Measuring your happiness

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle differentiated the varieties of happiness:

1. Hedonia (pleasure): this is the type of happiness that is associated with self-satisfaction and doing what makes you happy.
2. Eudaimonia (meaning): this is the type of happiness that is self-fulfilling. It happens when you invest in yourself, when you seek what is important to you and what allows you to mold yourself into a better version of yourself.

Happiness is when a person feels satisfaction, contentment, and elation in their life. It is a fulfilling feeling to have despite it having varying definitions.

The term is generally used to explain one's present moment or how they feel about their life in a broad sense. Psychologists see it as a 'subjective' emotional state of a person's well-being. It focuses on our personal feelings in the existing moment.

We do not have complete control over everything that happens in our lives, but we can always choose which paths to go to and the actions we make. Purpose is something you can cultivate, remember that always.

It is important to explore your interests and find the things that you are passionate about. If volunteering bring you joy and satisfaction, so be it. If exercise does, go for it. It is important to recognize what is important to us and to understand why we live for them.

1. Emotional balance - We all experience positive and negative feelings from time to time. How one handles their emotional state is crucial as to how they radiate this energy towards everything they have going on in their life;
2. Life satisfaction - People experience emotions differently whenever an event occurs in their lives. How you feel about your own life - from your relationships to personal achievements - matter to your happiness.

It's fairly easy to look for the things that make us happy, but we have to note that choosing the wrong things to value can lead to more harm than good. We need to be able to pick the thing that bring us happiness and makes our life better in a general sense.

Moreover, while evaluating happiness, don't be afraid to seek help from the people you trust and allow yourself to open up to them. Social support is another important aspect of happiness, don't let loneliness discourage you.

Being happy affects your health and well-being more than you think. It makes you become more content with what you have currently. It allows you to build stronger relationships with people.

Happiness makes an individual more resilient. This allows them to manage stress better and happy people live longer on average than negative people. Being satisfied with life also helps you get sick less often. Happier mental state is connected to having increased immunity.

Scientists believe that these two theories are the reason why people pursue happiness:

1. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: The basic needs of people are always put first before anything else. Once their basic needs have been covered, this motivates people to pursue psychological and emotional needs.
2. Positive Psychology: This field is central to the field of psychology. The pursuit for happiness is focused on bettering the lives of people, communities, and societies.

To some people, happiness comes naturally, but if it doesn't for you here are some things you can do to raise your happiness level:

• Achieve the goals you want to achieve
• Learn how to be in the present moment and let yourself enjoy the things you enjoy doing
• Practice gratitude towards yourself and the other areas in your life
• Be mindful of your thoughts and behavior, negativity only leads to more negativity. Don't let your intrusive thoughts take over you.