Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Being Happy


As I scrolled through my Facebook news feed this morning, I clicked on the link to this Huffington Post article about the 7 Habits of Chronically Unhappy People. Having always thought of myself as an optimist, I expected to read the article and find nothing of use to me. I am a pretty happy person overall.

However, when I read some of the habits of unhappy people, I could definitely see some similarities in my own behavior and thinking. Now, I don't consider myself to be chronically unhappy, but I can definitely trace periods of unhappiness to some of these habits. It's a little bit of a wake-up call that I could recall specific moments when I acted in these ways...and most of them are at work. Now, I don't hate my job or coworkers...I really like it, in fact. But, I find myself a bit more susceptible to indulging in unhappy habits while at work. It's very possible that other people's attitudes or behaviors have more of an effect on me at work than in other places. This is why it's vital that I learn to recognize these habits when they start to pop up and redirect or rechannel my thinking.

Specifically, I'm talking about habits 5 and 7 in the article.

5. You strive to control your life.

I'm a total controller/planner/be-in-charge type girl. It's great for things like weddings and when trying to adhere to schedules but it's bad when I try to control things that I really cannot. Sometimes things just happen (at work, at school, in life, etc.) and sometimes people react in ways that you can't predict or plan for. I've got to be a little more "go with the flow" and be okay when the inevitable wrench is thrown in my plans. This doesn't mean I shouldn't be focused, but I shouldn't be so blindsided when things don't go my way, but be able to take it in stride and keep going forward.

7. You fill your conversations with gossip and complaints.

Man, I am a complainer. I've been one my whole life. But I've only recently noticed that complaining breeds complaining and results in frustration. If I complain about something at work, then another coworker complains...then usually it results in gossipy conversation or even anger. Similar to #5, complaining about things I can't change or can't influence really does me no good. Whenever I recognize that I am complaining (or about to start it) I really need to stop and think about what my complaining will result in. Unless it results in actual change for the better, I should just keep it to myself. The last thing I want to be known as at work is the depressive, bitter, Debbie-Downer and complaining is a sure-fire way to get that title.

If you read (or skimmed) the article, did you notice any habits of unhappy people that you recognize in your own life?

3 comments:

  1. I noticed a few things I do at times, but I also know to be wary of those things so they're things I nip in the bud quickly.

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  2. Gah, 5, 6, and 7-- guilty. Definitely need to work on those.

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  3. this is so accurate and such a wonderful reminder!

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