Finding Happiness in Sabah

What is happiness?

From Wikipedia, the meaning of happiness is a positive and pleasant emotion, ranging from contentment to intense joy. Online dictionary gives definition that happiness is emotion experienced when in a state of well-being. We also can express happiness in another words, like joy, cheeriness, pleasure, fun, gaiety, or satisfaction.

 

 

Why should we be happy?

If you wonder, is it really important for being content? So, I would share my personal experience learning from the sociology class. First of all, human as individual creature needs to fulfill their existential. Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the essential basic human needs it-self categorize as several levels. Here I show you the pyramid of basic needs.

 

When you get the goods or something you need based on the pyramid, you feel more content. The security bring satisfactions. The level will get higher as you experience a lower one.

 

 

How to find happiness?

Happiness can only happen if you try hard to do it. We need effort, money, and time to do something fun. We should have a willingness to move our body, pamper ourselves with a spa, talk to someone, watch movies, reading books, buy a nice things. Figure out the most convenient to do for fun. Don’t push to buy luxury jewelry if you can’t afford it. 

 

Try many things, meet new people, get adventures in moments, eat something tasty. For me, I would like to do sport, actively move my body, sweating and make my body tired. It’s better than my mind which get tired of overthinking. I also love to scream out of loud, but… it must be in the proper place. Like the mood in karaoke with the suitable song. It’s good to train your unloaded emotions. In other words, just get busy. Find your activities, put them as a hobby. Don’t take it as granted for side hustle. It won’t work as your escape. You can explore more reading to find creativity from the book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon.

 

More than that, we should remember about the happiness hormone. It is related to our feelings and body condition. So, these “happy hormones” include:

 

Dopamine: 

Known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system. It’s associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, and more.

 

Serotonin: 

This hormone and neurotransmitter helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.

 

Oxytocin: 

Often called the “love hormone,” oxytocin is essential for childbirth, breastfeeding, and strong parent-child bonding. It can also help promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships. Levels generally increase with physical affection.

 

Endorphins: These hormones are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Levels may also increase when you engage in reward-producing activities such as eating, working out, or having sex.

 

 

Actually, in the general days have passed, I feel quite happy. Maybe around 45% lah, since most of the time I felt blunt. And a small amount of big and hazardous emotional feelings. I don’t really put personal feelings to people’s negative comment, if it brings good impact I will appreciate it. But, for unnecessary judgment, I will just ignore it. The idea of knowing other people’s character is an important way to survive in our lives. I suggest you know more about the psychological theory from book “Surrounded by Idiots” by Thomas Erikson.

 

 

What are causing stress?

Unwanted issues could be the source of stress, some argue, bad words, or unpleasant moments. Identify what could trigger your emotion to get intense. IN MY ISSUE, stress most probably come from overload work, high responsibility in medical diagnosis, and unsettled miscommunication in the workplace. 

 

 

When do you think you need happiness?

We need happiness to boost our mood, especially when we have great energy for certain activities. Prepare your mood in the proper way. 

 

Based on Greek philosophy, a state of stable mind can be controlled by ourselves. The theory is called stoicism. Philosophers like Zeno, Epictetus and Seneca share their similar thought that stoicism focuses on “reframing the mind to not react to what we cannot control”

 

Read more about stoicism from eligible literature like: Filosofi Teras by Henry Manampiring (Indonesian author)

 

 

 

Where can we find happiness?

We can find happiness anywhere, from anything. Some people have low expectations toward happiness, they just feel enough to fulfill their daily needs. And some people need extra, which could give firework and spectacular responses.

 

 

Who is the one responsible to making us happy? 

The one who responsible to make yourself happy is only YOU. Be independent with your own feelings. Despite of outside input, you should filter and focus on your soul.

 

In the end, happiness is one of the feelings we have. There are many more other feelings that fulfill your life. It’s good to embrace the feelings and accept all of them.