Why Are We So Unhappy?
- May 2, 2024
- 3 min read
Doctor Lynn is a Naturopath, yoga nutrition therapist, fitness professional, karma master, published author, international speaker and video producer with over 40 years’ experience in the field of natural health and fitness.
According to Gallop’s list of the world’s happiest countries, the U.S. dropped from number 15 last year to number 23. This poll marks the first time the U.S. hasn’t made the top 20 since the ranking began in 2012. According to Gallup, much of the dip stems from young Americans feeling worse about their lives. So why are we becoming so unhappy?
We can blame social media and the state of the world, but the world has always been in turmoil. It is the nature of life. That is why, next to good health, the most coveted thing is happiness.
Happiness is as basic a need as food and water. Ask anyone what they want most in life, and most likely, right after good health, they will choose happiness.
Abraham Maslow referred to the hierarchy of needs as the motivational force of the individual, the highest being self-actualization. This highest need may hold the key to happiness. To be self-actualized means to grow whole, reaching the pinnacle of completeness. Nothing more is needed; therefore, one finds the contentment and satisfaction that leads to happiness. The self-actualized human moves with poise, tranquility, grace, and ease, and this completeness and contentment create true happiness.
The thing to remember about happiness is that life is ever-changing. Nothing is permanent except that which you cultivate within. Lord Shiva is the King of the Dance of Life. In the Hindu practice, Shiva is the force of destructive energy that lays the foundation for creation. Shiva dances at the cosmic wheel of life surrounded by a ring of fire, which symbolizes the eternal cycles of birth, life, and death. Shiva means liberation, or the freedom to dance and express oneself. He cannot stop time from passing or things from changing, but he can find happiness and bliss amid the chaos of life. To find happiness, keep dancing!
There is an ancient fable about a musk deer that best describes our search for happiness. The fabled musk deer has a scented spot above its forehead that gives off the musk scent. The deer is intensely attracted to the smell of the musk and runs here and there in search of it, not realizing that the smell is on its forehead. Happiness is like that. We run here and there in search of it, never realizing that happiness is within us and not somewhere out there.
Happiness requires contentment. Be content with what you have, and then reach out to create more. Contentment is how we prosper and become successful. Contentment is one of the goals of karma yoga and one of the most challenging things for us to attain. Humans have a natural tendency to want more. Even when we experience happiness, we want more happiness.
Contentment means being happy with what you have and not wishing for what you have not earned. Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Happiness is not doing what you want, but wanting what you do.”
Happiness is contagious. A happy soul brings joy, good cheer, and bliss to everyone and everything they encounter. Prosperity is drawn to happiness, just like we are drawn to happy people. See life for what it is—an excellent opportunity to experience all it means to be human, and you will find happiness in this.
Check out my book, How to Master Karma, and learn how to create a life of health, happiness, and peace, click here.
Dr Lynn Anderson, Naturopath Yoga Therapist Karma Master
Doctor Lynn is a Naturopath, yoga nutrition therapist, fitness professional, karma master, published author, international speaker and video producer with over 40 years’ experience in the field of natural health and fitness. She has been featured in Redbook, Reader’s Digest, Huffington Post, Shape, SELF and various other national publications, TV networks and Podcasts. She is the author and producer of the Soul Walking series; Karma, Prosperity, Vitality and The Naturopathic Wellness Series; The Yoga of Nutrition and Recipes for Health, Sex, Happiness and Love; and Doctor Lynn’s Proactive-Aging Workouts; DVDs and TV with international distribution; CEC author, Burnout – it happens to all of us.
