Page 26 - Seniors Today - December 2024
P. 26
Mind Matters
Your Attitude Determines
Your Happiness NOT Your
Circumstances
Dr Monika Dass advises us on how to level up our thinking framework and
enjoy being happy
We often hear the phrase, “Happiness is an on how we are when we are happy.
attitude.” What exactly does it mean? How So, let’s look at an alternative: Happiness
can happiness be both an emotional end- comes more easily to those who have
state (as we know it to be) and an attitude - adopted a certain way of looking at things.
which is more like an opinion or judgment In this view, attitude precedes - and
- at the same time? determines - the quality of our emotional
We know that when we are happy, we state.
look at the world differently, through At one level, it should be easy to
rose-tinted glasses as it were. We are more understand how our attitudes can shape
generous, expansive, and gregarious, and our emotions. Findings show that every
less prone to making negative judgments. time we experience an emotion - be it
So, being in a “happy state” leads to a anger, anxiety, sadness, happiness, joy,
certain way of looking at things, a certain love, or pride - it is always preceded by
attitude, if you will. Is that what people a set of thoughts that are unique to that
mean when they say happiness is an emotion. For example, you may have felt
attitude - that being happy leads to a anxious during a taxi ride to the airport
certain way of looking at things? If so, the because you were not sure if you would
statement is not useful, since it does not tell make it to your flight on time. In this case,
us how to be happy. It merely sheds light the anxiety was preceded by thoughts
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