Finding Happiness
Two nights ago, I talked a friend out of committing suicide. It was one of the scariest things I've ever done. She was at the brink of taking her life and all I had with me was my phone. I had no contact of anyone close to her at the time and really had to be very selective with the words I said to her. She's a college student raised by a single mother and had been going through alot of stuffs from her family and her relationship. It saddened me more knowing she had slipped into depression and had been facing challenges financially.
I had called to check on her but noticed the pain and stress in her voice. She was reluctant to say much and wanted to end the call but I felt something wasn't right. Long story short, I called her when she was just seconds to poisoning herself with a really powerful insecticide.
After hours of talking, persuading and making her feel giving up on life wasn't the right decision, I understood her sole purpose for having the thoughts of suicide in the first place was because she was unhappy. Unhappy with her family, her boyfriend, her financial status and sadly, she was unhappy with herself. Her reasons for trying to end her life could also plunge anyone in her shoes into feeling the same way but my understanding of life so far helped change how she perceived happiness and existence.
Happiness itself isn't derived from our loved ones or the people around us. It might seem otherwise because we interact with them mostly but our happiness is really just a decision. The decision to always find happiness in every situation is and will always be ours to make. No one can truly make you happy. For instance, if you were at a comedy show with your partner and you had just found out moments earlier that he/she had been cheating, chances are you probably won't find anything funny like if you had a clear and peaceful mind.
Finding your happiness from within yourself might seem like a really difficult task but it really quite simple and you can do that by following just two steps. First, know the solutions to your problems. No matter how hard a problem is, there's almost always an obvious solution but we sometimes try to neglect these solutions and look for an easier and more convenient way out. Don't have a job?, find one. Want a business?, start one. Bad grades in school?, study harder. Family / Relationship problems?, address them first, set barriers or stay away from any form of negative relationship for a while till you feel know what exactly makes you happier; being with them or staying away like you did. Fact is, you never get happy complaining about all the wrongs/ faults, you'd only end up getting depressed while doing so.
Secondly, find what you love and do them. Be daring, be adventurous, read more, study more, travel more, meet new people with similar life interests, learn new skills, have new hobbies. You'd see life differently in no time, you'd derive pleasure and happiness from doing these new things and lastly, you'd appreciate life better, every second of it.
Life itself is filled with challenges, but letting those challenges get the best of us will only cut us short of our happiness and joy. You my friend are the director of your life's journey and you alone can bring happiness to yourself.
I hope you find peace joy and happiness henceforth as you journey through life. Thank you for taking the time to read through. Have a great week.♥️