How are you like when life is good?
Sometimes you may feel like flying, because of how wonderful, and amazing everything feels. Like a cold breeze on a hot, sunny day.
Like you are someone special to be on the receiving end of this joy. As if good karma has finally graced you.
Or perhaps, you just feel so wonderful that you cannot stop smiling.
When life is good, it's good.
Maybe the inner cynic in you may wonder how long this time period of happiness will last, but you do enjoy it.
How can you not- when happiness just makes you happy.
However, our brain is so wired to remember the dangerous, negative situations, to protect us, to defend us from anything bad, that it's hard to automatically remember the good.
It is especially hard to remember the good when life is hard.
It's like your friend could do one wrong thing and you can forget the nine good things she did. In many friendships, you are likely to eventually move past that one bad thing (depending on the nature of it), but for that moment in time, you are likely to see that one bad thing as bigger than anything else.
It's like the bad things cloud your judgment and make you momentarily blind to anything else.
The good news is we do have freedom of choice, especially when it comes to our inner world. Because our brain is wired to try to protect us by accessing all the dangers in the environment, it is up to us to make the conscious decision to enjoy what is, and be happy.
The problem is, we can't be happy all the time.
Life also has a lot of setbacks, difficulties, hardships, pain, and suffering. And we all wish to lengthen the happy moments of our life.
One of the ways to prolong those happy moments is through a Positive Psychology intervention called Savoring. Savoring is done by immersing in a particular moment of happiness, to be fully present, aware, to enjoy the different sensations of an experience with openness and willingness.
You can certainly look at your past experiences and savor them. This includes remembering the wonderful, beautiful moments of your life and allowing yourself to feel the feelings all over again.
Another way to do so is by cherishing the present moments of happiness and savoring them. Rather than rushing, it is about taking your time with those precious moments. Expressing, feeling, sharing- are some of the ways it's done.
Rather than rushing through the happy moments due to the busyness of our world, savoring is about letting the happiness of the moment engulf you.
I think sometimes we can be scared of feeling really happy because we don't know what the future will hold, but the truth is, the future comes with difficulties, challenges alongside incredible happiness and joy.
It's the cycle of life.
So when you are really happy, cherish those moments, savor them.
In this Covid world, may the only virus you catch be the virus of happiness.
Reflective Questions
When was the last time you savored an experience?
What have been some of your happiest moments this year?
What does happiness look like, feel like, to you?
What would you like to tell your future self, who is going through a hard time, about happiness?
What makes you happy?
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