Happiness is feeling comfortable in your own skin. To feel that you've found a place of calm and slef-acceptance. To not be carried by the tides of others' opinions. To accidentally catch sight of yourself in a window or a mirror and think "I like you". To be held ransome to nothing.

i would LOVE to be content. "happiness" is pretty subjective. i used to think i wasn't "happy" a few months ago - and made some changes that dramatically affected my life for the worse (one bad decision led to a bad incident which i no longer have control over). i didn't realize how "happy" i really was - i would give anything to go back to my "content" life that i had...

P.S. ruv you right back!

I think beyond contentment, fulfillment is also an integral part of happiness. As is self-acceptance a pride.

I have self-esteem and pride... I just cant seem to pull myself out of this funk.. Positive thinking... etc etc.. I havent been able to do it..

I think there are different kinds of happiness too...

There have been many points in my life where I have been compltely happy with my life - my job, my friends, my love life, my education.. etc - yet was still depressed. The fact that I was depressed doesn't negate the fact that I was happy with my life. There is a difference between that kind of deeper happiness and surface happiness, like actually walking around with a big smile

I understand that so well sboom.. I hope I can find what it is that my mind thinks I am missing out on if that makes any sense..

I have been depressed most my life. I have tried almost every med there is.. I would just like to be at peace in my own head.. Guess Im just whining..

happiness is a word, to describe a feeling. a feeling is a nevre orientated subject. be it sad, be it happy, or be it sad.

happiness is just the feeling of gratitude, pride, and other positive emotions.

kind of like the feeling of love can be produced by riding a roller coaster.

feelings are just our bodies recations.

to me.. "being happy" is noticing the small things around us.. the breeze, the sun, the birds chirping, feeling content and relaxed, feeling that ones inner self is comfortable with the skin covering it, smiling for no reason at all.

I don't think that happiness is something we have all the time. Contentment is not happiness, neither is wanting for nothing.
Happiness is when you spill over with a feeling that is higher than those other things. Happiness is like the orgasm you were not expecting but the more you practice finding it, the more you get.

These are all good.. Thank you guys..

I have found that nothing has worked until I went to an abuse counselor, and went through group abuse counseling.

I have dealt with some of the abuse from my childhood, and worked through some issues, I am feeling better. The more I deal with these things, the better I feel

For me, it all goes back to my childhood, and things I believed about myself because of things that were said and done to me way back when I was a little girl.

I don't know your situation, so this may not apply to you at all, but if it does, then maybe you might want to check into it.

My 2 cents ....I believe that some of us are just programmed to be blue .... I think of myself like Eeyore off Winny the Pooh. even when things are going great for him . he is still blue with a small cloud over his head. Maybe its because sometimes we try so hard to look for happiness and contentment that we overlook those things that could possiblity forfill those needs. At the moment happiness for me would be just one day without some kind of drama ..... NO calls No bad News, just a break from all my worries .... I so miss the carefree woman I used to be ... Finding her again would be total bliss ....... Love you to Bear :)

my friend happiness to me means peace of mind and i am fighting like hell to find it and hold onto it for dear life..

love you GF and i hope you feel better soon.

Bearfriend, this is the million dollar question, and if I could answer it for you, maybe it would mean a "cure" for the depression that we suffer from. If and when you ever do find the answer, please let us all know.. My wish for you, and for us all really, is that someday we will all be truly content and happy...not too much to ask, but maybe too much to hope for? xxxx

I think happiness is relative (do NOT confuse this with "relativeS" lmao)

Each person has their own happiness I believe. For me, it can be as simple as looking through my football card collection for an hour....to thinking about the happiness I would feel being with the woman I love.

Of course, these things would not be applicable to everyone....I believe happiness is a very personal thing.

Ruv you rots and rots too Y :)