As stated before in my introduction, I chose to write about positive psychology due to economic struggles individuals face, but recently I had experienced one of my biggest downfalls in my life. Not that long ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I broke up after 3 years. This was my longest and my most life changing relationship. I understand that I am young to say I love someone, but only he and I know what goes behind closed doors, so only he and I can judge our relationship. It has been hectic for the last month and a half to focus on my studies and my life, but focusing on my blog helped distract my mind off the stressor for a bit. Since I am writing this blog to help increase one’s happiness, I thought it would be relevant to include one of my personal experiences. I have tried a variety of things to increase my happiness, and I would like to share with everyone. Hopefully after this post, you all can get to know me a little bit more and realize that achieving happiness is possible.
One important factor that distracted my mind off the break-up was having one of the biggest support networks (includes family, friends, and even strangers). Generally, I am a very happy person because of my networks, but when some incident such as the break-up occurred, it was hard to pick myself back up on my feet. My parents helped me clean out my apartment, throw away items that reminded me of the relationship, and took me out to shop and dine. Also, rather than having company from family, I also received love from my friends.
One important factor that distracted my mind off the break-up was having one of the biggest support networks (includes family, friends, and even strangers). Generally, I am a very happy person because of my networks, but when some incident such as the break-up occurred, it was hard to pick myself back up on my feet. My parents helped take my mind off the whole situation by checking up on me more than they used to, and doing whatever it takes to get my mind off it. For example, my parents helped me clean out my apartment, throw away items that reminded me of the relationship, and took me out to shop and dine. Also, rather than having company from family, I also received love from my friends.
Even though my friends and family distracted me, I felt that I needed to do something for myself. Since I am committed when participating in hobbies, I decided to continue learning how to snowboard. I went for my first time last year in December, but I decided to go two more times and learn how to better my techniques. My first time snowboarding was with my boyfriend (at the time), and there were not many fond memories because all we did was argue, and no one taught me how to stand up on the board, or even teach me how to ride down the mountains. Therefore, I was stuck on the mountain for more than an hour, and it was not pleasant especially when it was freezing cold. Not only did I master some basics, but it felt great to get out of the city and see the mountains; it was relaxing and I felt more freedom being in the outdoors.
Learning how to snowboard took my mind off the break-up, and had me thinking things for myself. What I mean by thinking things for myself includes focusing more on school, bettering myself, and trying to finish school so I can leave the city and start off new. Just being in the mountains gave me a sense of relief, and I thank my parents for also being supportive to helping me pay for all the expenses; to have them encourage me to engage in an expensive hobby means a lot. I think when we commit to learning a new sport or focusing on a new hobby, we distract our mind from all the current stressors. When you guys are stressing over something huge, such as like my break-up, try learning something new or going back to your old hobby; you’ll be happier than you may think. These two methods are not the only reasons to achieve happiness, but for me, these are the most influenced reasons why I am more positive today.
I took the time to share a bit of my personal life with you guys, and to show that you can become positive when you’re down in the dumps. When you guys are sad or going through some difficult situations, take the time to talk to the people you care about and commit into something new. Are there any other ways to achieve happiness that you guys use?
