HAPPINESS AND DISTRESS ARE DICTATED BY OUR THOUGHTS
Sep 12, 2022 | Source : The Daily Guardian
When people are unhappy, they blame the external world for it. But if they simply changed their viewpoint, their experience of misery would also change.
Our experience of happiness and distress is not dependent on circumstances but on the way we look at them. Though the outer world is objective, it enters our consciousness in the form of impressions, which we perceive through the lens of our mind. Hence, our perception of the objective world is subjective. When people are unhappy, they blame the external world for it. But if they simply changed their viewpoint, their experience of misery would also change.
Changing your perception towards challenging situations is called “positive reframing.” It entails thinking about a problem or adversity in a more positive way. One can reframe by thinking about the upside to the negative situation or by identifying a lesson that was learnt through the difficulty.
HOW TO BE HAPPY AMIDST DIFFICULTY
Shakespeare had said, “There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” I once witnessed an eye-opening testimonial of this statement.
In June 2013, there was devastating flooding in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. It was caused by cloud bursts followed by excessive rain for four consecutive days. Landslides, due to the floods, damaged several buildings and structures. Debris from the hills jammed the rivers and increased the deluge.
