Reasons and ways to be happy amidst negative circumstances

True and lasting happiness is what everyone desires in this troubled world. Still, a lot of people seek it in the wrong way without necessarily giving attention to what they have at present that can give them the happiness and satisfaction they have always longed for all their lives.

The world is definitely full of war, terrorism, sickness, diseases, hatred and violence, yet amidst all these is the possibility of living a happy life.

Family and free gift of nature

Majority of us have a measure of good health, because not everyone is stricken by the deadly diseases prevalent in the world today. Waking up in the morning and seeing family members around, also being able to see, feel and savour the free gifts of nature such as the sun, moon, stars at night and the rain and fresh air all make life worthwhile. So it won’t be bad at all if we made out some time off our tight schedule to visit those in the hospital and show them some love.

Riches, fame and fortune

Can all these really give true and lasting happiness. Most youth would always think riches, fame and fortune can give true happiness and all efforts are made to try every means possible to gain such riches and fame, which look easily attainable in the entertainment world. The bling bling of riches are all part of the paparazzi to deceive and lure youth into believing that all the glitz and glamour shown in the media truly bring happiness. Only few famous people who have been showered with all the paparazzi, glitz and glamour of fame end up being truly happy.

Happiness brings about good health

It has been scientifically proven that happy people are healthy people. Science has proven that happy people have low rates of cardio vascular disease; they have better immunity; they heal faster after injuries; they are more likely to have healthier diet, and they live longer. Also, when it comes to social life and work, happy people are more productive at work, typically have deep relationship with others, help others and volunteer more, are more likely to donate money to charity, and more creative problem-solvers.

Meaningful and fulfilling life

Happiness makes life worthwhile, thereby leading to a meaningful and a fulfilling life – a life of purpose. For a meaningful life to be possible, one needs to be content with one’s present condition and position and try not to covet other peoples possessions or tr to measure up to others high standards. Contentment and simplicity really is part of the greatest keys to a meaningful and successful life.

Show genuine love and kindness

Showing genuine love, kindness and respect to others goes a long way in reducing and eliminating depression. When little kindness is shown to someone in need, you are in a way solving your own problems and on the other hand putting smile on someone else’s face; and if that is done by one person after another, the world will be a better place and there will be a  lesser number of unhappy people.

Isabelle Kamariza (founder of Solid Africa – a non governmental organisation that supports vulnerable patients in public hospitals) once said during an interview on CNN’s African Voices: “Love can solve all the problems in the world. Love can turn around situations and when you do something kind to someone he will also do something kind to another human being.”

Her statement is true and carries a lot of weight, because if people all over the world showed love and kindness, one person does something nice to another person, and the other person shows kindness to another person and it goes on and on like that, then the world would be a very beautiful and safe place to live in.

Individually, we all have our own challenges, which sometimes get us depressed. Being resilient in challenging times and facing them head-on with the help of God Almighty reveals our strength and courage. When we are able to overcome the challenges, we are stronger and better prepared for any other challenges that may come our way. The challenges we may face day after day define who we are on the inside and our ability to overcome them makes us happy.

Life is such a special gift from God so it is important to keep staying positive despite the bad developments all around, and facing life’s challenges with courage that can lead to a true and lasting happiness.