Wisdom & Sol
Posts
Want to Increase Your Happiness?

Want to Increase Your Happiness?

Find why "more" doesn't always equal happier - and how less can lead to more joy.

Sol TV
August 31, 2023

This Newsletter at a Glance:

🌸 TL/DR: Less Is More

🥀 Sol Bites: 3 Things That Block Happiness

🎬 Video Bite: Sharana Ali on Being Happy

🔮 Words of Wisdom

Thinking you can have total control over your emotions is an unrealistic expectation, but when it comes to happiness, you have more influence than you may realize. The trick is learning to be responsible for how and where you focus your attention.

Our emotions are rooted in our thoughts, particularly intense and widespread feelings stem from habitual thoughts. For example:

🌪️ Worrying can cause you to experience anxiety–and it creates a cycle. More anxiety leads to chronic worry.

⚖️ Passing judgment can lead you to feel angry. Continuous anger stems from constantly judging.

We’d all like to feel happier, but finding the best way to do that can be challenging.

🌸 TL/DR: Less Is More

Many people think happiness is about getting more things—money, love, time, vacations, etc. While those factors can contribute to happiness, solely relying on “more” of anything to boost your mood can lead to issues.

For one thing, that mindset always leads to feelings of inadequacy because there is always more you can do. For instance, you might start meditating for 10 minutes daily and feel good about it, but then you may come across a wellness influencer claiming that you need at least 30 minutes daily to experience its full benefits.

On top of that, continuously adding to your busy life can become overwhelming and exhausting. Even if the activities you incorporate promote happiness, there are limitations to how much you can fit into a day. The more packed your schedule becomes, the more stress you may feel.

It’s time for a mindset shift. Look at it this way: Happiness comes from doing less.

Instead of constantly adding happiness-promoting activities, what if you focused on subtracting things that drain your happiness?

For example, what if you established a rule to stop checking work emails after 6:00 p.m. instead of scheduling a massage appointment every Saturday to alleviate stress? Both can contribute to happiness, but the email rule frees time and has no financial cost.

If you like that idea, here’s another concept to think about. Often, the things that deplete our happiness the most are internal and stem from our thoughts. Sure, external factors contribute to unhappiness, but identifying and working on the internal psychological elements that make you unhappy can lead to the biggest happiness boost.

🥀 Sol Bites: 3 Things That Block Happiness

Three psychological factors often prevent you from being as happy as possible. Even one of them can result in a surprising increase in overall happiness.

Overthinking

One of the best ways to improve your overall happiness is to identify and correct patterns of overthinking in your life. Three of the most common types: are worry, rumination, and self-critique.

Overfeeling

A major source of unhappiness is having an unhealthy connection with your emotions. Ironically, if you fixate on them too much—or too little— it can lessen your overall well-being in the long term. Ignoring your emotions completely can be detrimental, but being too reliant on or controlled by them can be just as problematic. Try thinking of your emotions as a loyal friend who is always willing to support you—for better or worse. Sometimes, they may provide unhelpful guidance and should not be trusted.

Overcommitting To decrease stress, begin saying “no” regularly. Since turning things down could hurt someone else’s feelings, you may have to increase your ability to handle uncomfortable emotions. That can only be achieved through consistent practice. Determine the areas where you want to establish stronger boundaries and begin with small nos, then gradually progress towards bigger challenges.

🎬 Video Bite

In this video, Sol TV Creator Sharana Ali, shares how journaling can keep your vibes high and help you explore what makes you happy.

A journal is like your best friend who always hypes you up when you're feeling down. It's there for you to pour your thoughts into. No judgement, just endless love and happiness.

So grab your fave pen and cute notebook and start manifesting.