The art of happiness

Appreciate what you have, who you are, and what you've done. Don't think that because you don't have X, or don't act perfectly X, or haven't done X makes you any better or worse.

Smoke pot, drink good ales.

I've felt content for the first time in ages today, because now I have a girlfriend. There's your answer.

Relationships are an emotional roller coaster in themselves. If they go right, they feel like the best thing in the world and can really boost you. If they go wrong however, they can drag you down and knock you for six - Don't use a relationship to lean on unless you have confidence in yourself and you're sure you've found the right person. They can go wrong so easily.

It's different for every person, but for me, the trick to being content is to chill out - Think about what's important for you, stop caring about the stuff that isn't so much (especially considering there are bad things everywhere), have an ambition in your life and a direction to head in. Learn to love yourself, and don't bottle up your emotions. Be sure to vent, and talk about your problems with people who'll listen to you.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and make the most of what you've got.

What DI said.

Just drink a lot of alcohol, like lethal quantities of it. And DarkHoodness spoke wise words, relationships are not fun (after the first 3 months anyways,) stay away from them until you pick yourself up a little.

Oh, and do something you enjoy... the little things that you enjoy. Get a hobby. That's about it, but I've no complaints in life yet (bar being in a relationship.)

I pity anyone who took my advice seriously. Anything that ends with 'There's your answer' should be viewed with extreme caution.

Make time for yourself. That's the only genuine tactic I can remember using. Pick a day of the week, and make it 'your day'. Shift any hobbies or plans to that day, that way you've always got something to look forward to. If Tuesday feels shit, you can just think 'Hey, it's Thursday soon. That's my day.' For years I put my gaming sessions on Thursday, to the point where I was prioritising them over work. To this day, I still can't think of Thursday as anything other than the most important day of the week.

For me getting a creative hobby such as drawing, writing and acting has helped me considerably. Since a lot of my time is spent at home I find having a hobby such as drawing at home isn't as enjoyable as going out to a group or club.

Back at school and during A-levels I was the quiet geeky Science kid, I did an A-level in Biology, Chemistry and Maths (although I failed them) and got an A-level in Business. If you told me back then that I would realise that I didn't even like studying Science and eventually join an Amatuer Dramatics Society I would have thought you mad.

My point is: throw away any preconcieved thoughts about yourself and take a look at what's in your area. You might be surprised at what you'll find to be interesting. Then go for it.

Your expectations are too high. No-one is happy 100% of the time. No-one is even happy most of the time.

You have to accept the fact that most of the time your mood will be neutral, learn to appreciate the short moments here and there when you are feeling good and, overall, try to make sure that the positive moments outnumber the negative ones.

Go back to being a kid. If you can reverse fifteen years' worth of a whole universe's entropy (or know someone who can) then it's fairly straightforward. You simply have to do that thing I just said.

Surely the bigger task would be to stop entropy entirely, in order for him to remain in his youthful state?

Also, I was crap as a 13 year old. I don't wanna go back to that.

How about when you were six?

six sounds fun, thanks for all the tips people. I think I have come to the slow conclusion that 15 years in my family is affecting my mood, especially since at the moment my parents have only just started talking to each other again after a...dispute. Also every day for the past two weeks has seen someone in my family arguing at another and this is just backwards and forwards shouting lasting for up to an hour. If it happens again tonight I'm staying out the whole night and I'll just crash somewhere warm for the night...go back in the morning and go to school.

How do you suggest reverting my part of the universe by 22 years and Scraptrapman's by 15 years?


EDIT: How depressing. It's much closer to 23 years now than 22.

You can't turn back the clock by different amounts at the same time. What sort of senility-born nonsense is this?

Nate's more senile than fucking Oddjob. probably in the same home.

I'm more senile than Nate and I'm fucking 15/16 bench mark. Fucking me I couldn't even memorize 5 paragraphs of Spanish today. Nor what I had for lunch.

I find happiness in flirting with older men over the internet.

I truly hope that was helpful in some way.

Well, I don't swing both ways so not really.

I also troll people, play pokemon, try to occupy myself as much as possible with books and shit and do as little work as possible.

It keeps you content.

coolio

Makes sense but I do a lot of shit already. Maybe I need to go have a cigar, that's' enjoyable but stinky.

you memorize what you had for lunch?

Well, now, I had, pineapple juice, a ham sammich, a...flapjack bar, a cheese string and four party sausages.

good. you are dismissed.

Did I pass?

you passed with flying fucking carpets.

little Rickyism, there.

Hmm, extra credit (I'm going USA stylin')

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet...

Wham!

Vibrators
In
Bed
Get
Your
Organs
Red

Now you'll never forget your Rainbow colours again.

That was precisely what I was saying. I was pointing out the impossiblity of what you were suggesting.