Author Cat Payen

Happiness is here, worked darn hard for it too! digitalbloggers.com /self-improvement/happiness-is-here-worked-darn-hard-for-it-too

Oct 05, 2016 77 views

Written by Cat Payen

Niche:Business Home and Family Reference and Education

Happiness

There have been many articles, scientific research done on and about happiness.

So what is happiness - chemistry part :-)

Let’s not get bogged down with the chemistry here, just suffice to look at the image below of the major hormonesthat you will hear about, just to let you know for this is not the purpose (!) of this article:

Dopamine -1/5

neurotransmitter feeding the reward pathway

involves motivation, drive, pleasure

addiction

high levels = disconnected with reality

low levels = addictive behaviours and addictions

Noradrenaline -

Neurotransmitter

stress hormone co-ordination of flight or fight response

mediation of emotions

mediation of physical symptoms - raised heart beat, alertness, decision making behaviours…

GABA - Gamma amino butyric acid

Inhibitory neurotransmitter

slows down nerve transmissions

allowing nerve recovery

high levels = relieves anxiety and reduces stress

Serotonin

constrict blood vessels - HAPPINESS HORMONE

most commonly used in antidepressants.

Beta - endorphin

natural opioids produced in response to pain, excitement, exercise

cf same as morphine receptors in brain, spinal cord and nerves

cause mild sedation, relieving pain

sense of well being

Oxytocin

often called trust hormone/bonding hormone

even the love hormone

unique to mammals

important during birthing and sexual related activities

trust and pair bonding

2/5

And now happiness - action part :-)Happiness folks is hard work! It does not come to you, you have to create it.

2 components of happiness for it to work out:

Purpose and pleasure.

So with the above mind shattering statements gone are the excuses:

I can’t be happy I’m too fat

I can’t be happy I had bad parents

I’m too old

I hate my job……….

One extremely efficient way to counter this argument is to be grateful. Yes that is right suppose you hate your job, solet’s start looking at ways you could be grateful here: the office has the bare necessities, I have colleagues who, byputting me down all the time in fact help me to rise and shine above myself (and them), I have a boss who thinks I’mso good he keeps on piling it on, no one eats with me because I have somethings of value to say …. You see everysituation can be turned around, and this is the first step. Afterwards it becomes a game and you race with yourself tosee just what love you shall give today, a smile at the bus driver, the person sitting next to you on the train, evensharing your newspaper (oh yes sorry we are all digitalised now - I have not commuted in ages!!)…. Hope you getthe gist and you can even start a gratitude journal - I have the app just in case I forget ;)

The other I can't be happy syndrome - I’ll be happy when….

I have the nice job

the lovely car,

the big house

3/5

the nice soul mate…

Unfortunately this too is not very wise! You see this is playing victim mode and one must snap out of it to attract thevery people we want to, the bigger, nicer things in life need a bigger you to step up! Care though…

Purpose without pleasure

If you’re helping out with serving the soup for the homeless and have no pleasure in that then it won’t work. What Imean is happiness will not be found

Pleasure without purpose

If you’re at the best beach in the Seychelles, say, at the spa again the lack of purpose will eventually catch up withyou and you will be bored and slightly down even!

Happiness must be worked at and chosen!

So you must work at it every day, and every minute of the day too. We have a choice always, I can hear you now,yes but this horror story happened to me, and so …. No this is victim again! What you can do is this

Let’s suppose something horror story type happened to you

HERE

so now you have a CHOICE of HOW to react.

You can either

go down oh woe is me victim road

or

you can say ok, this is pretty bad, what is the lesson I must learn here so that it does not happen again? What can Itake responsibility for?

And then this horror story thing turns out to be a blessing in fact :)

I sincerely hope you understand all this and I will be writing more articles on the subject so as to go into more detailof all of this so stay tuned - you know what to do, right? Join either the RSS feed or my newsletter feed (by giving meyour email and name in the box provided).

The choice is yours to take :)

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