BY: NADIA ZAIDI
Happiness is in your hands. Sure, there are psychological preconditions and lifestyle factors that act as determinants of mental illness and unhappiness. However, what we choose to do with our state of mind is largely in our hands. Hold on to this belief, and you will feel a sense of empowerment that will manifest into something bigger and greater than you imagined.
A quick Google search will land you on all the things you need to have a well-balanced mood – and subsequently a better state of mind. I am speaking from personal experience when I say that mental health is largely affected by embracing these three simple mindsets. I promise that even trying one of these things will make you happier than you currently are.
Stop the rat race
It isn’t about rushing to accomplish and covet life’s offerings. It’s about living. Breathing. Experiencing. Stop mapping out your life, and start living it. I used to think that I could determine what age things would happen for me. Guess what? None of those predictions came to fruition. Guess what, again? Thank God. We think we know what’s best for us when the universe has bigger, better plans that might not make sense at the time, but unravel into moments and experiences of greatness.
Life is fluid and numbers are arbitrary. Contrary to what science tells you about your body, there is no biological clock. Sure, it’s probably difficult to bare a child at 50, but it doesn’t mean that you still can’t have one. Surrogacy, adoption, guardianship, etc. – the ways to have a child are endless. And there is no set definition on what it means to be a parent. Simply conceiving a child doesn’t make anyone worthy of the title, no matter how much we glorify it.
Stop saying that you’re too old to do certain things, especially when you’re really young. Not only does it make you foolish, it hinders you. What does age have to do with endeavour?
Life isn’t a measurement of time. It’s a measurement of happiness, experience, and relationships. If your friend is already at her career goal and you don’t know when your next paycheque will be, stop wondering if there’s something wrong with you. We all reach our goals at different times and stages, and that’s okay. End the pity party because when you seriously take a moment to count your blessings you will realize how much you have to live for.
Your current situation is nobody’s fault. Stop making excuses for other people’s success, and for your own circumstances. Stop comparing your life to the lives of your friends and family. Your destiny is your own, and it is in your control. Your life is a journey, which will continue to evolve and unravel. You will get there. Believe that. Stop rushing to become who you think you need to be.
Ask yourself four questions: Do I have my family, good health, food and shelter?
These are the only things that truly matter. Believe me. If any of these are ever in question, you might see the world differently. It’s that simple.
Do what you love
The biggest clichés are often the truest. Do what you love. If what you love doesn’t pay, do it anyway. Don’t forfeit your job, but take it up as a hobby. Play that music even if nobody is listening. Always indulge and nurture your passion. Just because you aren’t J.K Rowling, doesn’t mean that you should stop writing. In the daily grind of life, the one thing we neglect is the thing we love the most. Cooking, hiking, puzzles, movies.
Regardless of what it is, life is too short to deny yourself the pleasure of your passion. We have a lifetime to work. Some of us are fortunate to do what we love as a job. But it doesn’t always work out that way. There will never be enough time, so stop making excuses to push off your hobbies and desires.
Never stop yourself from doing something because it doesn’t fit society’s standards of acceptability. Your happiness is your own.
Life is what we make of it. Some of us might not have been dealt the best cards, but every deck has an ace worth finding.
