances have an impact.

Certainly you're not a POW, right? You gotta work with what you have and connect with your circumstances instead of trying to run away from them in fear.

 

[Argentum]

Certainly you're not a POW, right? You gotta work with what you have and connect with your circumstances instead of trying to run away from them in fear.

Do you know what my life circumstances are, what I have or have not been doing, and did I ask for a lecture? I was posting about the thread topic: whether or not people can decide to be happy.

 

[Sacrament]

Okay, grumpy.

 

[MotherWolff]

The key to happiness is gratefulness.

Happiness is not really a feeling at all. Its a state of being.

If you are ungrateful to everyone and everything, The Universe will reciprocate more reasons back to you, to be ungrateful.