What Makes Me Happy

What Makes Me Happy

Today I feel happy. At age 59 I've come to the conclusion that happiness is not to be taken for granted. I have to be honest. For the vast majority of my life I have been much more familiar with the feelings of pain than the feelings of happiness. When I received some periods of happiness now I am extremely grateful. I suffer from a mood disorder and I'm sure this has a lot to do with it. It is a disease that has to be managed. Managing depression can be quite the challenge. It is far too easy to sink into the black pit. It is much more difficult to climb back out of the pit. I am always looking for new ways to make my moods more positive. A lot of the time I can find that I am in a bad mood and not even know the reason for it. This can be very frustrating. I have found that certain things will certainly make the depression worse. Two of the biggest factor our stress and fatigue. Both of these conditions play great havoc with my moods.

There are many times when I have felt that my happiness is just pure dumb luck. I cannot think of anything I did that contributed to my happiness. I just woke up one morning and started to feel better. Certain things in my life do make me happier. It is always easier when my primary relationship is going well. Happiness is more likely when I'm not feeling physically sick or tired. I find that periods of solitude are often helpful for me. Exercise can go either way for me. If I don't overdo it exercise will have a positive effect on my moods. However, if I exercise too long or too hard it will result in fatigue which will bring me down. Having enough money to buy myself some nice things is also helpful.

During the summer I was involved in a car accident that resulted in my old car being totalled. After enduring great frustration I ended up with a new used car that I really like. I enjoy my 1999 Ford Taurus so much that I don't think I would be happier if I got this year's model or a new Ford Fusion. Everything works on this car and it is running great. For this I am very grateful.

Another thing that makes me happy is takimg my dogs to the dog park. Whenever possible I like to start my day by taking the dogs to the dog park. It is invigorating to get some early day exercise and to watch my dogs enjoy themselves. This brings me great satisfaction.

Over the last couple of weeks I have started to program my mind with positive messages. While I have my morning coffee and breakfast I listen to audios by either TD Jakes or Joel Osteen. Both of these preachers teach that God has our best interests at heart and will fulfill His promises to us. Some things may take a long time to come about but God is always working on our problems. This gives me tremendous hope.